Building community connections in the rural west
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- Created: Tuesday, 16 June 2015 14:48
- Written by Victoria Clark
Last month, over 50 people from seven different states gathered in Billings, Montana for a regional convening of western, rural Sustainable Communities Initiative (SCI) grantees. The SCI is a grant program designed by the Partnership for Sustainable Communities (PSC), a federal interagency partnership, which supported communities in regional planning to improve access to affordable housing, increase transportation options, and lower transportation costs while protecting the environment.
In the final days of the 2015 legislative session, Minnesota Housing Finance Agency’s budget faced uncertainty. Lawmakers released the Jobs/Energy bill, in which Minnesota Housing’s budget is included, with less than an hour before the Legislature’s adjournment deadline of midnight on May 18. The House took up this “lights on” bill in the final minute of session.
Renewable energy, especially solar, is of great interest to affordable housing developers from both a financial sustainability and mission perspective. However, effective practices and financing systems are still emerging in Minnesota.