State senators tour Rochester for closer look at affordable housing efforts
ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – The Minnesota Senate’s $1 billion dollar housing bill has impacted a number of communities, and Rochester is no exception.
Tuesday, the city invited several state senators to show how the community is utilizing these awarded funds to better serve the community, as part of a three-day tour across the state for the senators.
The senators also learned more about the challenges the city faces in regard to housing.
“It’s really great to get them down to our city to be able to do something like today, doing a bus tour, having the time to show them some of the things going on here in Rochester. Show them what we’ve accomplished, but also show them the challenges we’re facing for housing in the coming years,” Rochester City Council Ward One representative Patrick Keane said.
“The city is not in a great position to help with a lot for those things. We have very few tools, we work very closely with these other partners like the Rochester Foundation with the Coalition for Greater Rochester Housing, with the county of Olmsted which has been a great partner for housing of late, and for the things they are trying to do for at risk housing. All of those things have to come together to build the future we want here in Rochester.”
Despite the obstacles Rochester faces, city leaders continue to work to provide the proper support for the residents of the city. The visiting senators took notice of this during their tour.
“I think Rochester is an incredible example of how they have been able to build a great foundation, a plan to understand what their community needs, really in conversation with their community, and they did that before the state even really invested a lot of money,” (DFL) Chair of Senate Housing and Homelessness Prevention Committee Sen. Lindsay Port said.
Rochester Senator Liz Bolden who is vice chair of the Senate Housing Committee also was there Tuesday. The senators also made a stop in Kasson as part of this tour.
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