Seventeen Montana towns, cities and counties are sharing half a million dollars in federal grant money aimed at vulnerable populations.
The grants, from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, range from about $13,000 to $50,000.
Bozeman received $25,000 for planning related to affordable housing. Matthew Madsen, the affordable housing program manager for the City of Bozeman, says the issue of low-cost housing has grown along with the area’s population. The money will be used to answer a simple question:
“Where are the specific needs in Bozeman? You know, Is it emergency and transitional housing, is it a big need for rental housing, is it the home-ownership component, is it a mix of all of those?”
Other grants include $30,000 to Butte-Silver Bow County for an architectural report, $30,000 to Colstrip for a growth policy and $20,000 to Mineral County to make the area more walkable.