Candidates Talk About Housing Shortage | Video

Jessica Roose | 7/12/2012

The election season has geared up and today some candidates were on the road spreading their message across the state. Governor Jack Dalrymple and Senate Candidate Heidi Heitkamp while they were in Bismarck today discussing the issue. While their messages were slightly different, there was a common theme: Something needs to be done to address the housing concerns in the state, particularly out west.

Construction has become a common sight, but even as more houses go up, more are needed to keep up with the growing population of the state.

"What we`re seeing is, you know, people actually moving from west to east now particularly when they approach retirement age and we`re seeing a shortage of housing in really most of our communities," Dalrymple said.

Dalrymple says a lot has already been done to address the housing crunch. Since 2011 nearly 8,000 units have been built across the state. With more and more people moving into the state, particularly for jobs in the oil industry, more needs to be done.

"We will be proposing an additional $12 million in flexPACE buydown funds in the upcoming budget cycle. This investment has the potential to generate an estimated $125 million in private housing development."

He also says he plans to double the size of the housing incentive fund, which he says will aid the development of affordable housing.

Democratic Senate Candidate Heidi Heitkamp says the state shouldn`t be alone in trying to address the concerns in western North Dakota.

"I think they could take a look at expanding the Section 8 program, expanding some of the affordable housing programs that we already have and taking a look at providing more vouchers and more incentives for people who build."

She says some of that money could come from oil royalties collected by the federal government. She said in 2011, they collected more than $315 million.

Heitkamp also says there needs to be federal funding to repair and maintain the roadways in the oil patch.

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