Recently I’ve received feedback from a few community members that the Workforce Rental Assistance Program run by Housing Whitefish is a band-aid program. Using the term “band-aid” gives the impression that it isn’t worth it; why give a band-aid when you broke your arm, for example. Or, for housing, why provide rental assistance when we need a new supply of homes people can buy and rent.
Unfortunately, this analogy of rental assistance as a band-aid falls short when you humanize the problem.
For the first time parents whose son came two months early, the $400 per month they receive in rental assistance is helping them bridge the gap during an unexpected and traumatic life event.
For the young professional trying to gain footing in his career and earn sales commissions, the $145 per month in rental assistance bridges the gap when clients are scaling back.
For the hair stylist solo parenting three kids, the $375 per month in rental assistance is helping bridge the gap as she establishes new clients at her new salon.
For the trail crew leader who waits tables in the winter, the $80 per month she receives in rental assistance bridges the lows of the shoulder season.
For the community that added 1,500 new residents, growing 20 percent in the last five years and experiencing the most dramatic increase in homes prices we have ever seen, our rental assistance program has helped bridge the gap as the market works to respond.
With over 450 new apartments under construction right now in Whitefish, developers have reacted to the increasing demand for rental units. As those units start leasing up and our neighbors have more agency and choice, Housing Whitefish is ready to assist people in finding and securing homes that will be better long-term options.
And, as the rental market finds its new equilibrium, Housing Whitefish is working to create new attainable homeownership opportunities so that people can not only stay today but can call Whitefish home forever.
Daniel Sidder is the Executive Director of Housing Whitefish. For more information the Workforce Rental Assistance Program, visit housingwhitefish.org.