Aaron Backman, executive director of the Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar EDC, received a housing report Jan. 11 and shared some of his thoughts about it at a meeting that day. A December 2023 housing report showed the city of Willmar had only 23 single-family homes for sale — in a city of 21,000 people. Lack of housing can hinder the recruitment of the workforce needed to fill job openings, according to Aaron Backman, executive director of the Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic