Affordable housing is a pressing need all across the state of Minnesota. In Bemidji today, a new supportive housing project broke new ground.

For the Headwaters Regional Development Commission, plans that started in 2012 were realized in the groundbreaking for new community housing.

East Conifer Estates will be 24 new units. Not only will the new units be affordable, but as a part of the Conifer group of buildings, it will have supportive services to help residents stabilize their lives. Those features help turn these houses into homes.

Construction is planned to take a year, with the grand opening of the new buildings expected for next August.

By — Betsy Melin