Helena, Montana – Greg Gianforte, the governor, has declared that his housing task committee will continue until June 2025.
The state’s Housing Task Force, established in July 2022, has been attempting to address the lack of housing supply in Montana.
“While we’ve made great progress to increase the supply of affordable, attainable housing for Montanans, there’s more work to do, and we’re not done yet,” Gianforte said in a press release. “I look forward to our Housing Task Force continuing to develop more commonsense solutions to address one of the most pressing issues facing hardworking Montanans.”
Director of the Department of Environmental Quality Chris Dorrington serves as chair of the task force, which is made up of representatives from associations, legislators, municipal politicians, state agency heads, economists, researchers, stakeholders, and advocates.
The task force has so far presented two reports. The most recent report, which was made public in December, offered suggestions for resolving Montana’s housing crisis. The 18 recommendations were a component of three overarching strategies: improving the effectiveness and capability of regulators, obtaining up-to-date data, and allocating funds to assist workforce development and building.
The Montana Legislature’s top legislative priority in 2023 was housing. A number of housing-related laws were passed by the legislature, including House Bill 819, which allocates more than $200 million to a number of programs to aid in the creation of housing, as well as zoning and land use modifications targeted at improving availability.
