Libby community leaders host symposium on homeless issues

The Memorial Center in Libby saw more than 100 people attend a symposium on Nov. 14 to talk about local homeless issues.

Attendees ranged from teen-agers to older citizens.

The event featured several Libby professionals with perspectives on the matter. They included Christ Lutheran Church Pastor Abigail Orellano, Alice Hayes of Team Hayes Realtors, Libby Superintendent of Schools Ron Goodman, Danielle Maiden of Neighborhood Works, United Methodist Church Lead Pastor Karen Disney and Libby City Councilor and businesswoman Kristin Smith.

“We have learned just enough to be heart-broken,” Orellano said. “There are 30 clients every month at the Libby Food Pantry who are homeless. We have students bouncing from house to house. There are older residents who sold their homes, started to rent and now can’t afford rent.

“But one of the biggest takeaways from the event was to see how many people are interested in this issue. Many left their names and addresses who want to be included in the establishment of interest groups that we can begin working on solutions after the holidays.”

Orellano said homeless people in the area were typically transients. But things have changed.

“We have people living in cars with broken heaters and that can be dangerous,” she said. “We hope that some of the new housing being built will lead some to upgrade and open housing for others.”

She also said she thinks a bad weather shelter would be helpful.

Hayes, a realtor in the area for the last 30 years, shared some facts and figures of why homelessness has become a larger issue in the area.

“The combination of the COVID-19 pandemic driving people to live here drove housing costs through the roof,” Hayes said.

She said from Jan. 1 to Oct. 31, 127 homes were sold in the Libby, Troy and Yaak areas. The value ranged from $20,000 to $1.34 million. There were also 97 parcels of land sold in the area with values from $30,000 to $3 million.

“Montana is no longer cheap,” Hayes said. “The interest rate hit 8% on Nov. 1, the highest it’s been since 2000. We see prospective buyers with jobs, good credit and enough money for a down payment, but when the interest rate is factored in, they couldn’t afford it.”

Disney said she has lived in the area on and off since the early 1960s.

“I’ve seen the boom and bust of the area and I want to be a voice for those who have no voice,” Disney said. “I saw the boom when the lumber mill was operating, the dam was being built and W.R. Grace was still operating. There were 10 schools in Libby then, now there are three.”

Disney shared some of her personal experiences with homeless people and the groups that are most affected by the housing costs.

“This is affecting elderly folks on a fixed income and young people just getting started,” Disney said. “I know one woman who was clean from drugs. She has a job and was very happy. Then, her rent was increased to $1,000 per month and she ended up being evicted.”

Goodman, who has been in Libby since 2004, shared his story of growing up in Columbia Falls, how times have changed and the difficulties facing students and those in the education field.

“In 1968, my dad, Bob Goodman, was a new teacher making $4,000. My mom was a nurse and we had enough to buy a Ford F100, a snowmobile, a home and a Golden Retriever.

“Today, the starting teacher salary in Montana is $33,500,” Goodman said. “New teachers are not renting alone, they are rooming together and not able to think about buying a home. This past spring, Montana State University graduated 32 elementary school teachers, seven in music and 12 in secondary education. That’s not even enough to supply schools in Bozeman.”

Goodman said the cost to students is high.

“We estimate there are two to three students per classroom dealing with unstable housing, living in hotel rooms, doubling up, living in RV parks or campers,” he said. “There is a loss of relationship with their community and the addiction problems, these are clearly not good for students.”

Maiden, the Cooperative Housing Director with the non-profit NeighborWorks, is a Libby High School graduate. Established in 1998, NeighborWorks’ efforts are in housing education and counseling. They are a source of gap financing for developers and work to create self-sufficiency for residents in manufactured home parks.

“The Libby Creek Community is resident-owned with two stick-built structures and 12 manufactured homes which hasn’t had a rent increase since they bought it,” Maiden said. “Missoula has a shared equity collaborative where the residents own them and they control the cost of rent.

“We’re always looking to partner with owners of manufactured housing to convert to a co-op.”

She also mentioned the plan for Cabinet Affordable Housing to build a 24-unit housing project in Libby. It would target households with limited income on a 4.1 acre lot on Commerce Way, across from the Flathead Valley Community College.

Community Action Partnership of Northwest Montana received a $6.5 million tax credit in October 2022 to build 24 units in 12 duplex buildings with monthly rent ranging from $634 to $920. When finished, the development would boast 10 two-bedroom and 14 one-bedroom units.

The project is intended to create multifamily units, with income targeting for households below 50% and 60% of the area median income.

“Hopefully that will break ground sometime next year,” Maiden said. “We hope to be part of the conversation for housing solutions.”

Smith, who has been an advocate for local affordable housing, spoke, too.

“Tiny homes, co-op housing are good solutions and a public-private partnership is critical to getting something done,” Smith said. “It’s a challenge that isn’t getting better. In the 1980s, to buy a home, the cost was 3.5 times the median income. Today, it’s 6 times the median income.”

In terms of what is available for the homeless in Libby, Orellano said there isn’t much, if anything, happening on the subject of affordable housing.

“Our church has a monthly laundry event and a monthly meal, but we hope this meeting launches an effort to provide some answers,” she said.

For those interested in furthering the discussion, Orellano may be reached at clcpastor@kvis.net or 406-293-3705.