Commerce Awards More Than $4 Million Of Grant Funding To Construct and Rehabilitate Affordable Homes In Montana

HELENA, Mont. – The Montana Department of Commerce announced today that more than $4 million of grant funding has been allocated to six non-profit organizations to help increase the inventory of affordable homes for seniors and those living with disabilities. The funding is through Commerce’s Montana Emergency Rental Assistance (MERA) program. 

“The health and well-being of Montanans and our communities rely on access to affordable, attainable housing. Projects like these will help meet the housing needs of Montana’s seniors and those living with disabilities, all while supporting our economy with good-paying jobs,” said Paul Green, Director of the Montana Department of Commerce.  

MERA is Montana’s program to administer federal funding provided by the pandemic-era U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Emergency Rental Assistance program (ERA).  

MERA funding was awarded to: 

• Accessible Space, Inc. will receive $900,000 of MERA funding for the Queen City Estates rehabilitation project in Helena. 

• Big Sky Community Housing Trust will receive $337,000 of MERA funding for the construction of the Riverview Apartments in Big Sky. 

• District XI Human Resource Council, Inc. will receive $558,146 of MERA funding for the construction of Skalkaho Place in Hamilton. 

• Homeword, Inc. will receive $104,154 of MERA funding for rehabilitation work at Hearthstone Apartments in Anaconda. 

• The Human Resource Development Council of District IX, Inc. will receive $900,994 of MERA funding for the Summit Place Apartments rehabilitation project in Livingston. 

• Samaritan House, Inc. will receive $1.3 million of MERA funding for the construction of the Samaritan House Family Living Apartments in Kalispell. 
  

The United States Department of the Treasury (Treasury) guidance outlines the eligible uses for the program, which includes various rental assistance, housing stability supports and eviction intervention. Additionally, Treasury provides guidance on the use of these funds, once certain criteria have been met, to fund other eligible uses. With approximately $5 million of MERA program funding remaining, Commerce’s Montana Housing Division decided to allocate the remaining funds to increase new and preserve existing permanent affordable housing stock.  

“Focusing the remaining MERA funds for the construction, rehabilitation or preservation of affordable housing projects serving lower-earning families will allow the funds to be used to provide permanent housing stability for Montanans who are most in need of assistance, targeting populations that are at or below 50 percent of area median income, disabled, survivors of domestic violence, seniors and homeless or at risk of homelessness,” said Melissa Higgins, Housing Program Executive at the Montana Department of Commerce.  

The sources of these MERA 2 funds include Section 3201 of the American Rescue Plan Act and Montana House Bill 632 Section 14(1). 

For more information about the MERA program, visit housing.mt.gov.