Working Homeless | Video

Van Tieu | 2/7/2013

With the population boom and rising rent in North Dakota, competition for housing in the state is stiff. Homeless shelters are packed, and the trend of employed families still without a roof over their heads is growing.

The Millers lost everything when their home in Kentucky burned to the ground. Five months ago, they came to North Dakota.

"So we can actually have a better life, because have not had it good for while," said Marie Miller.

When she, her husband, a marine veteran, and her four children arrived, they ran into the same problem other newcomers have: no place to live in the midst of a booming economy. Her husband works seven days a week near Minot, but they say housing is just too expensive.

"It just saddens me now knowing he actually has the money but you still can`t find anything!"

For now, they`re taking shelter at the Welcome House. They`re lucky. For every family taken in at the Welcome House, three to four families are being turned away because of lack of space.

Welcome House Director Brenda Kriedeman says it`s mainly because of skyrocketing rent. "I think the need and the greed is more on the side of who`s charging the prices. I`m not saying all of them are, you know, rents go up and you`ve got to go up to keep up with the market, I just wish that we could open our eyes a little bit to the affordable housing that`s needed so bad in this area."

"A lot of people that comes up here that try to get on the oil rig that can`t, that actually ain`t on there. They can`t afford to pay all those prices. I know that`s the reason why they jacked them up that because of the oil rig but what about the families that isn`t working on the rig? How are they supposed to afford it? They can`t," Miller said.

While the Millers continue to find a permanent home, she`s thankful for the help from the shelter.

The Welcome Home counsels families for three years after they leave the shelter.

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