U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) Programs

In 2021, the City of Missoula received $1.3 million in HOME-ARP funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. (HOME stands for the HOME Investment Partnership Program, and ARP is the American Rescue Plan).

HOME-ARP dollars can primarily be used to address homelessness and supportive service needs in our community. This means it can be used to fund things like rental housing, homeless shelters or transitional housing, and services that support our community like childcare, job training, housing search & counseling services, among others.

The funds are restricted for use to benefit certain populations. These populations include those who are:

• experiencing homelessness,
• fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence in all its forms,
• veterans, and
• those at-risk of homelessness, which can include those who are living in poverty, those who have moved 2 or more times due to economic reasons, or those who are paying more than 50% of their income on housing.

The City of Missoula has updated its HOME ARP Allocation Plan to reflect the changing needs of our community.

Along with updated data on the gaps and needs facing the Missoula community, the plan reviews the city’s decision to shift the focus of these funds primarily to supportive services. Examining recent Community Needs Assessments, Point in Time Surveys, Needs and Gaps Assessments, Housing Landscape Reports, and meetings with Housing Partners and Service Providers, the need for supportive services related to housing stability has consistently been identified as a growing need in the community.

The City proposes directing HOME-ARP funds towards providing supportive services to ensure all Missoulians have a safe, affordable home and the resources needed to stay housed. The services this funding can support include: housing search and counseling, mental health, case management, childcare, landlord/tenant liaison, financial assistance, education, legal services, etc.

You can view the report under the “Documents” sidebar to the right.

Comments are welcomed and encouraged.

You can submit comments in the Forum tab above, or by emailing Kendra at Lisumk@ci.missoula.mt.us or Colleen at KaneC@ci.missoula.mt.us. Comments are welcome through June 2, 2025.

Comments received will be included in the final plan submitted to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

To receive a copy of the draft Allocation Plan or to review it in an alternative format, or to request special accommodations in order to participate, please contact Community Development at 406-552-6630, or contact the Montana Relay Service at TTY 711.

Now is your chance to influence how federal dollars are spent in our community!

Each year, the City of Missoula awards approximately $500,000 in federal CDBG funds to housing and community development projects and approximately $300,000 in federal HOME funds to housing projects that assist low- to moderate-income Missoulians secure safe and affordable homes.

As a requirement of this funding, Community Development must publish an Annual Action Plan, which details which projects we’ve chosen to fund for Program Year 2025 (PY25).

You can view the report here. The report can also be found under the “Documents” sidebar.

Comments on the PY25 Action Plan are welcomed and encouraged.

You can submit comments in the Forum (see tab above), by emailing Kendra at the email address in the sidebar, or by calling 406-552-6642.

A public hearing to discuss the Plan before City Council is tentatively scheduled for Monday, May 5, 2025. Public comments are welcome during the meeting as well.

In Program Year 2022, the Poverello Center was awarded Community Block Development funds (CDBG) for help expanding and improving their Housing Montana Heroes veterans program (HMH). As a part of this project, the Poverello Center will be converting and rehabilitating the Clark Fork Inn Apartments at 1010 West Broadway to include 17-20 transitional housing units.

Renovation of the Clark Fork Inn will increase capacity for both housing and support services specifically dedicated to veterans. Support services at the facility will include case management assistance to obtain permanent and stable housing.

All occupied or vacant lower-income dwelling units that are to be demolished or converted to another use (ie: transitional housing) as part of a CDBG- or HOME-funded project must be replaced in the community in accordance with Section 104(d), 24 CFR 42.375.

The joint City of Missoula/Missoula County One-for-One Replacement Plan outlines the replacement of those units. You can find the plan in the sidebar under Documents. The plan will be updated as the project continues.

To receive a copy of the plan, to review it in an alternative format, or to request special accommodations in order to participate, please contact Karen or Kendra (see sidebar); or contact the Montana Relay Service at TTY 711.

Para versiones en español, comuníquese con Desarrollo Comunitario al 406-552-6630. Los comentarios son bienvenidos y alentados.

