A Place to Call Home: Meeting Missoula's Housing Needs

The Affordable Housing Resident Oversight Committee will vote on their proposed Affordable Housing Trust Fund 2025 Allocation Plan in November (see Documents). The Allocation Plan, informed by the Annual Housing Landscape Assessment is developed by the Affordable Housing Resident Oversight Committee and approved by the Mayor each year to set priorities and goals for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund investment. The Allocation Plan informs competitive award cycles and the reserve balance.

The Affordable Housing Resident Oversight Committee will review all public comment received and finalize the Annual Allocation Plan at a special meeting on Thursday, November 7th, 2024 from 6-8pm on Teams. Meetings are public and can be streamed from the City's website. Members of the public are invited to attend and share public comment during the meeting, in addition to sharing written comment prior to the meeting. Share your thoughts and ideas right here via the Ideas Tab today!

Please share your feedback by Friday, November 1st, 2024.

Join us to learn more about your responsibilities under the Fair Housing Act!

In partnership with the City of Missoula and HUD, Kate Boyd from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity will teach the foundations of Fair Housing for landlords and property managers on Tuesday, March 5 from 5:30-7:30pm.

You can expect to learn:

• Details of the Fair Housing Act
• About reasonable accommodations and modifications
• Best practices for providing housing that is free from discrimination

The workshop will be held at the Fairgrounds-Home Arts Building, 1101 South Avenue W. Parking is available on site.

We hope you can join us for this important workshop! To effectively plan for handouts and refreshments, please register by Friday, March 1. Contact Emily Harris-Shears, harris-shearse@ci.missoula.mt.us or 406.552.6394 with questions.

Join us to learn more about your rights under the Fair Housing Act!

In partnership with the Missoula Tenants Union, the City of Missoula and HUD, Kate Boyd from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity will teach the foundations of Fair Housing for tenants on Thursday, March 14 from 5:30-7:30pm.

You can expect to learn:

• Your rights under the Fair Housing Act
• How to recognize discrimination
• What to do if you’ve experienced discrimination

The workshop will be held at Goodworks Place, 129 Alder St. Parking is available in the surrounding neighborhood and not metered after 5pm.

We hope you can join us for this important workshop! To effectively plan for handouts and refreshments, please register by Tuesday, March 12^th. Contact Emily Harris-Shears, harris-shearse@ci.missoula.mt.us or 406.552.6394 with questions.

The Affordable Housing Resident Oversight Committee and the Community Development Division of Community Planning, Development & Innovation are seeking input on the draft Annual Allocation Plan. The Allocation Plan, informed by the Annual Landscape Assessment is developed by the Affordable Housing Resident Oversight Committee and approved by the mayor each year to set priorities and goals for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund investment. The Allocation Plan informs competitive award cycles and the reserve balance. Please share your feedback by Thursday, November 30th, 2023.

The Affordable Housing Resident Oversight Committee will review all public comment received and finalize the Annual Allocation Plan at their monthly meeting on Tuesday, December 5th, 2023 from 6-8pm in the Jack Reidy Room in Council Chambers (140 W Pine St. Missoula, MT 59802) and on Teams. Meetings are public and can be streamed from the City's website. Members of the public are invited to attend and share public comment during the meeting, in addition to sharing written comment prior to the meeting.

If you plan to attend the December 5th meeting and need an accommodation to participate, please contact Emily Harris-Shears, 406.552.6394 or harris-shearse@ci.missoula.mt.us.

We want to hear from you!

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has an open grant funding opportunity, Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO Housing). HUD is seeking proposals that identify sound approaches to knock down housing barriers. The City of Missoula is applying for $10,000,000 to focus on activities that prevent housing displacement and strengthen housing access for Missoulians that experience systemic racism.

City staff will present at the October 4th Housing, Redevelopment & Community Programs committee to request that City Council sets a public hearing for Monday, October 23 at 6pm.

Community members can participate in several ways:

Review the application!

1. Attend the committee meeting (10/4 at 1pm) or public hearing (10/23 at 6pm) to provide public comment

2. Share comments/feedback directly in this post

3. Email comments to Emily Harris-Shears, harris-shearse@ci.missoula.mt.us by 10/24/2023

4. Call Emily Harris-Shears, 406.552.6394 with comments by 10/24/202

10/23 Update!

A new version of the PRO Housing Application is available to review. The document is linked on the righthand side under documents and linked here: https://www.engagemissoula.com/6082/widgets/19891/documents/48016.

