Too Expensive to Live | Video

Alex Hagan | 10/25/2012

The economy in North Dakota is booming, but in some ways, so are the hopes of people who want to live here without breaking the bank. The big issue is affordable housing. High demand and low supply means property owners raise their rates. Many of those who used to be able to afford rent have now been priced out of the market.

Sarita Steckler and Pam Selover own a cleaning business in Dickinson. They commute from both New England and Regent because rent anywhere close has gone too high.

"People are just making average money and they can`t afford the pricing that`s going on," Selover said.

Steckler`s daughter is struggling to live in Dickinson. She says rents have tripled in only a couple years.

"My daughter`s working a regular full-time job, along with her husband, and they can`t afford to move out from my mom`s house. So they`re living with their grandmother and it`s just virtually impossible for anyone to afford these rent prices."

The booming economy isn`t great for everyone in North Dakota especially the service industry. One to two bedroom houses are now going for $1,000 to $1,500 dollars a month and that`s too much for people who aren`t making the big oil bucks.

"They can`t afford the rent, so they`re either giving up their vouchers and moving out of their apartments going and living with family or they`re moving out of town," said Lynette Dillinger with the Stark County Housing Authority.

Not only are high rents affecting residents, they are also putting affordable housing programs in jeopardy.

"We`re not getting our vouchers issued like we should and if we don`t use the vouchers in Stark County, we lose them," Dillinger said.

But right now the main issue for everyone is how are they going to make enough money to live and pay for food as well.

"We need to have places that are affordable for everybody," Selover said.

"It makes me very sad that my kids are growing up in this kind of era to where they can`t afford to even live on their own," Steckler said.

They say if the issue isn`t solved soon, residents who have lived here for many years might not stick around much longer.

Housing Authority employees say pre-planning is vital in finding a place to live in Dickinson. However, they say if you don`t have a good paying job, it`s not even worth it.

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