Minnesota Housing Partnership representatives presented an initial housing needs assessment and engagement plan to the Denali Borough Assembly on Nov. 12, saying they will inventory existing housing, map demand and help the borough build capacity to pursue funding and zoning changes.

"My name is Leah Hall, and I'm with my colleague, Eric McCormack," Leah Hall said as she opened the presentation and described MHP's role providing free, long‑term technical assistance for rural and Native communities. MHP said it takes a three‑part approach — public policy, research and community development — and that the Denali project will pair local leadership with outside expertise to identify practical, locally led housing solutions.

Erica, MHP's lead on the needs assessment, summarized early data from a survey and a citizen workshop. "We did have 18 people respond," she said, and the responses were consistent with the workshop. The top concerns she cited: universally high construction costs; limited available housing stock (about 90% of respondents flagged this); short‑term rentals reducing supply (about 75%); and infrastructure or utility limitations (about 60%). Respondents linked housing shortages to workforce shortages, overcrowding and negative effects on education and health care access.

MHP described potential strategies to be explored during the next phases: releasing or borrowing land for year‑round housing, pursuing state and federal infrastructure funding, forming public‑private partnerships with employers, and adopting short‑term rental regulations to stabilize supply. MHP also flagged USDA's "self‑help" program as a viable rural model, where multiple families share construction loans and local project management to build owner‑occupied homes.

The consultants said the next steps are validation and broader engagement: they plan to return in the summer for expanded outreach, then draft a housing action plan that will include financing options and recommendations for zoning or code changes. MHP emphasized that the borough will lead decisions and that MHP's role is to provide tools and follow‑through to help the community implement chosen solutions.

The assembly did not vote on program funding at the Nov. 12 meeting; staff said a procurement and contract timeline will follow and the council will see formal proposals and examples of completed work before awarding a contract. The consultants said the final strategy would be returned to the assembly for review and approval.