Ellsworth County has a high commuter pattern according to Grow Ellsworth County Executive Director Stacie Schmidt. She said 55.6 percent of those employed in the county live and work in Ellsworth County.

“With a lack of housing, some may find it easier to settle where there are additional affordable pricing options,” Schmidt said. “Anecdotally, they (employers) are telling the stories of securing an employee who then later retracts the acceptance due to an inability to find housing, or accepting the position and commuting for the short-term, then later resigning because the commute is not sustainable for the wage.”

Carolyn Graves, Policy & Compliance/Public Information Officer/PREA Compliance Manager at Ellsworth Correctional Facility, said the facility has almost 300 employees, between the ECF, Kansas Department of Corrections and contract employees.

“We have KDOC staff and contract staff that travel over an hour to get to ECF due to not having housing available in Ellsworth,” she said. “We are in dire need of housing to continue to hire for ECF.”

Jill Brantley is the HR Manager at Cashco. With about 120 employees, she characterizes housing as a struggle for their workforce.

“Affordable housing has been an issue for quite some time, both purchase and affordable rentals,” she said.

Schmidt said her office receives up to three calls per week inquiring about rental properties.

“We frequently have no options to send them,” she said. “These potential employees and residents are likely opting to live in another community, another ripple effect that can affect our local businesses, schools, community services and overall tax base.”

Graves agrees. “We have current staff that would move to Ellsworth if rental properties were available,” she said.

With a limited housing and rental supply, growth is difficult.

“We could be missing out on talent and community growth because of the lack of housing,” Brantley said.

Schmidt said it’s difficult for her office to convince current employers to expand or lure in potential industry.

“Lack of housing can also be a deterrent for businesses investing more in the community and in growth and expansion, and concerns over quality of life, as some residents may feel compelled to select substandard or (less than optimal) housing due to a lack of choices,” she said.

For the Ellsworth County Medical Center, CEO Jim Kirkbride said few employees are required to live within county lines.

“Employees can live anywhere within driving distance to ECMC,” he said. “However, if an employee decides to live outside of Ellsworth County, it is much easier for them to seek employment in the town they live once the daily drive becomes a burden.”

This has happened a few times in the last year, he said.

The hospital employs about 150, and Kirkbride said most of his employees are able to find affordable housing.

“Typically, I am told the inventory is very limited, but I don’t feel this has kept a potential employee from joining ECMC,” he said.

The opposite is true for the correctional facility.

“ECF has worked very hard in the last two years to completely rebrand ECF, as well as update all our marketing, recruitment, onboarding and hiring processes,” Graves said. “As a result, we have gone from a 37 percent vacancy rate to an 11 percent vacancy rate, and we are very proud of those hard efforts by all our staff.

“However, to reduce that vacancy rate further, we must have local housing available to rent and purchase at an affordable cost, which will require more housing to become available. We are very supportive of new housing being built in Ellsworth.”

Ellsworth-Kanopolis-Geneseo USD 327 Superintendent Deena Hilbig said professional families can struggle to transition into the community.

“For those that have relocated, it has taken a few to several months for them to find suitable housing, or instead, they choose to drive in each day,” she said. “I know of a few staff members, including myself, who have been in this situation.”

Hilbig said some of the available housing isn’t realistic for working families.

“There is limited availability for professional families who are looking to call a place ‘home.’ Many of the homes available need extensive renovations, posing financial challenges for prospective buyers in securing both funding and skilled construction assistance,” she said. “Individuals moving to our community are making an investment in their future, seeking stability and growth within a vibrant neighborhood.

“By providing affordable and updated homes, we not only empower new families to establish roots and contribute to our community, but it also ensures residents will continue to thrive in a prosperous environment for generations to come.”

Schmidt said employers in Ellsworth County cite housing as their No. 1 struggle with recruiting employees.

“We absolutely have a housing shortage, which in turn creates a challenge in recruitment efforts due to a lack of workforce. These challenges go hand in hand,” she said. “Housing is needed in our county to retain and grow our population.

“Addressing the issue of housing inventory requires a multifaceted approach involving collaboration between government, developers, community organizations and other stakeholders to increase supply, preserve affordability and ensure equitable access to housing opportunities.”

Like many industries, construction costs continue to increase.

“(This) leads a potential developer to utilize subsidized programs such as Low-Income Housing Tax Credits or Moderate-Income Housing,” Schmidt said. “They use those programs to recover the gap between the cost of building and a return on their investment. However, those programs have a stigma, leading to challenging social concerns.

“There is an urgent need to create housing inventory using our current shovel-ready location that is currently zoned for residential use.”

Another town hall meeting to discuss housing needs will be held at 5:30 p.m. March 28 at Ellsworth City Hall.

“... we must have local housing available to rent and purchase at an affordable cost, which will require more housing to become available.

We are very supportive of new housing being built in Ellsworth.”

Carolyn Graves

Ellsworth Correctional Facility