Rethinking (Rural) Housing: How We’re Getting it Wrong, Why It Matters Everywhere, and What to Do About It

Join University of Minnesota Extension sociologist Ben Winchester for a webinar showcasing Otter Tail County’s leadership in addressing rural housing.

What if the housing crisis can’t be built away? Building more housing matters — but it’s only part of the solution.

Across the country, communities are struggling with housing that is affordable, available, and in good condition. In many rural places, these challenges are showing up first, driven by simple realities: people living longer, staying in homes that no longer fit their needs, and fewer homes turning over for new residents and workers.

This practical, data-driven conversation will discuss how demographic shifts and years of private inaction — not regulation — are reshaping housing supply and local economies. Ben will break down the “moving in, moving out, and moving over” patterns that help explain why empty bedrooms can exist alongside housing shortages, tight labor markets, and stalled growth.

Amy Baldwin, community development director with Otter Tail County, will highlight their Big Build as a real-world example of how communities are responding — showing the private benefits that can come from public action when housing is treated as an economic development issue.