Housing talks point to next steps

A community plan to tackle housing issues is beginning to emerge following a series of informal discussions.

During a pair of final community meetings and a report to Olmsted County’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority board, HRA Director Dave Dunn said four target areas were identified through a process led by the county’s housing and public health departments.

They included:

• Enhancing the housing supply and maintaining existing housing;

• Reducing barriers to housing;

• Reviewing housing-related policies and collecting data; and

• Improving access and awareness of housing information.

Dunn said the goal is to develop community workgroups to tackle each of the areas.

"We will not lead and do all this work," he said. "What we can do is we can help convene people to take the lead and see where there are willing participants."

Meaghan Sherden of Olmsted County Public Works said some connections have already been made as various participants exchanged information during the discussions used to identify needs and start looking for responses to the local housing pinch.

Dunn said the Coalition for Rochester Area Housing has already emerged as a potential leader in the effort to enhance and maintain local housing. Formed by the Rochester Area Foundation, the city, the county and Mayo Clinic, the group is seeking to raise $6 million to help fund projects with housing-related goals.

"We feel that structure is already in place," Dunn said. "We don’t want to start reinventing wheels."

Dunn said the county’s HRA is also already in position to help overcome barriers to housing, whether it’s helping people find new housing or stay in their existing homes. He said the county plans to work with property managers and others to seek solutions.

"We know we have opportunities, we know we have needs in the community, and we know that working together with the property management professionals … we can find things that work," he said, noting other county agencies can also help find answers.

Dunn said finding a lead group to look at policies and data is still in the works, but he said some work is already being done in the community.

"I think what we need to do is take the work that’s already going on and focus it a little bit on the impact it has on housing and also look to see where we have holes in our data," he said.

The desire for a "one-stop shop" for housing information was the most requested item during community discussions, Dunn said. However, he said defining what information is needed regarding a topic with a wide range of concerns and interests could be a challenge.

He said work will likely need to continue to define community needs and expectations, but it’s probably not something the county’s housing department can undertake.

"I don’t see us with our limitations being the lead on a one-stop shop on a website," he said, noting other groups may be willing to take on the task.

He said the next steps are starting to gather interested participants to start work on defined action items.

"Moving forward, it will take some community action, and we will have to move together," Dunn said, noting the lead agencies for each action item will require community partners.

For more on Rochester’s housing concerns and what is being done, we reports in today’s Destination Medical Center special report.