Missoula Opens New Affordable Housing Complexes

The city is adding hundreds of new housing units in an effort to ease the region’s housing crunch.

1 minute read

October 18, 2023, 8:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Street in downtown Missoula, Montana.

Downtown Missoula, Montana. | Danita Delimont / Adobe Stock

Despite the opening of two new affordable housing complexes, households in Missoula, Montana are feeling the crunch as housing becomes harder to find. As Keila Szpaller reports in

Route Fifty, “Affordable homes are in high demand, especially in Montana’s larger cities,” with many residents paying more than 30 percent of their income on housing, or what the federal government describes as ‘cost burdened.’

Describing one new project, Villagio, Szpaller writes that “An estimated 1,000 people signed the interest list for the 200 apartments, or five households for every single unit, according to the Missoula Housing Authority, managing the building.” Another complex brings the total number of new units opened this year to 402.

The housing authority is struggling to keep up with demand for affordable units as the city’s average rents grew by nearly 12 percent last year. “The Villagio serves people who make up to 60% AMI. It also has 32 vouchers that help people from zero income to up to 50% of the area median income.”

Tuesday, October 17, 2023 in Route Fifty

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 30, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Close-up on Canadian flag with Canada Parliament building blurred in background.

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?

As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

April 28, 2025 - Benjamin Schneider

Hot air balloons rise over Downtown Boise with the State Capitol building visible amidst the high rises.

The Five Most-Changed American Cities

A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.

April 23, 2025 - GoodMigrations

People biking along beach path with moored ship in San Diego, California.

San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan

The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.

3 hours ago - SD News

Sleeping in Public

Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts

Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.

4 hours ago - KSL

Conductor walks down platform next to Amtrak train at station in San Jose, California.

Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement

An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.

5 hours ago - Streetsblog USA

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Senior Manager Operations, Urban Planning

New York City School Construction Authority

Building Inspector

Village of Glen Ellyn

Manager of Model Development

Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO