"In My Backyard: Equitable Homes for All" is a two-part series of public meetings exploring Missoula's affodable housing crisis and what can be done about it.  Part One on Wednesday, October 30, focuses on the various tools available to reduce the cost of homes, for both homeownership and for rentals.  Making housing more affodable requires some form of "subsidy," i.e., some use of public resources to intervene in either the costs of creating the home or in on-going monthly costs.  Presentations from lenders and others will explain how each tool works and how these tools can be combined to bring down the cost of homes for renters and homeowners. 

Kaia Peterson of NeighborWorks Montana will present the fundamental tools available in Missoula to lower the cost of homes for renters and homeowners.  Veronica Stevens of Clearwater Credit Union will explain how these tools work for renters and first-time homebuyers.  Barbara Callaghan of First Security Bank will explain how the tools work in building new housing developments, and Tyson O’Connell of Rocky Mountain Development Group will discuss other tools available elsewhere that could be used here.