Low Income Housing in Montana

Low Income Housing Information

Low income housing can be a godsend, but if you don't know how to apply, or who to get your information to, how can you ever expect to be approved?

Since laws and procedure vary from state to state, you'll need to learn a few specifics before applying. We can help!

Who Helps Pay for Low Income Housing in Montana?

In general, most of Montana's low income housing needs are financed through the federal government. Most of these programs are administrated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), although the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development housing assistance program also plays a significant role in the state.

Although the federal government offers a wide range of programs, the individual states have considerable say in what programs they choose to implement. In Montana, the most popular are HOME program and Section 8 housing. The HOME program grants money to local government entities and Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDCs) to build new - or rehabilitate old - housing specifically to serve the housing needs of low income people. Section 8 housing is the subsidized rent program that accounts for the vast majority of low income housing in the United States in general, including Montana. With respect to Section 8 housing, Montana actively uses and promotes tenant-based vouchers as well as project-based ones designed, reflecting the national trend of trying to integrate the poor into the larger society as opposed to segregating them and creating slum areas.

Both of these programs are overseen at the state level by the Montana Department of Commerce's Housing Division (http://housing.mt.gov). The HOME program is directly administrated by the Housing Division in Montana, but this is not the case with the Section 8 program. Section 8 housing was designed to be operated by HUD and local public housing agencies (PHAs) and does so in Montana as well. The Montana Housing Devision only plays a subsidiary role in this program, providing general information to both PHAs and applicants for Section 8 housing.

The Montana Housing Division also oversees the Montana Board of Housing that operates a number of its own programs which are financed through bond issues. The Montana Board of Housing primarily operates six programs for people in the state: the Single Family Program, the Recycled Single Family Program, the Multifamily Loan Programs, the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program, the Housing Revolving Loan Fund and the Reverse Annuity Mortgage (RAM) Program. Detailed information about all of these programs, including both how they work and who qualifies for them can be found online by searching through the website of the state government. The range of programs is rather rich for a western state, so people interested in moving to Montana and requiring housing assistance should take the time to explore these options in detail.

All said, the federal government pays for the overwhelming amount of affordable housing support in Montana, as is the case in all U.S. states. However, the funds raised through the Montana Board of Housing bond issues also add a substantial amount to this base. Further, there is additional assistance provided by a number of non-governmental organizations and charities in the Montana as well, though these organizations tend to be more active in the large cities or rural areas. This means that, for the most part, low income housing in Montana is paid for by American taxpayers in general through the federal government.