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Affordable Housing in Kalispell: LIHTC Impact on Montana's Growing City
CATEGORY
Affordable Housing
DATA
LIHTC Projects
Median Income
Racial Distributions
Population
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Affordable Housing
LIHTC Projects
Median Income
Racial Distributions
Population
Kalispell, the largest city in Flathead County, Montana, has a significant Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) funded affordable housing inventory. The city has 608 affordable units, including 455 designated low-income units. This represents approximately 4.5% of the city's estimated 13,525 housing units.
Kalispell has received $26,725,213 in project tax credits through the LIHTC program. With 16 approximate projects, this translates to an average of $1,670,326 in federal funding per project. The average federal funding per unit is $43,956. Kalispell holds 14.51% of Montana's total LIHTC funding, indicating a significant investment in affordable housing for a city of its size.
The city's affordable housing development spans nearly three decades, from 1992 to 2018. The 1990s saw the most activity, with seven projects completed during this decade. Kalispell's LIHTC-funded housing stock offers a diverse range of unit types, including 50 efficiencies, 276 one-bedroom, 156 two-bedroom, and 94 three-bedroom units.
Over the past decade, Kalispell has experienced steady population growth, increasing from 29,646 in 2013 to 35,301 in 2022. The median income rose from $51,995 in 2013 to $60,282 in 2022. The racial composition remained relatively stable, with a slight decrease in the white population from 93% in 2013 to 90% in 2022, and small increases in Hispanic and multiracial populations.
Despite this growth and economic improvement, only one LIHTC project, Big Sky Manor, was completed in the last decade (2018). This could suggest that other affordable housing initiatives may be addressing the city's needs, or that the existing LIHTC inventory was sufficient to meet demand during this period.
Kalispell's LIHTC-funded affordable housing inventory represents a significant investment in addressing low-income housing needs. The city has established a diverse affordable housing stock over nearly three decades. The 1990s saw the most active period of LIHTC development, and the city continues to hold a substantial portion of Montana's LIHTC funding. While population and income have grown in recent years, the pace of new LIHTC projects has slowed, potentially indicating changing housing needs or the presence of alternative affordable housing initiatives in the city.
