It appears the Whitefish Workforce Assistance Fund will continue providing housing assistance to people who work in the 59937 zip code. The Whitefish City Council has voted to continue funding the program–with successive increased over the next 3 years.
Housing Whitefish Executive Director Daniel Sidder has pledged to match the city’s contributions. He says they’ve already secured $120,000 in grants and donations for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1st. He’s working to acquire the remaining $80,000. At that point, Whitefish contributes $200,000
Seventeen applications have been approved for the initial awards from the Whitefish Workforce Assistance Fund, developed by grants from the City of Whitefish and the Foley Family Charitable Foundation businesses.
The program, modeled after the successful Winter Park Housing Assistance Fund in Colorado, pitches in to help people earning less than 120% of the median income paying more than 30% of their income for rental housing, to tap the fund. The maximum is $400/month. Applicants must work an average of 32 hours per week.
Housing Whitefish Executive Director Daniel Sidder emphasizes that this program is a stop-gap and not meant as a long-term solution to the city’s housing crises
