Housing: Hennepin County isn’t meeting the urgency of the moment

By Josh Bassais

Housing is one of the key issues that pushed me to run for Hennepin County Commissioner. All across District 3, I hear the same thing: people feel like they’re being priced out of the neighborhoods they love. Rents are skyrocketing. Homeownership is slipping away. And far too many of our neighbors are living outside — because the county isn’t meeting the urgency of the moment.

The truth is, we’ve seen big spending but slow results. The county approved nearly $172 million for just 191 units at Fort Snelling — nearly $900,000 per apartment. That project took years while hundreds of people waited in tents. Long-term housing is critical, and we absolutely need to invest in it — but we need to do it far more efficiently, and we can’t ignore the short-term crisis in the meantime.

We shouldn’t have to choose between building permanent housing and meeting urgent needs. We can and must do both and do them better.

Here’s what I’ll prioritize:

• Quick-turn shelter options that get people inside now — like hotel conversions, safe stays, and short-term bridge housing
• Deeper affordability in new housing — especially for families earning under 30% of the area median income
• Proven partnerships with nonprofit and community developers who deliver real results without bloated budgets
• Tools that keep people housed — including first-time homebuyer help, and local property tax relief

I’m running because District 3 needs leadership that treats this like the emergency it is — with urgency, practicality, and compassion.

Josh Bassais is running for District 3 Hennepin County Commissioner