Tranel Pitches Her Affordable and Accessible Housing Plan for Montana

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - Democratic Congressional candidate Monica Tranel appeared on the KGVO Talk Back show on Thursday with one thing on her mind, her affordable and accessible housing plan.

I began by asking Tranel to explain the issue from her perspective.

Tranel Shared her Affordable and Accessible Housing Plan

“You’re building your own personal wealth by trying to get into a house and being able to stockpile and pay down a mortgage,” began Tranel. “A lot of folks can't even find a place that they can even touch anymore, and so part of my plan is affordability. I bought my first house for $100,000, and there are a lot of folks across Montana you'll talk to that bought their first house for $60,000 to $80,000.”

One aspect of the issue that upsets Tranel is the buying up of land and evicting low-income residents from trailer courts.

Tranel was upset that Trailer Courts are being Bought up and Residents Evicted

“Private equity firms are buying up trailer parks, evicting people, and then raising the lots and selling them for more money,” she said. “It's just it's everywhere. It’s across all age brackets from 18-year-olds and up. You ask them what do you care about most? Housing.”

Tranel described what is happening all over Montana as you’re reading this story.

“What my plan is really designed to address is bad actors who are using housing stock,” she said. “We all need to have a roof over our heads to live, and they're using it as a commodity to acquire wealth. When housing is a commodity, that's about profit. Then you have bad actors and you have to hold them accountable. For me, I think housing should be about having a roof over your head and having a place to call home, having a place where you put the height marks for your kids as they grow over the years. That's what a home should be.”

Read More: Missoula United Way Receives $80,000 Grant for Housing

Tranel Decried the fact that Nursing Homes are Closing and the Land Sold Off

Another aspect of the problem is how nursing homes are closing and the land is being placed into expensive subdivisions.

“My mom's in a nursing home in this district, and I met with women Gallatin County,” she said. “These are women in their 80s who've worked hard their whole lives and they're saying ‘We don't have anywhere to go’. There aren't any more nursing homes. They're closing, and the closest place one woman could find was in Idaho, so she has to leave her home to find a place to live in the twilight years of her life, and that's really wrong.”

Tranel will probably face off against Republican incumbent Ryan Zinke in the November general election, which she narrowly lost two years ago.