Income qualifications present challenges in local workforce housing project

The Nordic Star housing development, a joint effort of the Cook County/Grand Marais Economic Development Authority (EDA) and One Roof Housing, is nearing the completion of a critical phase of the project. Following a series of open-house visits and orientation sessions earlier this month in Grand Marais, several local residents could soon find out if they qualify to purchase one of the homes, which have long been branded as “workforce housing.”
 
In recent months, WTIP has heard from a number of local residents that the financial qualifications necessary to obtain one of the homes were presenting obstacles. As it turns out, some interested parties in the housing project were making too much money in order to qualify for some of the homes. For example, if a married couple with no children wanted to buy one of the One Roof homes in Grand Marais currently on the market for $165,000, the couple would need to make less than $44,500 in combined gross annual income. Breaking that number down to an hourly wage, and with assumption each person works full time, each of the two individuals would need to make less than $11 per hour in order to qualify for the home.
 
WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs spoke with Jim Philbin, the community land trust director for One Roof Housing, about this topic.