Dawn Mant, executive director of the Red River Regional Council, and Lisa Roffel, leader of Red River Community Housing Development Organization, told the Grand Forks County Commission that a regionwide housing study completed in August identified a need for roughly 4,800 additional housing units by 2030 (the study excludes Grand Forks city). The presenters outlined a mix of production, rehabilitation and financing strategies aimed at addressing shortages that local employers say are constraining workforce growth.

"We forecasted the need for 1,500 new employees in just our small towns in Region 4," Mant said, summarizing business interviews. The presenters also said Region 4 accounts for roughly 21% of the state's H-2A visa workers and that demand spans entry-level homeownership, market-rate rentals and affordable rental housing.

Roffel described the SPARC Building Initiative, funded through the North Dakota Housing Incentive Fund, which built four houses in 2024, has two under construction and funding for two more, and is lining up additional communities for 2026 builds. She said the program is targeted at enabling movement within local markets: buyers have been existing community residents seeking smaller, more accessible homes, and resale of vacated homes is producing secondary market supply.

Mant outlined additional efforts: pursuing low-income housing tax credits for multifamily affordable rentals in partnership with Grand Forks Homes and the Grand Forks Housing Authority; applying for federal and nonprofit funding to pilot modular/manufactured housing on permanent foundations; and administering a single-family rehab fund (about $1 million) targeting veterans and seniors with incomes at or below 60% of area median income.

The presenters cited the scale of the gap in Grand Forks County alone — an estimated 2,414 additional units by 2030, or about 483 units per year — noting that the county's historical average building permits are far lower. They also described policy tools the county might use: defining county financial support parameters, creating an inventory of lots and vacant farmsteads for infill, using PACE-style interest buy-downs in partnership with the Bank of North Dakota, and exploring a regional housing fund.

Mant and Roffel asked for county engagement on state policy and support for strategies that encourage small-town housing production. Commissioners asked clarifying questions about construction costs, use of local builders, and whether SPARC homes were intended as low-income housing; presenters said SPARC sales were not income-restricted but aimed to increase housing stock and create opportunities for secondary sales.

No commission vote followed; the item was a presentation and request for ongoing engagement and support.