Otter Tail County hosted a countywide Housing Summit on Wednesday, May 14. The summit brought nearly 100 housing partners together at Thumper Pond Resort to learn about housing successes, engage with each other, and activate continued housing investment for the county.

The Housing Summit included presentations from developers, city representatives, the Otter Tail County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA), and the Community Development Agency (CDA). Otter Tail County’s housing finance programs and technical assistance services for communities were also highlighted during the presentations.

Keynote speaker, Ben Winchester, a Rural Sociologist from the University of Minnesota Extension Department of Community Development, highlighted the importance of housing investment for the future of rural economies, including Otter Tail County. 

“There is certainly an economic return on building a home and investing in housing. Our early Extension research shows that every household living in a home produces upwards of $51,000 in economic output annually,” shared Winchester. 

This metric does not include the output from building the house or individuals from the household participating directly in the local workforce. That is only the household spending and other economic contributions to the community. Beyond economics, housing allows for community wealth to be created through leadership and volunteer opportunities, local small business ownership, school enrollments, and nonprofit growth.

“It was encouraging to hear about the shared successes and broad benefits that housing investment has on our communities. Many partners came together today to share information and make connections to continue this impactful housing work,” said Otter Tail County Commissioner and CDA and HRA Board Member Kurt Mortenson.

The Housing Summit was an excellent event to share resources and activate nearly 100 partners to continue housing growth efforts. More information about the Housing Summit and other housing resources in Otter Tail County is available at www.bigbuildotc.com.