Northern Kentucky leaders also paid a visit to Frankfort yesterday to present their housing blueprint to the Kentucky Housing Task Force.

Our Emily Sisk has more on their ideas to bolster the region's housing supply and the workforce.

When we invest in housing and workforce initiatives in Northern Kentucky, the results ripple far beyond our three largest counties.

As part of the Northern Kentucky Housing blueprint.

A Chamber of Commerce representative presented four main ideas.

One of those was to get investments from employers, which could help workers live closer to their job.

A one time, $5 million investment from a large employer or a cluster of employers could help provide homes for roughly 125 families and to support those families.

The region also wants to build back what they called middle housing properties that are smaller and more affordable, add variety to neighborhoods and provide more attainable options for young families, seniors and essential workers like our teachers and public safety officers.

For Northern Kentucky and most of the state, the elephant in the room is the lack of workers.

None of this happens without people to build it.

Without enough train workers, we simply cannot build housing at the pace required to meet demand.

A building and construction institute in Northern Kentucky is currently training around 100 high schoolers and 350 adults through afternoon and night classes.

But the institute wants more support and dual credit opportunities from the Department of Education.

State legislators can play a pivotal role in expanding the construction talent pipeline through funding, education, policy reform and regulatory improvements.

The Building Institute's goal is to produce 2200 new construction workers every year.

A lawmaker questioned how Kentucky can retain those workers once their training is complete.

Sometimes the draw is more toward Cincinnati or toward Evansville than it is.

You know, you get an education and they get more work there.

If we're able to create a healthy housing environment that is more, that is less regulated and more affordable, we're going to actually see more job growth.

And those jobs will have the tendency to stay here.

Another legislator said increasing the workforce is a constant challenge.

So they'll take the Northern Kentucky suggestions into consideration for Kentucky Edition.

I'm Emily Sisk.

Thank you Emily.

The final idea in the Northern Kentucky housing Blueprint is to create a regional housing fund.

The leaders want to pull $25 million over five years to help build 1000 new homes and provide down payment assistance to first time homebuyers.