Lawmakers made two main pushes on the housing issue both of which ultimately drew bipartisan support. The third advancing bill would require cities to create extensive land use plans to account for future population growth and the housing demands that will come with that. A slate of zoning bills intended to spur home construction by limiting how local governments can regulate housing development appears headed toward passage following votes on the floor of the Montana House in recent weeks. He has worked as a professional journalist in Montana since 2013, with stints at the Great Falls Tribune, Bozeman Daily Chronicle, and Solutions Journalism Network before joining the Montana Free Press newsroom in Helena full time in 2019. Many efforts advanced by Republican lawmakers have fallen short, as well. This work is supported in part by a grant from the Greater Montana Foundation, which encourages communication on issues, trends, and values of importance to Montanans. Ellis previously worked as a science reporter at Utah Public Radio and a reporter at Yellowstone Public Radio. Vinton, who owns a homebuilding company with her husband, also argued that the Legislatures efforts to streamline development will ultimately bring prices down as more homes are built. The three bills draw on solutions proposed by the state's housing task force created by Governor Greg Gianforte last summer. Borrower Portal View provides 24/7 access to your mortgage account, including payment history, year-end information, and escrow details. (The states Board of Housing last year funded projects that would produce 158 units of rent-restricted housing at an average subsidy of $186,000 per unit. If you continue to use the website, you agree to the use of cookies. A group of bills that would change cities' zoning regulations in order to increase housing supply are progressing through the state Legislature. Prior to starting an application, Montana Homeowners can take several actions to prepare, including: The purpose of the Montana Homeowner Assistance Fund, in accordance with federal legislation and U.S. Treasury guidance, is to mitigate financial hardships associated with the coronavirus pandemic by providing funds to prevent homeowner mortgage delinquencies, defaults, foreclosures, loss of utilities or home energy services, and displacements of homeowners experiencing financial hardship after January 21, 2020. This week, three bills making big changes in how cities handle zoning passed through the House, each with broad margins and bipartisan support. On March 27, 2020, Congress passed, and President Trump signed into law, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the CARES Act) which provides for the right to request forbearance. The three bills draw on solutions proposed by the state's housing task force created by Governor Greg Gianforte last summer. The final product was a mix of pieces of bills, and there was both bipartisan support and opposition to the final measure in the end. No big deal. In exchange for the low-interest loan, developers agree to price the resulting apartments at rents that are considered affordable for lower-income families. Sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Montana Homeowner Assistance Fund program publications are being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number HAF0008 awarded to State of Montana by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Montana Housing is responsible for conducting annual Management and Occupancy Reviews, adjusting rent and utility allowances, paying monthly housing assistance subsidies directly to the owners, renewing HAP Contracts and is responsible for health and safety issues as required by HUD. I think that by removing and streamlining regulations for housing, thats going to bring costs down as a builder, she said. Minority Democrats, who hold about a third of the Legislatures seats, have argued that they believe the Republican-controlled body hasnt done enough to ease Montanans housing pain. Senate Bill 382 would require additional planning by local governments, rework how and when residents can participate in planning decisions and, supporters say, make it easier to build the housing necessary to accommodate rapid population growth. HOMEOWNERS Welcome Home Questions about the home mortgage and loan servicing process? While Democrats said they thought the 2023 Legislature should authorize some tax relief, the income and property tax rebate bills, House Bill 192 and House Bill 222, ultimately passed with Republican support on near-party-line votes.Democrats, who said they worried about underfunding other budget priorities, did make unsuccessful attempts to amend the property tax relief bill to include renters. FHA Timeframe to Request the Initial Forbearance ExtendedPursuant to Mortgagee Letter (ML 2021-24), FHA has provided up to six months of COVID-19 forbearance for borrowers who request their initial COVID-19 forbearance between October 1, 2021 and the end of the COVID-19 National Emergency, and an additional six months if the forbearance is exhausted or expires before the end of the COVID-19 National Emergency. Montanas housing puzzle at the legislative halftime, Land planning overhaul would prioritize proactive urban planning. WHEREAS, to provide for and maintain necessary affordable housing, the state of Montana needs to ensure that mobile home park tenants are sufficiently notified of rental increases and fee increases. June 15, 2021. 2023 had already been such a success for housing reform in Montana that when CityLab's How YIMBYs Won Montana was published at the end of April and two major housing supply bills had run into hurdles, the writer still dubbed the state's overall pro-housing policy successes a "Montana miracle." By now, even those two bills have sailed . But Rep. John Fitzpatrick, R-Anaconda, who sponsored HB817, told lawmakers on the final days of the session that it should support the bill because he believes there are few other short-term options. For additional information and eligibility requirements, please clickhere. So, I think we really moved the needle at the end of the day.. We recommend homeowners follow our Facebook page and visit HOUSING.MT.GOV for current information about housing assistance, and to subscribe to receive email updates from the Department of Commerce about future public hearings, community engagement opportunities, and updates regarding the status of the Montana Homeowner Assistance Fund. Contact Editor Darrell Ehrlick for questions: info@dailymontanan.com. USDA has removed the September 30, 2021 deadline for a borrower to request initial payment forbearances due to the COVID-19 National Emergency. More by Eric Dietrich. Weve spent the last four months massaging this thing, bringing it together. