releases: https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=35A6A3FE-57C6-46D6-8126-56373F0DE397
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=35A6A3FE-57C6-46D6-8126-56373F0DE397 | Heitkamp Announces More Affordable Housing Options are Coming to Minot | 2017-12-20 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | ND | Heidi Heitkamp | H001069 | www.heitkamp.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp announced today that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) approved the Minot Housing Authoritys waiver request to adjust their fair market rent (FMR) payment standards, which will give more Minot residents access to affordable housing programs. In September, Heitkamp pressed HUD Secretary Ben Carson to support the waiver to help those in need of affordable housing. Heitkamp has been working closely with HUD to see this process through and to advocate for Minot Housing Authoritys request. FMRs are a measurement which help low-income families afford decent housing in certain areas. In October 2013, HUD increased FMRs in Ward, Mountrail, and Williams counties in response to the housing crisis in the region. As the oil boom in western North Dakota slowed, rent prices rapidly decreased in these countiesyet due to a rule published by HUD last fall, FMRs cannot be less than 90 percent of the FMR amounts from the previous year. As a result, an estimated 100 to 150 fewer low-income families are able to find affordable housing in the Minot area. Rents in the Minot area have decreased somewhat from record highs yet HUDs funding formula to help families afford homes is far too slow to reflect conditions on the ground. The agencys one-size-fits-all approach has left many North Dakota families who urgently need support to afford homes without any assistance putting them and their families at risk, Heitkamp said. Todays decision means that more families in the Minot area will have the resources needed to find adequate housing, and Im proud to have helped push for this waiver. All families should have a safe place to call home, and seeking out ways to make housing more affordable across our state must be a priority. Heitkamp has advocated for affordable housing throughout North Dakota, and in 2015, she pushed back on proposals from the previous administration that would negatively impact the ability of families to obtain decent, safe housing at a reasonable cost and eliminate federal funds for local surveys used to calculate FMRs. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |