Hello All, 

We certainly hope to have good news to share soon regarding the future site of Housing First  Village. In the meantime, I wanted to give you an update from our recent Community Needs Assessment to share with you what we learned and how this valuable work informs our goals for  Housing First Village. 

HRDC’s Community Needs Assessment (CNA) is a compilation of survey data, customer data, community supplemental sources, and census estimates. The primary function of this CNA is to be an accessible community tool. Emerging trends from the overall results in our entire service area (Gallatin, Park, and Meagher counties) include strong responses regarding housing, mental healthcare, child care, healthcare, and transportation. 

Throughout HRDC’s Needs Assessment process, housing needs surfaced as a top issue in each community. The largest impacts of the regional population growth seem to be on a community's infrastructure, particularly housing affordability and availability. In Bozeman specifically, housing surfaced as the number one perceived need in our community, with 84% of survey respondents indicating so, and 94% of survey respondents reporting that the Bozeman community does not have affordable places for its residents to rent.  Mental healthcare and healthcare also surfaced as a priority needs in Bozeman. 

To understand what the CNA findings mean for homelessness, according to a 2018 study sponsored by Zillow, communities where people spend more than 32 percent of their income on rent can expect a more rapid increase in homelessness. This research examines how the bottom rung is at risk of completing falling off the housing ladder when rents go up even modest amounts. Since we are currently in a Census year, I was unable to calculate a comparison of the community ratio here in Bozeman. To get a general idea, the current rent in Bozeman according to Zillow is $1,842. The most recent Census data on average household income (from 2018) is $51,896, resulting in a community percentage of 42%. This means many community members are paying much higher percentages of their income towards rents; the American Community Survey from 2017 found over 45% of renters are paying more than 30% of their income towards rent in Bozeman.  Home prices and rents have continued to rise in the Gallatin Valley, and with some predicting another out-of-state housing boom of migration from larger cities related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now more than ever, we need to provide ways to help our most vulnerable residents find and stay housed. 

For more information from our Community Needs Assessment, be on the lookout for the full report to be published soon.

Thanks for reading!

Best, 

Lila Fleishman 
Housing and Healthcare Coordinator, HRDC IX