By Mark Bond GUEST COLUMNIST
Since Montana first became a state, there has been a strong sense of what is commonly known as “prairie populism.” The idea is simple: to solve issues, we have to rely on each other and work together. When your neighbor is stuck in a ditch, you pull them out because you don’t know when the next vehicle will pass by. In Gallatin County, this idea is alive and well, and it’s being harnessed by One Valley Community Foundation to address one of our region’s most pressing challenges: the accessibility of stable, attainable housing for our communities’ residents. This initiative is called the Regional Housing Coalition.
Last month, housing leaders from across Gallatin County came together for a day of collaboration and problem-solving at a Regional Housing Coalition meeting in Big Sky. At the meeting, the RHC learned about the incredible work being done by the Big Sky Community Housing Trust to build and provide tangible housing options for the people who make our communities thrive. This exchange of information benefits housing practitioners across our region as they work together to find ways to build more affordable housing.
During the meeting, members also formally decided to develop a county-wide housing data dashboard to keep the public informed, created new tools to facilitate the construction of affordable housing, and finalized a regional strategy to address homelessness. Real work is happening with the RHC, and while you may not have heard of it yet, it isn’t new.
This coalition of our region’s key stakeholders has been active for almost two years, and their collaboration is driving a gradual but profound shift in how we work together to address Gallatin County’s critical housing challenges. Since its inception in January 2023, One Valley Community Foundation has convened the RHC and served as the backbone organization driving this transformational work. By uniting diverse experts and decision-makers—from local and county government leaders to nonprofit community housing trusts, developers, banks, realtors, employers, and more—the RHC ignites collaboration and innovation to tackle the region’s pressing challenges of housing attainability and affordability head-on. This cross-sector convening of groups and people who might never otherwise find themselves in the same room isn’t common these days, but it is essential to finding solutions everyone can support. Our coalition is not just a gathering of minds; it’s a powerhouse of action. Through strategic coordination and alignment, the RHC ensures that all our resources are leveraged and every effort is synchronized toward a common goal: ensuring every resident in Gallatin County has access to stable, attainable housing.
More than two dozen diverse organizations make up the Regional Housing Coalition, which meets four times annually. Each meeting is held in a different part of Gallatin County to ensure that all voices are heard, accountability is shared, and everyone understands that this issue is not isolated to one municipality or demographic; it impacts all of us. Between the quarterly full coalition meetings, smaller workgroups meet more frequently throughout the year to dig into specific issues like affordable housing, land banking, public communications and education, homelessness and more.
When you’re steering something as big as the RHC, it takes a while to get up to speed, and it doesn’t turn on a dime. But now that the coalition has gained momentum, we’re making progress and focusing on what matters most: the people who make up our vibrant communities throughout Gallatin County.
This isn’t just my opinion, though. The people in the room at RHC meetings are the ones most responsible for housing in our region, and they’re seeing huge benefits.
David O’Connor, executive director of the Big Sky Community Housing Trust, put it well.
“There are so many incredible minds in the room at the Regional Housing Coalition meetings that I know I could pick any one person’s brain for a whole day. I walk away from every single meeting feeling better at my job.”
Together, we’re not just talking about change—we’re making it happen.
Mark Bond is the Community Engagement Manager for One Valley Community Foundation. For more information about the Regional Housing Coalition, visit onevalley.org/regionalhousing.
