A new report from a housing program in the Bitterroot Valley found that 30 percent of renters and homeowners are spending a third or more of their income on rent or mortgages.
The Bitterroot Affordable Housing Coalition says in the recent report that the lack of affordable and available housing is driving housing insecurity and homelessness in the area.
Jamie Ogden is a professor at Bitterroot College and an author of the report for the housing coalition.
“Full-time students, full-time workers still finding that 50 to 100 percent of their earnings go to pay rent,” Ogden says.
The report also found that more people are living with family or friends because they can’t find a home.
The coalition presented their report on housing challenges to Ravalli County Commissioners on Monday. No immediate actions were taken.