Executive Director Insight - Homeword Highlights from Maple Street Flats
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From Maple Street Flats, one of our brand-new rental communities in Missoula, Executive Director Andrea Davis shares some Homeword summer highlights.
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Open House Drives Applications
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On July 19, we hosted an open house event with Missoula Housing Authority at our brand-new Maple Street Flats and Westside Place rental communities. We gave tours of 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom homes, answered questions and distributed over 100 applications to people interested in living at these properties. It was also a great opportunity for our nonprofit and public service partners to take a look inside.
Don't worry if you missed this open house! If you or someone you know is looking for a rent-restricted apartment home in Missoula, we plan to host another open house soon, so watch for details from us in your email inbox, on our website and on our social media channels. We still have many apartment homes available and more opening up. Want to learn more about Maple Street Flats and Westside Place now? Visit our Trinity webpage for more information.
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Clearwater Credit Union Talks Consolidation
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We are bringing you a series of three HomeBlog posts from our friends and partners at Clearwater Credit Union (CCU).
In this first blog, the CCU Branch team shares industry expertise on the topic of consolidation:
Owing money to many creditors can be overwhelming. Remembering multiple due dates and making multiple minimum payments, all while watching those outstanding credit card balances barely move can make your financial life feel out of control. Debt consolidation can be a smart way to finally dominate your debt. |
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Join Us for a Fundraiser and Panel Discussion About Blue Heron Place
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We're partnering with Imagine Nation Brewing Co., Missoula Housing Authority, Partnership Health Center and All Nations Health Center to raise funds for household items for residents of Blue Heron Place.
Participate in our Taproom Dialogue on Wednesday, Aug. 9, from 6-7 p.m. at Imagine Nation in Missoula to experience a thoughtful conversation about local solutions to houselessness and to learn about the permanent supportive housing model. Imagine Nation is located at 1151 W. Broadway St.
The Taproom Dialogue will be moderated by Andrea Davis, executive director of Homeword, and panelists will include: - Skye McGinty (she/her), executive director of All Nations Health Center
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Partnership Health Center
- Sam Oliver, executive director of Missoula Housing Authority
- Jill Bonny, executive director of The Poverello Center
Can't make it to the Taproom Dialogue but still want to help support the program? Donate online!
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How We're Spending Grant Funding on Our Properties
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We recently applied for—and received!—grants totaling $732,110. These awards come from the City of Missoula Community Block Development Grant (CDBG), USDA Rural Development Housing Preservation Grant and Montana Department of Commerce's Montana Historic Preservation Grant and will support improvements to rental homes we've built throughout the state. The five properties we've identified for improvements are Lenox Flats, Equinox and Phillips apartment homes in Missoula as well as Ouellette Place in Lewistown and Acme in Billings.
We work diligently to save up reserves to pay for the physical needs of our properties, but every component in a home has an expected useful life before it needs to be replaced. Because we have restricted rents to keep our apartments affordable, it may take us longer than the useful life to save up enough reserve money to replace larger items. These grants will help us pay for some of the more expensive needs of our properties. We will allocate grants from the City of Missoula CDBG toward repairing Equinox's roof, HVAC at Lenox Flats and porches at the Phillips apartments.
Since Lenox Flats is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, we can use the Montana Department of Commerce’s Montana Historic Preservation Grant for further improvements at that property. These funds will also help us make changes at Ouellette Place and Acme, two more of our properties on the National Register of Historic Places. This special designation, however, requires us to be thoughtful with repairs to ensure we don’t diminish the historic aspects of the building.
To fix the roof on a non-historic building at Ouellette Place, we will use our USDA Rural Development Housing Preservation Grant award. |
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Sustainable Development Intern
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This summer Kaitlyn Opperman joined our team from June through July as our sustainable development intern. She is currently a University of Montana student majoring in environmental science and sustainability, with a concentration in sustainable livelihoods and communities.
Kaitlyn has been interested in sustainability since she was young, and it is her goal to work with sustainable infrastructure in urban and urbanizing areas following graduation.We were excited to have her here throughout the months of June and July and were sad when she wrapped up her last day in the office on July 27.
Before she moved on, Kaitlyn shared five things she learned as an intern with us. |
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Welcome to New Board Members
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Homeword is governed by a statewide volunteer board of directors whose time and expertise changes the lives of thousands of Montana’s children, veterans, seniors and workers. Our board members lend their lived experience and areas of expertise in architecture, construction, law, accounting, commercial lending and banking, nonprofit communication and social services to ensure Homeword’s success in strengthening Montana communities. We have two new members on our Board of Directors. Welcome, Pelah Hoyt and Jessica Weltman!
As director of landscape connectivity for the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, Pelah (left) bridges political divides and works across scales to conserve key wildlife corridors. She previously directed Five Valleys Land Trust’s land conservation program, leading a team that created new trailheads, improved access to nature for people of all abilities, and protected 37,000 acres of priority lands and streams corridors.
Jessica (right) works as the director of institutional compliance for the University of Montana where she provides strategic direction and oversight for all university compliance activities. In this role she draws upon over twenty years of legal experience, nearly half of which have been in higher education providing training and guidance on ways to reduce barriers and increase equity, conducting campus and workplace investigations and mediations, and bringing together stakeholders to build policies and processes to strengthen compliance with the many laws and regulations governing colleges and universities.
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| Do you have a great experience as a Homeword resident or class participant that you'd like to share? We want to hear from you! Share your story and be entered to win a $100 gift certificate for Home ReSource, $100 at the Good Food Store and a $100 gift card with the Missoula Downtown Association. |
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Special Thanks to Our Generous Program Sponsors |
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| Homeword uses sustainable methods to strengthen Montana communities by teaching homebuyer education and financial skill building and creating safe, healthy homes people can afford. |
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19,500+ Montanans empowered through our Regional HomeOwnership Center
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| 1,319 Safe, healthy homes Montanans can afford |
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1,000+ Program participants empowered last year |
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Our Contact Information
Homeword
1535 Liberty Lane, Suite 116A
Missoula, MT 59808
(406) 532-4663
http://homeword.org
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