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Missoula County survey shows wastewater, neighborhood renewal and affordable-housing supports among top priorities
Summary
Missoula County staff presented results of a community housing and development survey showing 702 countywide responses, differences between city and county priorities (wastewater and water systems ranked high among county respondents), and use of results to pursue HOME and CDBG funding.
Heidi West, a grants staff member, presented high-level results from a countywide housing and community development survey at the Missoula County All Community Council meeting. The survey collected 702 responses across the county, including 365 from residents outside Missoula city limits, and will inform applications for HOME and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding.
West said the survey’s purpose was to "conduct a community needs assessment that helps us identify and define needs and gaps, that are related to infrastructure, facilities, economic development, and housing." She noted the survey was open for about three weeks and that its methodology "wasn't scientific," so results are not statistically valid but do provide community insights.
The survey results show differences in priorities between city and county respondents. County respondents ranked wastewater and water-system expansion and improvements as a top priority, and neighborhood renewal activities ranked highest countywide. Economic development priorities included expanding opportunities for low- and moderate-income residents through job creation, retention and training; the second-highest economic-development response was "none of the above," which West said often related to access to child care in open-ended comments. Housing development responses from county respondents prioritized funding for infrastructure and creation of resident-owned communities.
West provided demographic context: 51% of county respondents lived in two-person households, about 32% reported annual earnings above $90,000, and a majority were homeowners and employed. She also noted the survey included one respondent who identified as unhoused and reported living in the county, not the city. The survey produced more than 500 comments across community development, economic development and housing topics; West said community-specific profiles (for Seeley Lake, Lolo, East Missoula and the Clark Fork Range) are available in the report.
On next steps, West said the county treats the community survey as "our first public meeting as a part of the application process" for federal grants. She described the county’s role as a conduit: Missoula County typically applies for funding in partnership with a subrecipient that would carry out the project, and projects must meet HUD requirements (for example, addressing low- and moderate-income needs). "We like to support — we are enablers, but we need a project to enable," West said, urging communities to identify partners and projects that could qualify for HOME or CDBG funds.
West directed community members with questions or requests for community-specific datasets to contact grants staff by email at grants@missoulacounty.us and said the full results and presentations are posted on Missoula County’s website and on Missoula County Voice.