The Affordable Housing Resident Oversight Committee (AHROC) is recruiting a voting member with lived expertise. For this role, lived expertise is defined as someone who is currently receiving support in accessing or maintaining their housing and/or has received support in the last two years. It is the determination of the applicant if they meet the criteria. This role is for a term effective upon appointment through May 31, 2024.

The Affordable Housing Resident Oversight Committee was created in 2020 to advise on, support and recommend key strategies, including the implementation of the City’s adopted housing policy, A Place to Call Home. One project the AHROC works closely with is the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. While the committee does not oversee all award making of the fund, they advise on priorities and uses of funds through the annual Allocation Plan and Reserve Balance administration. Additionally, the committee supports reaching local housing goals through policy advisement to city staff and Council.

The AHROC has general meetings every other month (2023: February, April, June, August, October, December) on the second Tuesday of the month from 6-8pm. Committee members participate in working groups during months that do not have general meetings.

Applications are due March 17, 2023 by 5pm.

Committee information & application link: https://bm-public-missoula.escribemeetings.com/

Contact Emily Harris-Shears, Harris-shearse@ci.missoula.mt.us or 406.552.6394 with questions!

The annual Allocation Plan for Program Year 2023 has been approved by Mayor Hess. The Allocation Plan, informed by the Annual Landscape Assessment, is developed by the Affordable Housing Resident Oversight Committee and approved by the mayor each year to set priorities and goals for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund investment. The Allocation Plan informs competitive award cycles and the reserve balance.

Unified Application Round Materials for Program Year 2023 and Workshop Details are Posted

Materials and information for the Unified Application Round are now posted. Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME) and HOME American Rescue Plan Program (HOME-ARP), and Affordable Housing Trust Fund investments are available for award. Applicants can apply for individual or multiple funding sources during this competitive application round. Note: mandatory pre-applications are due January 23, 2023.

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) funds are made available to the City of Missoula on an annual basis from the Federal Government through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The Affordable Housing Trust Fund was created in July of 2020 as Missoula’s local source of funding to meet the city’s urgent housing needs. The City’s CDBG, HOME, and AHTF Programs are administered by the Community Development division (CD) of the Community Planning, Development, and Innovation department.

APPLICATION WORKSHOP

Please join us if you are interested in applying for Community Development Block Grant, HOME Investment Partnerships Program, and/or Affordable Housing Trust Fund investments for Program Year 2023. Staff will outline funding opportunities and the application process.

DATE: Tuesday, January 10, 2023
TIME: 2:00 to 3:30pm

LOCATION: Microsoft Teams Meeting

Join on your computer, mobile app or room device

Click here to join the meeting

Meeting ID: 294 679 543 790
Passcode: QtrL2P

Download Teams | Join on the web

Join with a video conferencing device

185201675@t.plcm.vc

Video Conference ID: 112 650 063 1

Alternate VTC instructions

Find application materials and more information about the Unified Application here.

Please reach out to Emily Harris Shears (Harris-ShearsE@ci.missoula.mt.us), Aubrey Godbey (godbeya@ci.missoula.mt.us), Kendra Lisum (lisumk@ci.missoula.mt.us), or Karen Gasvoda (gasvodak@ci.missoula.mt.us) with any questions.

The Affordable Housing Resident Oversight Committee and the Community Development Division of Community Planning, Development & Innovation are asking for input on the draft Annual Allocation Plan. The Allocation Plan, informed by the Annual Landscape Assessment, is developed by the Affordable Housing Resident Oversight Committee and approved by the mayor each year to set priorities and goals for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund investment. The Allocation Plan informs competitive award cycles and the reserve balance. Please share your feedback by Tuesday, December 6th, 2022.

The Affordable Housing Resident Oversight Committee(External link) will review all public comment received and finalize the Annual Allocation Plan at their monthly meeting on December 14, 2022 from 6-8pm on Teams. Meetings(External link) are public and can be streamed on the City’s website.

There are two openings on the Affordable Housing Resident Oversight Committee. One for a member with lived experience and the other for a member with experience in Housing/Real Estate.

The oversight committee’s work is broad and centers around informing implementation of the City’s adopted housing policy, A Place to Call Home. This includes setting the annual allocation plan and reviewing policies and procedures for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. The oversight committee governs the reserve fund, set aside for urgent projects that arise outside of planned competitive funding cycle. The oversight committee does not participate in decision making for the competitive grant making cycle.

The oversight committee is moving in an exciting direction, setting their focus and identifying their influence for impact for the next few years. Members will participate in a planning retreat in October, which will serve as a great time for new members to get oriented and get to know their committee colleagues. In the upcoming retreat, members will identify the frequency and length of meetings they’d like to continue with.

Application information can be found here: http://ci.missoula.mt.us/426/Vacancies