This week’s edition of the Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter could be dedicated to an issue that has challenged local leaders for decades.

For years now, those with an eye to growth have wrestled with housing — too few houses, affordable housing, rental houses, too many houses ... the list goes on, not just in Ellsworth County but in most of the rural counties across the state.

That’s why the announcements of the past week are so important. Here is a summary:

• The Beloit-based North Central Regional Planning Commission sent representatives to Ellsworth to unveil a program that helps make houses more affordable in Ellsworth and Lincoln counties. Funding comes from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation of Logan.

• The state made it official — Developer Pointe Royale has the green light from the state to build 12 single-family rental homes in Ellsworth and two in Kanopolis. Developers said the action came after a third-party study showed a need for affordable rental housing in Ellsworth County.

• Aaron and Elizabeth Munoz and their four children were recognized as first-time homebuyers by the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation. Friday’s ceremony at their Kanopolis home was part of a state observance of National Homeownership Month.

Stacie Schmidt, executive director of the Smoky Hill Development Corporation, considers the programs tools in a box filled with ways to make Ellsworth County and the area more attractive to new residents.

For instance, we’ve heard several residents complain about the new rental homes that are being built in Ellsworth when we have more than 40 existing houses on the market.

Schmidt and others are counting on the program from the North Central Regional Planning Commission to help with that part of the housing puzzle. The program — unlike many others — is not income based.

A similar program a year ago in Cloud and Mitchell counties kickstarted the housing market, said the commission’s Debra Peters.

The day after the announcement, at least two real estate agents in Ellsworth reported strong client interest in the program.

Pointe Royale representatives predicted a similar response to their inventory of rental homes once they are built.

Ellsworth County is fortunate. The opportunities we offer here go far beyond those in many other regions of rural Kansas. We need people. These programs should help.