Marybeth Moran, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Flathead Valley, told the Whitefish City Council on Dec. 1 that the nonprofit has built 73 homes in the Flathead since 1989 and is expanding its local pipeline. Moran said Habitat currently has four houses under construction, expects to break ground on six more in 2026 and aims to maintain an output of roughly five to eight homes per year.

Moran described the organization’s eligibility and selection process: applicants generally must fall between about 30% and 80% of area median income, provide two years of tax returns and demonstrate steady employment and a sufficient credit profile. "Everyone who builds a house with Habitat for Humanity has to do something called sweat equity," Moran said, adding the requirement is 275 hours of volunteer work before a home closes.

On financing, Moran said Habitat homes use 30‑year, 2% mortgages made available through the Montana Board of Housing, with Glacier Bank doing loan underwriting. She said Habitat sometimes carries a second mortgage or partners with NeighborWorks Montana for a low‑ or no‑interest secondary loan to fill gaps. "We set the price at the appraised value unless there's a programmatic reason for doing otherwise," Moran said, describing a long‑standing policy meant to preserve affordability.

Moran also described a formal partnership with the Northwest Montana Community Land Trust: Habitat has ceded first right of refusal on its homes to the land trust and uses a 25% equity cap on appreciation so that resale prices remain affordable over time. "We want nothing more than for those houses to go in the land trust," she said.

The presentation detailed operational changes meant to increase capacity: Habitat has added a pre‑framing shop inside its ReStore to assemble templated walls indoors, allowing construction to continue in cold weather, and said volunteers provide about 10,000 hours of construction labor annually. Garrett, Habitat’s construction manager, said the group emphasizes durability and energy efficiency—slab‑on‑grade foundations, high‑R wall assemblies, ductless heat pumps, heat‑recovery ventilators and routine blower‑door testing—to reduce long‑term costs for homeowners.

Moran said Habitat recently purchased more than 21 acres south of 4 Mile Road in Kalispell for a development the group is calling Birchwood. She said infrastructure and planning will delay vertical construction until 2027–28 and that Habitat is partnering with two private builders to create a mixed‑income neighborhood that could total about 97 units.

Councilors thanked the presenters and expressed interest in future collaboration around land and funding. The presentation closed with the mayor moving on to public comment and other agenda items.