HELENA – With colder weather here, the Montana Department of Commerce has issued a request for temporary housing in flood-impacted counties for families whose homes still need habitability repairs.

Data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) indicated that as of October 19, more than 300 families self-reported that their homes still needed repairs to make them fit to live in following the June flooding disaster in southcentral Montana.

“Many of these families are currently staying in trailers, RVs, or mobile homes without adequate protection from the cold, or have opted to continue living in their damaged homes with conditions that may be increasingly unsafe as inclement weather sets in,” said Cheryl Cohen, Montana Housing Administrator at the Montana Department of Commerce. “We’re asking landlords and short-term rental operators who have a dwelling unit in any of the flood-impacted counties, or closely adjacent communities, who are willing to accept rental applications from flood-impacted families for temporary housing placement to contact us.”

Dwelling units include multifamily rental units, single-family homes, winter-ready mobile homes, and/or short-term vacation rentals. Landlords and short-term rental operators who have units available should email HOUSING@MT.GOV with the following information:

1. Name
2. Phone number
3. Email
4. Rental unit city/county
5. Rental unit bedroom size
6. Requested application fee, security deposit, and monthly rent payment amounts
7. Willingness (Y / N) to lease the unit at the applicable Fair Market Rent

Montana Housing will compile all responses and disseminate them to local community recovery leads and disaster housing case managers. These local providers may contact landlords/short-term rental operators with information about families they are working with and collaborate on potential next steps. The property owner’s contact information will not be disseminated directly to flood-impacted families.

Families receiving FEMA Individual Assistance may be eligible for housing cost assistance from FEMA at the federal U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents:

For Montanans who want to help their neighbors, but don’t have a rental unit available, donations may be made by contacting:

Stillwater County:

For all information, donations, and assistance questions, call 406-426-8079

Carbon County:

Information via Carbon Alerts: 406-426-2425
Volunteer: https://carbonalert.org
Donations: Red Lodge Area Community Foundation (rlacf.org) – Disaster Relief Fund

Park County:
For all information, donations, and assistance questions, call 406-222-4131

Sweet Grass County:
For all information, donations, and assistance questions, call 406-930-0149

Treasure County:
For donations and assistance questions, call 406-441-4953

Gallatin and Park Counties:
Greater Gallatin United Way (GGUW) and the Park County Community Foundation (PCCF) have joined forces with the Southwest Montana Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) to launch the Southwest Montana Flood Relief Fund, which serves Park and Madison Counties, and other areas of southwest Montana impacted by flooding.

Financial donations are accepted through the GGUW website, or text Flood22 to 41444. No physical or material donations will be accepted.