The City of Missoula is taking steps to streamline our Section 106 process by developing a Programmatic Agreement (PA) with the Montana State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP).

Background

Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act requires federal agencies to take into account the effects of their undertakings on historic properties. Under HUD regulations, the City of Missoula has assumed HUD’s environmental review responsibilities for projects funded with City CDBG and HOME dollars. This includes Section 106 compliance.

What It Does

A PA will allow us to expedite the process for acquisition and rehabilitation projects that include certain activities (for a full list, please see the PA in the Document sidebar to the right).

A PA will establish a consistent process for identifying and evaluating historic properties, and it will help to alleviate project delays.

What It Covers

The proposed PA would cover a wide range of acquisition and rehabilitation activities across the city.

As listed in Attachment A of the PA, activities that have been evaluated to not affect historic properties will be exempt from Section 106 review. This will expedite the process for activities such as in-kind repair and replacement of windows, porches, insulation, and mechanical systems.

Projects that are not exempt, such as substantial rehabilitation and new construction, will still undergo a complete Section 106 review, including consultation with SHPO, tribes and other consulting parties.

All projects and locations will be reviewed to ensure compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and its implementing regulations 36 CFR Part 800.

How You Can Participate

The City of Missoula is soliciting comments on our proposed programmatic agreement. You can view the report under the “Documents” sidebar to the right.

Comments will be accepted in the Forum tab above, or by emailing Kendra at lisumk@ci.missoula.mt.us. All comments received by July 26, 2023 will be included in the submission for approval to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.

Each year, the City of Missoula awards approximately $500,000 in federal CDBG funds to housing and community development projects and approximately $300,000 in federal HOME funds to housing projects that assist low- to moderate-income Missoulians secure safe and affordable homes.

As a requirement of this funding, Community Development must publish an Annual Action Plan, which details which projects we’ve chosen to fund for Program Year 2023 (PY23).

You can view the report under the “Documents” sidebar to the right.

In addition to the PY23 Action Plan, please see below for amendments to the PY21 Action and the HOME-ARP Allocation Plan.

The Program Year 2021 Annual Action Plan and corresponding HOME-ARP Allocation Plan have been amended to include two projects to be supported with HOME-American Rescue Act (HOME-ARP) funds. The reports work in conjunction with one another, but for full details about the projects please see the Allocation Plan (here, or in the sidebar to the right).

The American Rescue Plan (ARP), signed into law on March 11, 2021, provided $1.9 trillion to help with the economic recovery due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The American Rescue Plan (ARP) allocated $5 billion to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME) to assist individuals or households who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, and other vulnerable populations, by providing housing, rental assistance, supportive services, and non-congregate shelter, to reduce homelessness and increase housing stability across the country.

HOME-ARP funds must be used to primarily benefit individuals or families from the following qualifying populations:

• Homeless,

• At-risk of homelessness

• Fleeing, or attempting to flee, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking

• Other populations with the greatest risk of housing instability;

• Veterans and families that include a veteran family member

Both reports are available in the Documents bar in the sidebar.

An Environmental Review Record (ERR) for the Poverello Center Housing Montana Heroes Project to occur at 1010 West Broadway, Missoula, Montana has been prepared and is ready for review and comment. The public comment period will end February 22, 2023.

The Poverello HMH Combined Notice: Finding of No Significant Impact and Notice of Intent to Request a Release of Funds (FONSI/NOI/RROF) and the Poverello Environmental Review Record can be found in the Document sidebar.

This project, to be carried out by the Poverello Center, is funded by a State of Montana Community Development Block Grant, a City of Missoula Community Development Block Grant, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs grant and American Rescue Plan Act State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds.

The proposed project is to rehabilitate existing and construct new housing units at the Clark Fork Inn, which was purchased by the Poverello Center. The facility will be repurposed as transitional housing under the Housing Montana Heroes program to provide transitional housing for at least 16 veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The project aims to make improvements to the current aging facility for safe temporary housing, improved access to support programs and promote a smooth transition to permanent housing.