Public and private sector community partners convened to initiate collaborative work to address housing challenges in Gallatin County

Gallatin County, MT- On January 20th, One Valley Community Foundation launched the initial convening of the Regional Housing Coalition at the Bozeman Public Safety Center.

The Regional Housing Coalition (RHC) will begin as a three-year initiative of One Valley Community Foundation, convening diverse partners and interests to coordinate and accelerate solutions to address housing affordability and availability needs in Gallatin County.

“One Valley Community Foundation understands that we need both shovels in the ground building homes and the collective impact of the Regional Housing Coalition to address upstream issues affecting housing,” said Bridget Wilkinson, President and CEO of One Valley Community Foundation. “A county-wide coordination of partners, funding, and solutions is crucial to addressing the complex set of issues around community housing needs. This need creates the opportunity for One Valley Community Foundation to marshal resources, convene partners, and provide accountability and structure for collective action.”

Local governments, nonprofits, employers, philanthropists, and private industry partners like realtors and home builders are each organizing resources to address housing needs in Gallatin County. One Valley Community Foundation has intentionally crafted the Regional Housing Coalition to support and coordinate those efforts by acting as the ongoing forum for developing partnerships and facilitating collaborative action on housing solution strategies. Additionally, One Valley will support these strategies by acting as a conduit for communication and education that crosses sectors.

The first meeting of the RHC welcomed the participation of 16 members, representing 15 organizations and agencies from communities across Gallatin County. Represented organizations included nonprofits, government agencies, chambers of commerce, employers, private housing partners, and foundations. As the Coalition evolves, the membership will do so as well.

The first RHC meeting was convened in Bozeman. Subsequent 2023 quarterly meetings will be held in West Yellowstone, Three Forks, and Belgrade in an effort to include and understand the particular housing challenges in rural communities and unincorporated areas of Gallatin County.
For more information on the Regional Housing Coalition, please go to www.onevalley/regionalhousing.

 

About One Valley Community Foundation

One Valley Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Southwest Montana that connects people who care to the issues that matter most to them in order to address the priorities and concerns of residents and businesses in Gallatin County.

One Valley does this by matching donors with causes they believe in, focusing financial resources to facilitate change, offering tools and opportunities to support other nonprofits, and acting as a community facilitator. One Valley hosts multiple community- wide initiatives, including Give Big Gallatin Valley, a 24-hour giving day that has raised over $11.4 million for local nonprofits, and the Gallatin County Regional Housing Coalition, a convening of diverse partners working to address local housing challenges.
For more information, visit www.onevalley.org.