City holds public gathering for residents to give input on community housing

As part of the Whitefish Strategic Housing Plan update, the city is holding an open house to receive feedback from the public on the recent draft of the updated Housing Needs Assessment.

The community housing open house will be from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Aug. 31 at the City Council Chambers at Whitefish City Hall. City staff will also present main findings of the draft assessment periodically throughout the open house — those times are 10 a.m., 12:25 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

The city says the open house is ongoing throughout the day to provide the public with ample time and flexibility to stop by to learn about the updated Housing Needs Assessment and also share comments and experiences with city staff.

The presentation will name several housing challenges that Whitefish is facing today, which are noted in the new assessment, as well as housing goals. For example, a housing challenge detailed in the presentation is the stark increase in monthly rates of rentals. The assessment says that $3,000 is the median listed rent in Whitefish, which is determined affordable only to households earning more than $140,000 per year.

Another challenge is that housing increases have far outpaced wage increases, as wages have only increased 5-7% per year from 2016 to 2022 and home sale prices are up 17% per year on average.

These are just two examples of housing challenges that the community is facing. The presentation will also feature goals and housing strategies moving forward.

In a press release, the city says it is most interested in hearing feedback and constructive input from “people in groups who tend to be most vulnerable to displacement and housing cost burdens, including service workers, non-profit workers, those with low- or fixed incomes, people with disabilities, seasonal workers, single parents, and other similarly situated groups.”

The city also encourages all who are concerned about community housing to participate in the open house.

For those who cannot attend the open house, there is an Online Open House portal on the City of Whitefish website. Concerned residents can learn about the key findings from the updated Housing Needs Assessment and provide input through an online questionnaire on the website.

The virtual version of the open house will be available on Aug. 26 through Friday, Sept. 2.

For more information visit, https://www.cityofwhitefish.org/575/Community-Housing.