Catherine Daly, Park County Housing Coalition program manager at HRDC, told the Livingston Consolidated Land Use Board on Oct. 8 that the coalition has secured funding and is shifting this year’s work toward home repair, homelessness systems and a potential community housing fund. "We received roughly $600,000 in funding from the state's community development block grant housing stabilization program," Daly said, describing the Park County Home Repair program.

The program will deliver 0% interest, fully forgivable loans to low‑ and moderate‑income Park County homeowners to address health and safety repairs such as roofs, mold remediation, damaged windows and ADA accessibility retrofits. Daly said the program is targeted to owner‑occupied, single‑family detached homes and that eligibility is set at or below 80% of Park County area median income — "which is currently $64,400 for a household of 2." She estimated "there are more than 1,600 homeowners in Park County who would be eligible for this program based on income."

Why it matters: Board members were told Park County’s housing stock is old and that many homeowners lack resources for needed repairs. Daly said more than half of county homes were built before 1980 and that almost a quarter were built in 1939 or earlier. Preserving existing homes is a stated priority because new construction alone will not address affordability or the condition of aging units.

Daly walked the board through the coalition’s broader work plan. The coalition has continued outreach and technical assistance on accessory dwelling units, employer‑assisted housing and zoning reform, and is reprioritizing for 2025 toward Tool 10 (rehabilitation loans and grants) and Tool 12 (coordinated entry for people experiencing homelessness), while also supporting any low‑income housing tax credit projects that advance. She described one planned development, Sheep Mountain Residences, as a low‑income housing tax‑credit proposal that would bring 48 below‑market rental homes near the wellness center; "The Montana Board of Housing has yet to decide whether to allocate tax credits to this project. They will make that decision in about 2 weeks," Daly said.

On homelessness, Daly reported system improvement work to strengthen Park County’s coordinated entry. She described the system as a standardized assessment and prioritization framework led by HRDC case manager Katie Williams and involving local partners such as Aspen, 1 Health, Lesprit and the Park County drop‑in center. Daly said the coalition is clarifying partner roles and data‑sharing agreements and is exploring participation by Livingston Healthcare because "it's part of their community health improvement plan as well."

Daly also described exploratory work to seed a community housing fund. The coalition narrowed six funding models to three approaches it thinks are most likely to gain community support: philanthropic gifts and grants, a local impact‑investing cooperative, and a voluntary business fee program (an opt‑in additional charge on receipts similar to Whitefish’s 1% community support fund). The coalition has been conducting outreach to local businesses on the voluntary fee idea.

Board members asked for clarifications about market metrics Daly presented: roughly 30% of Park County households rent and 70% own; the median single‑family sale price in August was $679,900, a 74% increase since August 2020; and roughly a third of county households earn $50,000 or less annually. Daly also noted the point‑in‑time count identified 21 people experiencing homelessness in 2025, compared with 11 in 2022.

Daly closed by noting that her position is funded through 2026 and by inviting board members and the public to join the coalition’s steering committee or subscribe to resources at parkcountyhousing.com. "If you would like to get involved, you have a couple of options," she said, directing people to the coalition website for guides, videos and financing tools.

Next steps: the coalition will begin intake for the Home Repair program once subrecipient agreements and program documents are finalized, continue coordination on the county’s coordinated entry system, and further refine community‑funding options pending additional outreach and feasibility work.