By Allison Peck
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Communities across the 18-county Mid-Plains Region now have a new set of tools designed to help them address housing shortages and workforce needs.
6 Regions, One Nebraska announced Wednesday the launch of the Mid-Plains Region Community Housing and Workforce Toolkit, a resource designed to give local leaders data, funding information, development strategies and communications resources they can use to address their communities' specific needs.
The toolkit is the final piece of a workforce housing plan that began in 2025 with the goal of strengthening housing and workforce markets throughout the region.
According to the region's Housing & Workforce Needs Assessment, the Mid-Plains Region would need an additional 949 livable housing units by 2035 even with a modest annual population growth rate of 0.25%.
“Based on community input, it is clear that one of the toughest parts of addressing housing and workforce needs is getting started,” said Emily Wurl, Mid-Plains Regional Navigator for 6 Regions One Nebraska. “The entire toolkit will provide our communities with the first steps needed toward solving their complex issues.”
The new toolkit is designed as a practical “playbook” for communities, with resources that can be adapted depending on the size and needs of each community. The Mid-Plains Community College website describes the toolkit as a way for community leaders to build housing and workforce initiatives based on their available resources.
The toolkit follows two earlier pieces of the regional plan.
The first was the Housing & Workforce Needs Assessment, which collected data on current housing and workforce conditions and projected future needs.
The second was the Housing & Workforce Map and Dashboard, an interactive GIS platform that allows community leaders to examine demographic and housing data, make decisions and track progress.
The new toolkit takes the information from those resources and turns it into strategies and resources communities can use.
The plan's goals include increasing the number of available housing units to meet workforce needs, establishing a baseline of local housing inventory, making housing development less burdensome for local leaders, increasing awareness of housing development best practices and attracting developers and funding to communities throughout the region.
More than 65 local leaders from across the Mid-Plains Region participated in the toolkit planning process.
The region includes more than 60 cities and villages and had more than 87,000 residents in 2025, according to the release.
The toolkit identifies several opportunities that could help the region address its housing and workforce challenges, including the area's relatively low cost of living and affordable housing compared with neighboring states.
It also points to a large supply of homes with renovation potential, a growing population of residents 19 and younger, recreational amenities that attract seasonal visitors, major transportation and utility hubs, a strong agribusiness sector and growing broadband access that supports remote workers.
Workforce demand is another major focus. The toolkit identifies strong employer demand for high-wage, high-skill and high-demand workers in areas including trucking, agricultural management and nursing.
“These resources are designed to help communities of all sizes make the most of high-potential opportunities in the region,” Wurl said. “Whether a community is just getting started or already well on its way, this toolkit can help by providing the most up-to-date housing data and strategies.”
The Mid-Plains Workforce Housing Plan identifies 18 Nebraska counties, 45,585 housing units and $200,000 in funding dollars associated with the regional effort.
JEO Consulting Group assisted with development of the toolkit.
The Mid-Plains initiative is part of 6 Regions One Nebraska, a statewide effort led by the Governor's Office, the Nebraska Department of Economic Development and the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
The initiative is designed to help each of Nebraska's six regions develop targeted, data-driven projects to support economic and community development. The Mid-Plains Region received initial grant funding through the Nebraska Department of Economic Development from federal American Rescue Plan Act funds, with Mid-Plains Community College serving as grant administrator.
The complete Mid-Plains Region Community Housing and Workforce Toolkit, along with the Housing & Workforce Needs Assessment and interactive map and dashboard, is available through Mid-Plains Community College.