Tester Secures More Than $13 Million to Support Affordable Housing Across Montana

Grant funding will bolster community development and low income housing construction

U.S. Senator Jon Tester announced today that more than $13 million will be awarded to the state of Montana to build and repair housing for low income Montanans, $3 million of which will be divided between Billings, Missoula, and Great Falls.

“Every Montanan deserves peace of mind when it comes to putting a roof over their heads,” Tester said. “These grants will help provide low income families with safe, affordable housing so folks don’t have to empty their wallets as they work to build their futures.”

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)—which Tester oversees as a senior member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs—will allocate the funding through the Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) program, the HOME program, and the Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) program.

The CDBG program provides funding to construct and restore housing for low and moderate income families while the HOME program will specifically go towards low and very low income family housing. The ESG program ensures rapid re-housing and homelessness prevention for families experiencing a housing crisis as well as the expansion and renovation of emergency homeless shelters. Both the CDBG and HOME Programs would be completely eliminated under President Trump’s proposed 2020 budget.

The funding will be partially split between three Montana cities with the rest going to the state:

Billings – $1,006,964

• CDBG – $657,820
• HOME – $349,144

Great Falls – $1,088,773

• CDBG – $808,347
• HOME – $280,426

Missoula – $971,147

• CDBG – $576,954
• HOME – $394,193

State of Montana – $10,547,132

• CDBG – $6,680,700
• HOME – $3,134,369
• ESG – $732,063

Tester is a strong advocate for expanding affordable housing opportunities in Montana. Through his position on the Senate Appropriations Committee, he played a key role in negotiating a bipartisan budget deal that made substantial investments into affordable housing initiatives including the HOME and CDBG programs. Last year, he helped secure nearly $900,000 for Missoula County, more than $1 million for Great Falls, and more than $26 million for affordable housing in Indian Country.

Read more about Tester’s efforts to expand affordable housing in Montana HERE.