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FAIRMONT-- Martin County Economic Development Authority (EDA) has identified housing as a need and a priority for the county. EDA consultants, Joshua Schuetz and Amber Patten, have been working on the next steps toward making it a reality.
"If you look at small communities across Minnesota right now, housing is pretty much the number one issue for all of them," Schuetz said.
He said anyone could go on Zillow to look at listings available and find just a handful in Fairmont and maybe none in some of the smaller cities in Martin County.
"That's really unfortunate because some people are moving out of the metro area and into small towns after the pandemic with the rise of remote work. If we don't capture that workforce, other communities are going to and that's going to be a loss for us," Schuetz said.
Another thing that drives the need for housing is the fact that Martin County is losing people, especially younger people, to bigger cities like Mankato and those in the metro area.
"We want it to be feasible for someone who grows up in Fairmont or Sherburn or Truman to be able to come back and start a family, have a life and enjoy the community here," Schuetz said.
In order to achieve that, entry level housing options are needed for young singles in their first jobs or young families that are just getting started with the process of building a household.
However housing isn't just required for younger people, but for the county's growing senior population, too.
"The needs of the senior population are quite different than people in their 20s and 30s. A nice, good-sized house with stairs and multiple floors is great for a young family, but if you're in your 70s or 80s or struggling with disabilities, it can be a trap," Schuetz said.
He said that helping people find housing that's appropriate for them is important and it's something that all communities are struggling with.
Schuetz and Patten are both actually employees of Community and Economic Development Associates (CEDA), which the county contracts with for services. Patten is contracted for three days a week and Schuetz for two days a week.
"We have visited all of the communities in Martin County," Patten said.
"I recently attended the Sherburn EDA meeting which was really, really good. They had a good crowd of people for the first EDA meeting in a while," Schuetz said.
He said the city of Sherburn has identified housing as one of its biggest needs as well.
"For small communities, being able to attract just three or four families can make a huge difference," Schuetz pointed out.
Now that the need for housing has been established, Patten said they're currently doing research on what kind of housing will suit the communities in Martin County.
"I'm currently working with a town on a housing study. I have another community in the process of doing another housing study," Patten said.
Schuetz shared that there are rural feasibility studies grants available through Compeer Financial for small communities looking to do a housing study.
"I would strongly encourage any city clerks in our communities in Martin County to look at the grant. It offers a small amount of funds that can cover the cost for a housing study, which can help them understand the housing market," Schuetz said.
That information will be useful to Schuetz and Patten because they'll know what the need is whether it's low income housing, apartments, larger homes or senior housing.
Getting more housing doesn't necessarily mean new builds, either. Schuetz said they can work with communities on identifying facilities that can be turned into housing or restoring blighted homes.
However, new builds are always an option. Schuetz highlighted Martin County's tax abatement program, which has resulted in the construction of about 23 homes over the last few years.
"Most of those are single family homes but it's still homes being built in Martin County. Those families are either new to the county, or folks who decided to move up and leave their current house, which frees that house up for another family, which is something we want to see: mobility in the housing market," Schuetz said.
Residents in Martin County who are interested in this issue are encouraged to share their thoughts with local city, county or township officials. Schuetz said the topic should be approached constructively.
"Recognize that more housing in the community is good for you, even if you don't need it because your kids could need it or your grandkids could need it or a dear family friend could need it. The more housing we have, the bigger the benefit to the community as a whole," Schuetz said.