The Oil Patch housing project that killed Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota scrambled to meet the urgent need for affordable housing in the Oil Patch and rural areas around the state. It moved aggressively, but ran into trouble when oil prices plunged — and a Watford City housing complex played a pivotal role in the charity's financial collapse. Written By: Patrick Springer | × The Prairie Heights housing complex in Watford City, N.D., was developed by Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota during the oil boom in the early 2010s, when thousands of workers and their families flocked to the Oil Patch. Community leaders welcomed the $17 million project, but it ran into financial distress and helped to trigger the charity's collapse. Special to The Forum