Cloquet-Scanlon Housing Study
Photo: Myotus, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Spencer served as Lead Analyst and Project Manager on this engagement for Stantec, delivering a comprehensive housing needs analysis that examined development drivers, demographic trends, housing market indicators, and a full housing inventory for the community.
The study found 42% of renter households paying more than 30% of income toward rent, an aging population holding onto larger homes longer and constraining turnover for younger buyers, and a market drawing in younger, cost-conscious households from higher-cost parts of the region. It identified a strong need for entry-level ownership housing and continued investment in Low-Income Housing Tax Credit rental projects, both central for ensuring regional economic competitiveness in a manufacturing-driven economy. A key part of the process was the creation of a steering committee composed of regional stakeholders, including persons who had previously opposed subsidized housing in the community. Through deliberate and considered presentations connecting affordable housing to workforce needs, opposition transformed into advocacy.