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window). There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Whoops! Taxes. Beneficiaries would have their properties deed-restricted until they sell the home or pay back the program to limit how much equity they can earn from rising home values. A second, Senate Bill 528, requires cities and towns to adopt rules allowing the construction of accessory dwelling units, or smaller housing units that share a lot with a primary home. Home - Montana State Legislature Some local governments have come out against the policy saying it steps on their authority to run their towns. Sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Montana Housing, as a loan servicer of federally insured mortgages, applauds the passage of the federal CARES Act to provide relief for our homeowners. Montana's Big Bipartisan Housing Deal - Sightline Institute Corin Cates-Carney It's legislative day 66.We're in the home stretch of the 2023 legislative session. See the, Video and searchable computer-generated transcript, Senate Business, Labor, and Economic Affairs. That bill would among other provisions guarantee mobile home tenants, who often own their home and rent the land beneath it, the option of signing one-year leases instead of month-to-month contracts. Daily Montanan maintains editorial independence. Thank you for supporting Montana Free Press and being a part of our community. Please reload the page and try again. Visit our page onfair housingfor more information. Higher rents, too, make it increasingly hard for businesses to find workers. The Montana Housing Division encourages current MERA recipients to make a plan for their future assistance needs, as MERA will no longer be available once funds are fully expended. Housing DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE RENTERS & LANDLORDS HOMEOWNERS The Montana Emergency Rental Assistance (MERA) program will no longer accept applications, including continued assistance applications, beginning at 11:59 p.m. on March 24, 2023. No. Gianforte has urged lawmakers to revive the proposal, suggesting it could be amended into another bill. Members of the public, including but not limited to, homeowners, mortgage servicers, and housing counseling and foreclosure prevention experts, were provided an opportunity to comment on any aspect of the HAF Plan draft. Two major zoning bills that had previously passed the Senate cleared the House earlier this month. Join the 3,400+ MTFP members who believe in the power of independent news. Ive worked on it all session; youre probably tired of hearing about it. Average Housing Costs in Montana: $614 to $1,681 per month. The $175 million in General Fund spending is divided into $107 million to set up an housing infrastructure fund, $56 million for a mortgage assistance program and $12 million to make more housing options available for workers at the state hospital in Warm Springs and the state prison in Deer Lodge. WARNING:FRAUDULENT CALLS! He also touted his work to promote apprenticeships in trades such as plumbing, carpentry and electrical work, efforts intended to minimize the extent that skilled labor is a bottleneck for housing construction. As the Legislature wrapped up its work last week, the years single largest housing bill, authorizing $225 million in housing spending, passed to the governors desk with one of the last votes taken by the Montana House. This isnt just a human welfare problem, Flowers said. For example, a proposal to let local governments add a bed tax surcharge on short-term rentals to raise money for housing efforts failed to gather enough support to clear the House Appropriations Committee. Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. The Session Week 13: Constitutional amendments, affordable housing, and Housing - Montana Home - Montana State Legislature Montana Housing with the Department of Commerce was awarded $15 million by the Economic Transformation, Stabilization & Workforce Development Advisory Commission in the Fall of 2021. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA: Section 1. The Queen City achieved an historic day for planning in the state of Ohio. The Montana Homeowner Assistance Fund may be used for the following: Please see Sample Terms Sheet for further details on each of the above programs. Became Law Proposed Introduced Mar 1 1st Cmte. Following the close of public comment, the Montana HAF Plan was finalized and submitted to the U.S. Department of the Treasury on September 28, 2021. Reporting and web design was done primarily by MTFP Deputy Editor Eric Dietrich. Water. For every extra unit, you can add, quantities of scale, costs go down, supply goes up, we start actually talking about addressing this issue, Zolnikov said. Availability of funds for households whose income exceeds 100% of Area Median Income, but is less than 150% of Area Median Income, will be subject to the 60% of funds target federal requirement. In-person public comment opportunities on the proposed plan were also provided during the September 8, 2021 Commission meeting, and time was allotted during the September 14, 2021 Montana Board of Housing meeting, in accordance with state open meeting law requirements. This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process. Daily Montanan is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Borrowers may request assistance until the end of the National Emergency is declared. Were giving them the vehicle; theyre going to put the fuel in it, he added. This guide is an effort to make the quantifiable aspects of the Montana Legislature more accessible to the public by compiling information about lawmakers, proposed bills and the legislative process. Flowers was less positive about where the Republican supermajority-controlled legislature ended up on housing. Other housing efforts were generally unsuccessful. Montana Legislature Considering Historic Package of Pro-Housing Development Bills, Montana's affordable housing crisis: Many proposed bills and lots of disagreement, Assistant or Associate Professor of Urban Planning, PD&R Quarterly Update on Office-to-Residential Conversions, New Planetizen Guide to Graduate Urban Planning Programs Now Available, Call For Nominations: HUD Secretarys Award for Excellence in Healthy Homes, Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools. Sponsored by a Republican senator from Great Falls, the years SB 323 drew bipartisan support as it cleared the House and Senate. This plan is required to include a data-driven assessment of homeowner needs and evidence of public participation and community engagement to inform program design. It took until the final days of the session for a compromise package to emerge. HAF Pilot Program OverviewThe Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) program was established under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) to mitigate financial hardships associated with the coronavirus pandemic.
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