A report from city officials on Monday night showed two federal housing grant programs benefitted more than 200 Missoula renters in the last year, but at least one of those programs could be cut by Congress in the future.
The City of Missoula grants administrators shared how the Home Investment Partnership Program (HOME) and Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) provided $884,666 to housing projects during the 2025 fiscal year.
While large chunks of money went toward repairing existing affordable rental units, some residents benefitted from low-income homeowner loans, wheelchair ramps and other programs.
“You can see that CDBG and HOME dollars make an important difference in our community, benefitting more than 200 households living in affordable rental units, as well as low- to moderate-income homeowners and people with disabilities,” Kendra Lisum, a city grants administrator, told the Missoula City Council Monday night.
Both grants come from the federal Office of Housing and Urban Development. Last year, the city received roughly $950,000 from the two grants. Individual contributions were unavailable from the city on Tuesday morning.
Each project must complete an annual competitive application process that goes through a staff and committee review with two appointed city council members.
The 161-unit Creekside Apartments received HOME funds from the state and city, as well as federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars, to rehabilitate the units and make them more energy efficient.
The 12-unit Fireweed Court Apartments also received HOME funds to improve living conditions, including adding exterior lighting and energy efficiency upgrades.
On the CDBG side, city administrators used the grant award for the Orchard Homes Gardens community to improve living conditions and preserve the development’s affordability.
Another project through the Human Resource Council funded up to five low-income homeowner loans to complete needed repairs with CDBG funds. So far, three of the rehabilitations have been completed, Lisum said.
The CDBG also went toward installing wheelchair ramps through the Regional Access Mobility Program. As of Sept. 22, 18 ramps have been installed with 10 more in progress.
The CDBG grant also went toward acquiring one home on Howell Street for placement into a community land trust through Front Step, formerly the North Missoula Community Development Corporation.
Karissa Trujillo, the executive director of Homeward, told the city council Monday night that the federal funds are crucial to lowering costs for repairs and keeping rents low for existing residents.
Homeward manages both the Fireweed Apartments and Orchard Homes Gardens.
“These funds really make a big difference when it comes to those larger capital improvement projects that we need done on these properties where we are bringing in lower rent so that we can keep those rents affordable,” Trujillo said.
Funding uncertain
As Congress moves through the appropriations process, several different funding bills have been submitted, including some that remove the HOME grant in the future, according to the Associated Press.
Lisum told the city council that the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the federal agency that administers the grants, has said the funding levels will remain similar through summer 2026.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and hope that both programs receive future funding and continue to tackle affordable housing,” Lisum said.
A final decision on the federal programs is likely far off, Lisum noted, as Congress is expected to approve a continuing resolution to fund the government at its current levels or face a government shutdown on Oct. 1.
Missoula Mayor Andrea Davis penned a letter to western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke, a Republican, in July to urge his support for keeping the Community Development Block Grant Program.
“Representative Zinke, the CDBG program is a proven, accountable investment that produces real outcomes in communities across your district,” Davis wrote in the letter. “The City of Missoula’s annual CDBG allocation catalyzes millions of private sector dollars each year on projects that meet community goals.”
People can comment on the city’s spending plan for the grants at the city’s Engage Missoula website until Sept. 25. The Missoula City Council next meets on Wednesday, Sept. 24.
Griffen Smith is the local government reporter for the Missoulian.
You must be logged in to react.
Click any reaction to login.
Love
0
Funny
0
Wow
0
Sad
0
Angry
0
Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox!
Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.
* I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Griffen Smith
City/County Government Reporter
Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily!
Your notification has been saved.
There was a problem saving your notification.
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Followed notifications
Please log in to use this feature
Log In
Don’t have an account? Sign Up Today