Housing authority sees increase in HUD funding

The Whitefish Housing Authority has received a larger federal grant this year than in the past to assist with affordable housing efforts.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded grants to several Montana cities to help develop, finance, and modernize public housing developments.

The Whitefish Housing Authority was awarded a grant totaling $91,797.

Democrat U.S. Sen. Jon Tester on Thursday announced a total of $4.3 million in grants to increase access to affordable housing in several Montana communities.

“Everyone should have a place they can call home,” Tester said in a release. “From Great Falls to Glasgow, these grants will help folks find safe, accessible housing without breaking the bank.”

Lori Collins, executive director of the Whitefish Housing Authority, said the grant is the annual funds that the housing authority receives from HUD. In 2018, WHA received $87,090 under the same funding, and in previous years it had received around $55,000 in funding.

“This is a larger amount than we have been receiving and Sen. Tester was very instrumental in getting a bigger share,” she said of the 2019 amount.

Collins said the funds are used for capital improvements and operations for public housing, which is the Mountain View Manor. The housing authority manages the manor, a 50-unit apartment complex for the elderly and disabled.

The Whitefish Housing Authority promotes affordable housing and economic opportunities for low- and moderate-income families in the area.

Housing authorities in Billings, Great Falls, Missoula, Helena, Butte, Anaconda, Sidney, Glasgow and Glendive also received the grants from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.