MSUM & Home Matters Work For Affordable Housing

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MSUM students are helping to bring awareness about homelessness.

They teamed up with national organization Home Matters to stress the importance of creating sustainable, affordable housing.

A common misconception about homelessness is that those experiencing it brought it upon themselves when many times it’s a result of an unfortunate event.

Lois Ustanko says, “These are not homeless people. These are people experiencing homelessness. People first. Families first.”

Lois is an everyday person who experienced homelessness after losing her home and job during the flood of 97.

The Tri-Chair of FM Sheltering Churches says, “In 1997 in Grand Forks we had 27–home not flooded. Mine was one that got flooded.”

Flash forward to January 2014 when the FM Diversion flood buyout forced Erin Bertel’s family from a permanent home for 6 months.

Mrs. North Dakota International Erin Bartel says, “We were all hurting and for the last time we pulled out of the driveway. When I did my family and I joined the over 2,063 people in North Dakota who are experiencing homelessness and the over 600,000 people in the United States experiencing homeless.”

MSUM and Home Matters are teaming up to raise awareness and funds for affordable housing and better communities.

Brittany Dunnigan says, “Home Matters bases its platform on 5 different areas. First is health, education, success, public safety and and economy. All these dealing with why home is so incredibly important.”

They believe that together they can help families get off the streets and pave the way for a better future.

The MSUM PRSSA Copy Editor adds, “Their goals for the next 10–years is to decrease homelessness, increase affordable rent, increase home ownership and increase improve the quality of homes and communities.

Home Matters continues working to increase awareness to this national movement created to redefine the American Dream.