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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-04-25 Public Comment - K. Urner - 5_5_25 Community Development Board Meeting Public CommentFrom:Katherine Urner To:Bozeman Public Comment Subject:[EXTERNAL]5/5/25 Community Development Board Meeting Public Comment Date:Sunday, May 4, 2025 10:43:34 PM Attachments:Personal Narrative Public Comment-2.pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. This is a public comment for the community development board meeting on May 5, 2025.Thank you! 5/2/2025 Public Comment I grew up in Albany, NY in what many would call a “typical” middle-class family. We had the white picket fence, a two-car household, and parents who loved us—even if things weren’t always perfect. My dad worked 60-hour weeks to make sure we never went without, and my mom worked part-time until I fell seriously ill in elementary school. From that point on, her full-time job became me: my care, my mental health, and an endless string of doctor’s appointments. Thanks to her availability, a reliable vehicle, and insurance through my dad’s work, I got the care I needed. It took two years to resolve the physical health problems, but my mental health suffered deeply. I became agoraphobic, unable to leave my house—often confined to our only full bathroom. It took me until high school to reclaim a sense of normalcy, and even then, I avoided sleepovers, school trips, anything that meant being away. Looking back now, I often wonder: What would’ve happened if my mom hadn’t been able to stay home? If we didn’t have two cars? If we couldn’t afford care? That experience planted the seed of a harmful belief: that I was a burden. That taking up space meant taking something away from others. I responded by becoming quiet, self-reliant, and unwilling to ask for help. I carried that mindset into adulthood. When I moved to Bozeman, MT, I did so completely alone—no job, no apartment, no friends, and no backup plan. I just knew I had to go. I needed to prove to myself I could survive without leaning on anyone. And I have survived. But it’s been at great cost. I work three jobs, averaging 60 hours a week. I'm supporting myself while trying to save up to apply to medical school. Still, over half of my income goes to rent. Roughly 95% of my earnings go toward basic needs—housing, transportation, food, bills. The remaining 5% trickles into an emergency fund I’m building, slowly, cautiously. If I want to treat myself to a $10 lunch or take a day trip, I have to plan for it weeks in advance, adjust my grocery budget, or take the bus to work to save gas money. The reality is, I’m doing everything “right”. I’m working hard, budgeting, being resourceful and it’s still not enough to feel stable. In Bozeman, finding affordable housing isn’t a matter of responsibility or work ethic. It’s a matter of luck. And when the cost of housing is so high, tenants are forced to make trade-offs: affordability or safety, affordability or privacy, affordability or dignity. Affordable housing would mean breathing room for the first time to me. It would mean being able to take a day off when I’m sick without spiraling into anxiety about rent. It would mean living somewhere safe without sacrificing privacy or dignity. It would mean spending less time commuting and more hours resting, studying, or simply enjoying life. Affordable, accessible housing would mean stability and for someone like me, who has spent much of her life in survival mode, that’s everything. I don’t want to just make it in Bozeman. I want to thrive here. I want to go to medical school, stay in Montana, and serve communities that often go overlooked. But without stable housing, I don’t know if I can. The risk of falling through the cracks is always there, and that fear shapes every decision I make, which is why I’m speaking up and organizing around this issue. Because no one should have to work three jobs to barely make rent and bills. Because everyone deserves to take up space and still feel secure, safe, and supported in their home. For the UDC’s updated policy, I would love to see more middle housing being supported. More affordable housing in places where public transportation is easily accessible is being supported. Redeveloping already existing buildings into affordable housing/middle housing being supported. More variation in housing types being supported.