Stories for Good: Local initiative works to expand affordable housing in Winona

From the sparkly stickers next to the sign-up sheet to the opening remarks at a recent community event on renters’ rights, a message reverberated: everyone deserves a home.

That simple phrase anchors the work of the Winona Area Kitchen Table, the flagship housing initiative of Engage Winona, a local nonprofit focused on cultivating stronger communities in southeast Minnesota by reigniting community participation through dialogue, support, and training. 

The Kitchen Table brings together a leadership council of eight community members who have navigated housing instability or homelessness and now, through the Kitchen Table, lead advocacy efforts toward community-informed housing solutions.

On a recent July evening, the group hosted a renters’ rights presentation in partnership with Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services and Habitat for Humanity Serving Winona County.

This event is an example of how the group accomplishes its goals: through relationships. Winona Area Kitchen Table Program Coordinator NDea Young said the program's strength lies in connecting community members and stakeholders across sectors.

“By bringing together neighbors, nonprofits, local government, and businesses, the Kitchen Table acts as a connector, helping ensure that the community’s voice, especially those with lived experience, is included in housing solutions and systems change efforts,” she said.

The Kitchen Table program launched at Engage Winona in 2023. It is funded by Heading Home Minnesota Funders Collaborative, an organization focused on upstream prevention of housing crises in Minnesota communities. 

The goal of the Winona Area Kitchen Table isn’t just to identify housing challenges -- it’s to work together with community partners and local leaders on solutions that reflect the strengths and needs of the Winona community.

One such solution has been the group’s involvement in advocating for updates to local zoning codes. These updates, also recommended in the City of Winona’s recent 2045 Comprehensive Plan, would help expand opportunities for a wider range of housing types. That flexibility means more homes can be built in more places, helping to meet demand, increase affordability, and strengthen housing security for all.

A 2024 Winona County housing study highlights the scope of that opportunity: the City of Winona currently needs 750 additional housing units to meet existing demand. The current 1.7% apartment vacancy rate is well below the 5% target that allows for a healthy housing market.

Program participant Angela Boozhoo said one outcome she’s especially hopeful about is, “The idea that there will be changes to zoning in Winona to make different types of housing more available.”

Advocacy for housing solutions is only part of this group’s story. At the heart of the Kitchen Table’s approach are the people and relationships that make this work possible. Past relationship-building efforts have included panel discussions, educational presentations, and more, designed to bring together neighbors, leaders, and decision-makers to share experiences, ask questions, and build shared understanding. The group also advocated in support of a Local Housing Trust Fund for the City of Winona, and created a mural in partnership with local artist The Joy Labs.

For Kitchen Table member Kathy Sublett, success isn’t just measured in policy change alone -- it’s also a matter of changing the narrative around why affordable housing matters. “Success looks like willingness to have empathy, understanding and an open mind to listen and recognize that not all our situations are the same,” she said.

That spirit of listening and connection is the foundation of the group’s impact. It transforms housing from a technical issue into a human one, grounded in stories, relationships, and the belief that solutions are most impactful when they’re shaped by the people closest to the issue.

As the Kitchen Table continues to grow its partnerships and expand its reach, the vision remains the same: a Winona where everyone has a place to call home.

Young also emphasized the importance of recognizing housing as something that impacts everyone in our community. “Housing is important for everyone. Life can change unexpectedly for anyone, whether it’s losing a job, becoming a caregiver, getting sick, or raising a family,” she said. “These challenges can affect anyone. Anyone can quickly become rent-burdened.”

This is why the Kitchen Table's work is grounded in co-creating housing solutions that can benefit everyone. “If we come together now to work on housing,” Young added, “we can build a system with the tools and resources to support people before they fall into crisis, helping to break the cycle of instability and lack of safety nets.”

The group’s next initiative is a community dialogue on housing, hosted in partnership with Project Optimist, a statewide news organization. The dialogue is designed to build shared understanding and promote the kind of collaboration that makes lasting, community-rooted solutions possible. The event is set for September 18, 5:30 p.m. at the Winona County Historical Society, and more details will be released soon. 

For more about the Winona Area Kitchen Table, go to engagewinona.org/winona-kitchen-table.

This story was originally published as a “Stories for Good” article in the Winona Daily News. You can read the article here.