Pipestone County commissioners back Rebuilding Together request for statewide affordable housing aid support

Pipestone County commissioners on July 8 voted to sign a letter backing Rebuilding Together Minnesota’s request to use the county’s 2025 statewide affordable housing aid (SAHA) allocation to fund a local outreach position.

Rebuilding Together Minnesota representatives told commissioners the requested funds would pay a roughly 20‑hour‑a‑week community outreach worker to build a local pipeline of home‑repair projects, increase contractor partnerships and expand outreach to homeowners in need. “We do typically have funds set aside to support the hard costs of press, media, community outreach, and advertising activities, but not the staff required to execute these strategies,” project manager Emily Osterkamp said.

The organization asked the county to include language supporting a Department of Agriculture preservation grant application that would allow statewide affordable housing aid dollars to be used for staffing the outreach role. Tom Fondensteel, Rebuilding Together’s program director, said a local staff person would increase trust with homeowners and contractors and help turn referrals into projects. “This outreach piece … the homeowner we talked to was absolutely floored about what the possibilities are,” Fondensteel said.

Commissioner Dan moved that the board sign the letter of support; Commissioner Dallas seconded the motion. After brief discussion about ensuring smaller towns around the county were included in outreach, the board approved the motion by voice vote.

Why it matters: Rebuilding Together’s proposal would shift a share of the county’s SAHA allocation toward operational staff rather than only construction costs. The group said that staff capacity is the principal barrier to expanding work in Pipestone County, and that SAHA allocations offer the flexibility to underwrite such positions for a limited period while the group builds long‑term funding partnerships.

Details presented to the board: Rebuilding Together asked that the 2025 allocation be used to support up to 18–24 months of an outreach position, estimated at about 20 hours per week. Reported near‑term performance goals included creating five local referral partnerships, staging at least two community outreach events per year in Pipestone County, and expanding the contractor list by roughly 10 percent. The organization said it would provide quarterly reports documenting the number of events, partnerships and projects generated.

Funding sources and coordination: Rebuilding Together said its largest capital funding sources for repairs are Minnesota Housing and Finance Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture; it also leverages Department of Human Services funds for smaller “Safe at Home” modifications. The presenters said the SAHA dollars could help fund operational costs that other grants do not typically cover. They also emphasized coordination with local providers, including SMOC (Southwest Minnesota Opportunities Council), to avoid duplication.

Board action and next steps: The board’s signed letter will accompany Rebuilding Together’s Department of Agriculture preservation grant application. Commissioners asked staff to ensure the application and county support consider needs in smaller towns as well as in Pipestone. Rebuilding Together representatives said they will return with periodic updates if the award is made.

Speakers quoted in this article are identified from the meeting transcript and recognized by their stated affiliations.