Tester Secures More Than $16 Million for Housing Resources in Montana

Funding will address housing challenges across state

(U.S. Senate) – As part of his continued work to improve access to housing in Montana, U.S. Senator Jon Tester today secured $16,276,708 for housing programs across the state to increase the supply of affordable housing for Montanans.

As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Tester secured these funds through the 2024 government funding bill.

“Everywhere I go, from Bozeman to Billings to Big Sandy, I hear from folks about rising costs and a shortage of affordable, accessible housing options – it’s a real problem in our state, and one that needs an urgent fix,” said Tester. “This funding is a huge win, and will go towards vital programs across the state that will address housing shortages and increase the availability of workforce housing. I’m proud to have secured this funding, and I’ll continue to do all I can to ensure the folks who call our state home can continue to do so.”

The funding will be awarded as follows:

• $8,461,632 for Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). CDBG is used by Montana’s local governments to expand economic opportunities and fund affordable housing developments.
• $3,925,825 for the HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME). HOME is a flexible grant initiative for local government to increase the availability of affordable and workforce housing.
• $744,418 for Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG), which provide funds to address homelessness and provide homeless prevention programs.
• $3,144,833 for the Housing Trust Fund (HTF), which increases and preserves affordable housing options.

Tester has been Montana’s leading champion for rural housing accessibility. Tester recently introduced the Appraisal Industry Improvement Act – bipartisan legislation that would improve the home appraisal process by bolstering the appraiser workforce. In November, Tester introduced his Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative for Community Enhancement (PRICE) Act – legislation that would revitalize Montana’s affordable housing supply by establishing a manufactured housing community improvement grant program.

In September, Tester introduced his bipartisan Rural Housing Service Reform Act of 2023 – legislation which would improve federal rural housing programs, cut government red tape, and strengthen the supply of affordable housing across Montana.

Tester secured key wins to address housing in Montana in a package of annual government funding appropriations bills that passed the U.S. Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support, including: investments in the CDBG formula; funding for the Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative for Community Enhancement (PRICE) initiative to protect Montanans in manufactured housing communities from losing their homes to out of state investors; funding for the HOME Investment Partnerships Program; funding for the Self-help homeownership opportunity program (SHOP), which funds opportunities for homebuyers to participate in building homes to keep costs down; and investments in Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation (Neighborworks), which helps low-income Montanans access homeownership.

A full list of Montana provisions Tester secured in appropriations can be found HERE.