HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Madison County is bursting at the seams when it comes to jobs and opportunities.
As more people move to the area, the demand for housing increases. Homebuilders in Huntsville, which is now Alabama's biggest city, say more housing is needed as the city continues to grow.
Homebuilders have various obstacles to overcome for the city to secure more housing.
"Biggest thing is we just got to get the supply chain," said Huntsville Madison County Builders Association Executive Director Barry Oaxley.
And as if the COVID-19 pandemic wasn't a big enough challenge, builders still have to find available land.
"It can take over a year just to get those farms ready for houses," said Oaxley.
Builders say they need 5,000 new homes each year to keep up with demand.
"Last year we built close to 4,000," said Oaxley. "So we knew we have to step it up this year. We have a lot of large building companies and we call production builders."
Additionally, there is a desperate need for apartments, which could help provide a temporary solution.
"In the Huntsville-Madison County area we have nearly 10,000 apartments under permits right now," said Oaxley "That's a lot of apartments coming online, and that will help ease some of that strain on the housing market."
Huntsville City Councilmember Bill Kling says the city has partnered with the Huntsville Madison County Building Association to support the organization's Builders Academy.
"Anyone can go through it and can be trained, and next thing you know after graduating from the academy, they are making over $30-$40,000 just in a starting job," said Kling.
Kling says the city allotted $200,000 to the program.