Frequently Asked Questions

The City’s housing policy, A Place to Call Home, highlights the need to provide safe and healthy housing with a diversity of types of affordability levels for all Missoulians. Home ownership remains unattainable for many Missoulians and an estimated 36% of households are cost burdened (Our Missoula, Community Profile, December 2024), Missoula households likely need to earn $173,000 (192% AMI) or more to afford a median priced home in early 2025.  

Construction costs are high and financing to build and purchase housing is expensive. Without public investment to build below market and income qualified workforce housing, it will likely not get developed. There is limited public funding available to help build housing attainable for lower income families and no resources to build workforce housing for middle income families. MRA's Workforce Housing Program provides another funding source to help fill these gaps. Further, the MRA’s Workforce Housing Program guidelines require that units built with TIF remain affordable for 30-75 years, depending on whether they are for rent or for sale. When TIF is invested in projects that add housing supply, this allows for more mobility in the market.  A household may qualify for a new workforce housing townhome constructed with TIF investment thus vacating their apartment for another family, creating housing options and movement in the market. 

Prior to 2023 when the MRA Board approved new Workforce Housing Program guidelines, the MRA was investing in building deconstruction and site preparation, public improvements in the right of way (water, sewer, streets, sidewalks, street trees), and property acquisition to support new housing. Prior to 2023, state law also allowed investment in publicly owned buildings. MRA continues to invest in public improvements to support housing projects as well as construction of income qualified workforce housing. TIF infrastructure funding was utilized to support construction of temporary housing for individuals experiencing crisis, including the Poverello Center, YWCA Family Housing Center, as well as mobile restrooms for the publicly owned Johnson Street Shelter. TIF investments in public infrastructure also supported recent income qualified housing construction such as the Maple Street Flats and Villagio apartments.  

The TIF Workforce Housing Program goes a step further than existing TIF programs by allowing MRA to invest in construction of privately-owned workforce housing that would likely not otherwise get constructed or improved.  

The Missoula Redevelopment Agency (MRA)is implementing its Workforce Housing Program goal by partnering with developers to construct and improve income qualified workforce housing units and/or fund the purchase of land for housing. The MRA staff takes a proactive approach to ensure developers, builders, design professionals, and realtors are aware of the new program and opportunities for partnership. This includes work to develop relationships with development partners that may not have accessed TIF previously.   

The Area Median Income (AMI) is the midpoint of a region’s income distribution – half of families in a region earn more than the median and half earn less than the median. AMI is used to determine whether housing is affordable to a household based on the number of members and their income. Each year, the Census surveys over 3.5 million addresses to learn about residents. They ask about how much income individuals 15 and over in the household earn to calculate household income. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) adjusts that number for inflation to publish the Area Median Income. According to HUD, 80% AMI for a four-person household in Missoula County is $78,800 in 2025.  

Below are several positions with average wages that fall within the annual income defined by the state for workforce housing (Indeed.com; ci.missoula.mt.us, September 2024) and would likely qualify for housing built with MRA’s Workforce Housing Program, depending on total household income.   

• Registered Nurse: $61,440-$99,000/year 
• Police Officer: $73,000/year 
• Firefighter: $83,000/year 
• Elementary School Teacher: $58,000/year 

The Workforce Housing Program guidelines require that housing constructed with TIF remain affordable for 30 years (rental projects) and 75 years (for sale projects not in a Community Land Trust). Long term affordability will be guaranteed through a deed restriction, use restriction, Community Land Trust, or other acceptable mechanism. Technical assistance is available to help developers and builders with the income qualification, marketing, and monitoring of MRA funded workforce housing, if needed.  

Please contact Annie Gorski at 406-552-6155 or gorskia@ci.missoula.mt.us.