Workforce Housing Project Public Comment from Ben SchwartzAimee Brunckhorst
From: Ben Schwartz <theschwartz.ben@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, August 22, 2022 4:01 PM
To: Kalispell Meetings Public Comment
Subject: EXTERNAL Workforce Housing Project
To Kalispell City Council Members,
I'd like to submit a comment about the workforce housing project; i will be working this evening and thus unable to
attend the meeting in person. I'm a long time resident of the valley and housing has always been a tough issue, as of late
its only gotten worse. Practically everyone i know (myself included) are struggling to find decent housing, some friends
of mine even have more than one job and are still in this situation. It's especially hard for single parents with kids, not
only because of more mouths to feed and people to care for, but also because many spaces available are small and the
owners dont want children/multiple people living in them. Besides the rooms available being cramped basement
storage rooms, many of my friends have experienced mold due to improper care on the part of the landlord/owner,
which has led to serious health issues (costing more money). Many of my friends who are born and raised here have had
to either move in with their parents or leave the area (their home) entirely.
If its a relevant reference point for you, everyone ive been speaking about is over 30 years old.
We desperately need good quality affordable housing ($1300 for a studio is not affordable), particularly for those of us
who do the service jobs which keeps the economy in the valley going.
Thankyou.