WTIP Housing Series: The Long-Term Rental Crunch
This series focuses on the local workforce housing crunch facing Cook County. It shares anecdotes of the struggles people face when trying to find a long-term rental in the county, a comparison of the local market with other tourist destinations across the United States, and possible solutions to the local issues involved with finding a house to rent or own in Cook County.
For this series, WTIP interviewed more than a dozen community leaders, elected officials, individuals involved with local real estate and people looking to rent a house in Cook County.
Their stories are shared in three produced features and a "Community Conversations" program that aired live in June 2018.
Support for this series comes from the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.
A lack of long-term rentals in Cook County - A Community Conversation
Joe Friedrichs-It can be a challenge to find a long-term rental option to house residents of Grand Marais and Cook County. It’s an issue that impacts local families and individuals, employers and people who would like to call this beautiful part of the North Shore their home.
There are many reasons why this challenge exists in Cook County, and during this Community Conversations program that aired lived June 7, WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs speaks with a panel of local residents, an elected official and property owners in Cook County about various issues on the local level regarding a lack of long-term rentals.
Included on the panel were:
• Cook County Assessor Todd Smith
• Cook County Commissioner and a member of the county’s Vacation Rental Committee, Heidi Doo-Kirk
• Sophie Wyatt, who is a new resident of Cook County and, along with her husband Kyle, recently went through the process of trying to find a long-term rental in the community
• Steve Surbaugh from Cascade Vacation Rentals, a property management company in Cook County that specializes in short-term, or vacation rentals
WTIP Housing Series: Part three, solutions to the problem
-This is part three of an in-depth report on the local housing market titled: ‘WTIP Housing Series: The Long-Term Rental Crunch.’
In this episode, WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs finds what local residents, businesses and community leaders are doing to address a lack of workforce housing. A number of businesses in Cook County are exploring ways to find housing for their employees. From resorts on the North Shore to the Grand Marais Family Dentistry, a number of innovative ideas are coming forward from the local business community.
Housing Series: Part two, long-term rentals lacking in tourist destinations
-This is part two of an in-depth report on the local housing market titled: ‘WTIP Housing Series: The Long-Term Rental Crunch.’
In this episode, WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs compares the lack of workforce housing in Cook County with situations facing other tourism-based economies in rural communities across the country.
The rise of vacation rentals is a becoming a talking point in rural areas where tourists often seek outdoor adventure. Learn what this means for people looking to rent long-term in the communities where they work and live.
WTIP Housing Series: Part one, the journey of finding a long-term rental
-This is part one of an in-depth report on the local housing market titled: ‘WTIP Housing Series: The Long-Term Rental Crunch.’
In this episode, WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs follows the effort of Sophie and Kyle Wyatt as they try to move from a St. Paul apartment to a home in Cook County.
The couple had long dreamed of living on the North Shore, so they found work that will allow them to live here. All they needed next was a place to live. And as is the case for many who have aspirations to move to Cook County, this is where things got difficult.