Workforce Housing

Connecting with and informing the community to provide workforce housing services, programs, training, and education. Our mission is to increase the quality and choices of housing in Red Lodge and the surrounding rural communities, provide the community with awareness of housing issues, and expand housing opportunities through training and education.

Our goal is to maintain the integrity and uniqueness of Red Lodge’s small-town culture along with our other rural communities and strengthen its economic well-being by influencing the housing environment to be more affordable, attractive, stable, and accessible for the local workforce. We strive to be efficient and knowledgeable, working with the communities to remain a trusted partner and respected authority on housing issues. The Workforce Housing Steering Committee is comprised of lenders, realtors, insurers, builders, the County, the City, businesses, and highly engaged volunteers who donate their time and expertise. In addition to our Workforce Housing Steering Committee, we currently partner with USDA Rural Development, Trust Montana, Helena Area Habitat for Humanity, AmeriCorps NCCC and the HRDC Home Center to educate and take action on housing solutions.

We have successfully facilitated the building of 6 permanently affordable Mutual Self-Help homes on community land trusts since 2021, with four more in progress and to be completed late 2023 along with four standalone rental units to be completed by late summer 2024. Dozens of households have benefitted from access to first-time homebuyer education, financial literacy, and renter counseling resources. In 2021 – 2022, we hosted an Americorps VISTA member to focus on solutions to the shortage of both available and affordable long-term rentals in Carbon County. In December of 2022, the “Carbon County Workforce Housing Study’ was completed and once again supported the need for affordable workforce housing. In April 2023, we were fortunate to host another AmeriCorps NCCC Team for 12 weeks that focused on the current Mutual Self-Help Housing project in the Spires working three days a week for 12 weeks. This not only helped with keeping the project on schedule but also helped with keeping cost down on the four homes.