Affordable Housing Plan in North Dakota Draws Support

Dion Schilling speaks during a committee hearing on homelessness on Jan. 21, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)

(Jeff Beach – North Dakota Monitor) – Advocates for low-income housing and people seeking to reduce homelessness lined up to testify in favor of a bill that allocates $211 million to address North Dakota’s housing crisis.

The bill also calls for a legislative study of homelessness in the state before the 2027 legislative session.

The bill so far has bipartisan support, with Rep. Ben Koppelman, R-West Fargo, and Sen. Josh Boschee, D-Fargo, testifying in favor of the bill during the hearing in front of the Education and Environment Division of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

David Flohr, executive director of the North Dakota Housing Finance Agency, said building affordable housing helps attract and retain workers, a major challenge in the state. Adding housing supply also helps address homelessness and helps keep rent affordable, he said.

Dan Madler, chief executive officer of Beyond Shelter, a company that specializes in building affordable housing, called the bill a bold move that would have more of an impact than the smaller appropriations of the past.