HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-11-23 Public Comment - R. Dunn - I support establishing a Municipal Housing AuthorityFrom:City of Bozeman, MT
To:Agenda
Subject:[EXTERNAL]*NEW SUBMISSION* Public Comment Form
Date:Sunday, December 10, 2023 9:52:00 PM
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Public Comment Form
Submission #:2871717
IP Address:174.45.249.16
Submission Date:12/10/2023 9:51
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Full Name
Rylee Dunn
Email
ryleeeemd@gmail.com
Phone
(406) 461-8655
Comments
I support the establishment of a Municipal Housing Authority. Please see my full public comment written below:
Thank you.
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Municipal Housing Authority_Support_RDunn.pdf
Thank you,
City Of Bozeman
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I support establishing a Municipal Housing Authority,and I believe that this is the necessary
solution to address the lack of accessible and affordable housing in our city.For too long we have
been focusing on affordable housing operations via private enterprise,and these operations are
severely limited in the ways they can offer “solutions”to the housing crisis we have been
experiencing for the last few years.We are witnessing a growing waitlist for Section 8 vouchers
and LIHTC federal funding is extremely competitive to obtain.Our low-income neighbors are
struggling to access the affordable housing initiatives that were designed to work for them.On top
of that,many Bozeman residents in the "middle income"bracket are forced to pay high market
rates that simply are not financially sustainable.This is evident in the amount of the Bozeman
workforce that has had to relocate to Belgrade,Four Corners,Manhattan,and even Livingston,
while working their various roles here.We are all seeing the negative impacts that the housing
market is having on worker retention,community culture,and the safety of residents.
It's no surprise that there are unhoused working people in the streets of Bozeman,and it's no
surprise that they are fighting for their right to live in proximity of their work and livelihood.
Although there are developments “in the pipeline”,this number is significantly smaller than what
we need to be seeing based on our city’s growth,and there is no guarantee that these units will be
proportionately low-income or fair-market rate.There is simply not enough housing supply to go
around,and it is causing great harm to Bozeman.
With all due respect to the difficult decisions that must be made by the commissioners before us
week after week:the housing crisis is nuanced,and concrete solutions require a great deal of
dedicated time,research,and planning.This is where a Municipal Housing Authority can alleviate
the pressure placed on our city commissioners.
A Housing Authority is dedicated to devoting its time to diligent research to ensure housing
solutions are addressed properly and efficiently.Further,the Bozeman chapter of the DSA has
spent over two years getting this research started,citing sources from Montana Code to effective
Social Housing models which are actively showing great successes in other parts of the country.
Extensive research,working group efforts,and other conversations with members of the
community have gotten us where we are today,which is to determine if there is a lack of safe and
sanitary housing (or conversely,the existence of unsafe and unsanitary housing),and there is.I
know this from countless stories from friends and neighbors:overcrowding to accommodate high
unit prices,inadequate heating and plumbing,and even a personal experience of mold and
mushrooms growing in the floorboards of a previous rental.I support the establishment of a
Municipal Housing Authority,because I believe all tenants deserve to have access to safe and
sanitary housing that is managed by a publicly accountable entity,especially when that entity has
financing capabilities to fund Social Housing and create lasting change in this community for
generations to come.