Lawmakers start effort to fix error that stopped $200 million workforce housing program

Money was allocated last year, but could not be spent

Sen. Casey Crabtree, R-Madison, explains his $200 million workforce housing bill on Jan. 12, 2023. (Jonathan Ellis/The Dakota Scout)

PIERRE – A Senate committee on Thursday took action to correct a mistake from last year that stopped a $200 million housing program from being launched over the summer.

While the money got allocated from the Legislature last year, doubts emerged about how that money could be spent, and the South Dakota Housing Development Authority decided not to allocate the funding until new legislation fixed those problems.

That meant the program was not in place for the 2022 building season.

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