2016 Montana Housing Conference Underway in Kalispell

The 2016 Montana Housing Conference will be in Kalispell this week. Field Office Director for Housing and Urban Development Eric Amundsen said the next few days will cover a variety of topics.

"We have a cross-section of the entire housing industry - everyone from our public housing authorities, to nonprofits, to the state government agencies," Amundsen said. "For example, one track will focus on multi-family housing and another will focus on single-family housing; another track on homelessness and a third track on further housing development."

Amundsen said Missoula in particular has some unique challenges when it comes to affordable housing, specially based on geography and limits to further growth.

"I know that there's been several interested parties in Missoula and throughout the state looking at different uses for land and ways to bring in more affordable housing with the constraints that each community has," Amundsen said. "I know the housing market is really tight from what I've heard from different partners. So I'm looking forward to learning more about this."

Amundsen said other topics discussed will cover a wide variety of housing industry interests applicable to the rest of the state.