Emily Harris-Shears the Senior Housing Policy Specialist in the department of Community Planning, Development and Innovation (CPDI) provided an overview on the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) federal grant program Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO Housing). She provided a funding overview and grant application specifications including the barriers to accessing housing, and activity eligibility. She highlighted the city’s application focus was on anti-displacement and expanded on the key strategies of addressing supply and policy/programming. Ms. Harris-Shears provided data obtained from the 2023 Local Needs Assessment to provide context and understanding of the local housing needs as well as demographic, rising housing costs and availability impacts locally. She reiterated the proposed strategies align with city priorities including Justice, Equity and Inclusion (JEDI), the City of Missoula Strategic plan 2020-2023 and the housing policy A Place to Call Home. She concluded by providing the proposed project budget, estimated leverage, and upcoming engagement opportunities. She reiterated the recommended motion. For more information, please watch the attached video.
The committee members and Ms. Harris-Shears discussed the following:
- The owner and renter breakdown in Missoula compared to other similar size cities.
- The contingency strategy if the grant award was less than the requested amount.
- The landlord liaison program possibilities and potential strategies.
- The grant’s point scoring rubric in relation to the allocation of leveraged funds.
- The grant’s flexibility to consider communities at varied stages in housing strategy. development and implementation.
Councilwoman Jones made the recommended motion.
There was no public comment.
Several committee members spoke in favor of the application and various aspects of the grant as well as the work being done by the staff and council.