
Missoula Gets Part of $7 Million Grant for Affordable Housing
Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - Governor Greg Gianforte announced recently that the Montana Department of Commerce received a $7 million grant from HUD (Housing and Urban Development) that will facilitate the construction of “affordable and attainable” housing in Montana.
I spoke to the Deputy Director at the Department of Commerce Mandy Rambo about the grants.
Montana Received Over $7 Million from HUD for Housing Solutions
“We had applied in 2023 and unfortunately, we were not awarded, but in 2024 we worked with the Montana League of Cities and Towns on an application,” began Rambo. “Specifically the application was for $7 million, and $5 million of which would go to the Montana Land Use Planning Act impacted cities across the state.”
Rambo drilled deeper into the purpose of the housing grants.
The Grant Will Help Reduce Outdated Local Regulations and Policies
"We are focused on that first piece, which is the outdated local regulations and land use policies, and how those policies kind of stifle or stymie developers, as they may be trying to develop affordable housing," she said. "So we think that this funding and the ability for these cities to roll out updated land use policies and land use planning in conjunction with some of the other financing opportunities that we offer through our housing division will help to speed up development across the state, but specifically in those 11 affected communities."
Rambo was careful to emphasize that the PRO (Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing) funds will be used only for certain priorities.
The Grant is Not For Housing Developers or Contractors
“PRO Housing is not meant for direct construction of housing, specifically from HUD's ‘NOFO’, which is the Notice of Opportunity for Funding," he said. "It says that it is to be used to address local housing barriers, such as outdated local regulations and land use policies, inadequate infrastructure, lack of available financing for development, and risks associated with extreme weather.”
Rambo said the emphasis will center around removing obstacles to more affordable housing developments.
”So it will be used for them to implement the new land use planning regulations," she said. "So, they are updating their land use plans and their zoning and subdivision regulations, and they do have until next year to do that. Basically, what this does is it updates the regulations to allow developers to move through the process to build affordable housing or to build just housing in general."
The City of Missoula specifically will receive $391,270 of the $7 million PRO Housing Grant.
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