Solutions

The small town south of Mitchell had no new homes built in nearly 30 years, stalling potential growth. But now, a coordinated local effort is leading to new houses and new opportunities.

A list of entities and programs that can assist in developing or obtaining housing as well as links to News Watch reporting on housing solutions.

The aging Benedictine sisters had a late-in-life decision to make: sell their land and live out their final years elsewhere or stay in Watertown and remake their monastery into a campus of housing, health care and community resources.

Using few tax dollars, local boosters raised millions in donations to expand a hospital, build a community center, revive the downtown and further capitalize on the legacy of author Laura Ingalls Wilder.

South Dakota efforts that help disadvantaged students provide support for districts with high poverty rates.

After over 120 years of serving the Freeman community, the private school is closing its doors to students and entering a transitional period.

Driven by entrepreneurial residents, housing development has helped transform the southeast South Dakota town into a rural bedroom community for Sioux Falls and Mitchell.