Affordable Housing Resident Oversight Committee Seated!
The twelve-member Affordable Housing Resident Oversight Committee was established following the interview and appointment process that spanned nine weeks. Appointments were made by the Mayor, City Council and The County Board of Commissioners and concluded the week of May 17th. 44 Missoula-area residents applied for a spot on the committee and 33 applicants scheduled or completed interviews with the four-member subcommittee of the Committee of the Whole comprised of City Council Vice President Gwen Jones, Councilmember Mirtha Becerra, Councilmember Julie Merritt and Missoula County Commissioner Josh Slotnick.
The Oversight Committee is an important part of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, adopted by City Council on July 20, 2020. The committee will create funding policies and priorities to impact affordable housing development for years to come. The Affordable Housing Trust Fund is an ongoing funding source to meet affordable housing needs and community goals. The committee which consists of a near even split of owners and renters and whose members represent a broad range of identities and experiences will begin their tenure by reviewing and adopting the Administrative Policies and Procedures for the Fund this summer. Councilmember Jones, who chaired the interview subcommittee reflected, "We had many wonderful applicants for the Oversight Committee. Missoulians really stepped up and were willing to serve to better their community. The people chosen to serve on this committee are diverse in many ways, and bring great energy and positive attitudes to this position."
The Affordable Housing Resident Oversight Committee meets monthly on the second Wednesday of each month from 6-8pm on Zoom. Meetings are public and can be streamed on the City’s YouTube channel. Information about the Affordable Housing Resident Oversight Committee can be found on the committee page.
Brief committee member bios are below:
Laura Bird is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Nation and has resided in the Missoula community since June 1999. Laura is a single mother of 4 beautiful children, and works as the Eligibility Specialist for All Nations Health Center she enjoys outdoor adventuring and roller skating in her free time! Laura is happy to be on committee and appreciates the opportunity!
Mistee Brown When she’s not running, hiking, or otherwise admiring the Montana mountain ranges, Mistee is striving to promote the self-actualization of those the around her. She is thrilled to implement this value strategically while working on the Affordable Housing Resident Oversight Committee.
Katie Carlson has a background in Real Estate. In addition to being the Supervising Broker at Soula Realty she also has a law degree and a certificate in alternative dispute resolution. She is excited to join the committee and looks forward to working toward a solution for attainable housing.
Lori Davidson is the Executive Director of the Missoula Housing Authority, a high-performing, forward-thinking public housing agency. She has worked with MHA for 26 years first as finance officer, then deputy director, assuming her current position as executive director in 2007. During her tenure, the Housing Authority has used a wide range of funding mechanisms to increase the number of low-income housing subsidies and homes people can afford from 625 to 1,644. Lori received the Lifetime Champion of Housing award at the 2019 Montana Housing Partnership/Mountain Plains NAHRO Conference.
John Engen became Missoula's fiftieth mayor on January 3, 2006. He served a four-year term as a City Council member representing Ward 1 before winning the city-wide election for mayor in 2005. Before entering public service, Engen worked for about 15 years professionally in the newspaper business in his hometown. A Missoula native, Engen graduated from Hellgate High School and The University of Montana, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Engen has served on a number of volunteer boards and is past president of the Missoula Downtown Association, Young Audiences of Western Montana and the Missoula Food Bank.
Paul Herendeen is the Director of Impact Market Development at Clearwater Credit Union, where he works to develop products, services, and relationships to support just and equitable economic development.
Riley Jacobsen works on The Homeless Outreach Team at The Poverello Center and, when he’s not working, he enjoys creating music that has a lasting positive message. He has spent a significant amount of time working in the and seeks to bring results to those he serves with clear intentions and a compassionate engagement. It is a great honor to be confirmed to The Affordable Housing Resident Oversight Committee as this is a wonderful opportunity to bring his expertise where we can share ideas to better serve the community of Missoula as a whole.
Christine Littig is a married mother of two. The successes and failures she has experienced to date have shaped her commitment to family, friends, community and civic engagement. "I used to run, but I value walking. Walking, for me, supports thoughtful decision making, creates opportunity to say hello to Missoula neighbors, and allows reflection on what I remember Missoula being like, what it is now, and imagination around what it could be."
Will Sebern brings years of experience in housing and community development in a variety of roles including experiences as both a grantor and grantee of housing development funds as well as local housing trust funds, HOME, CDBG, and private philanthropy. He has a track record of community-informed decision-making as a community organizer, executive director and city grants administrator and financial acumen required for feasibility analyses for both rental and home owner development initiatives.
Gerri Stiffarm was born and raised in Havre, MT and is an enrolled member of the WhiteClay Tribe of Fort Belknap. She and her family moved to Missoula in 2013. She has a background in Community Service and Communication from MSU-Northern. She currently works for St. Patrick Hospital and cares for her family in her spare time.
In 2009, after a long drive from Stillwater, Oklahoma, Heidi West found home in Missoula’s Northside neighborhood. She raises food and a family, turns pots at the Clay Studio of
Missoula, and is almost finished with an extensive reinvention of the family’s 1900 home. For several years, Heidi was in the role of Land Stewardship Program Coordinator for the North-Missoula Community Development Corporation, and recently transitioned to focusing solely on Project Westside Park. She also holds elected office as Ward 1 City Council Representative.
Bobbie Weston has been a Missoula resident for 8 years and in that time has come to cherish our Community. She has worked hard to break the cycle of homelessness and has a passion for helping others do the same.
