The Park County Housing Coalition, one of many programs hosted by the Human Resource Development Council (HRDC), in partnership with Sage Lodge, hosted a community visioning session on Tuesday, November 18th to explore novel strategies for addressing the longstanding housing crisis plaguing Park County.

The housing conundrum, nothing new to Park County, is by all means a far cry from being solved. Between 2010 and 2022, population figures have steadily increased by 14.1%. As of 2023, an estimated 3% of growth can be accounted for since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. Inevitably, the local housing market—in terms of median home prices and available rental properties—has been impacted significantly.

The estimated median cost of rent in Park County, configured using a sample of 41 published listings compiled in March, is $1,590, affordable pricing for households banking approximately $63,600 annually—$397 more per month than a median renter can afford, a trend reflected in data provided by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, which indicates a dramatic countywide increase in rental costs across all apartment sizes in 2024. For perspective, the going rate on a two-bedroom apartment in 2025 is $1,401—a 40% increase from just three years ago, when the same unit rented for nearly $1,000. 

Homeowners, on the other hand, pay on mortgages four times higher than their counterparts did 25 years ago. According to figures provided by the Park County Housing Coalition, the median single family home sale price between January and October 2025 was $600,487. Assuming these buyers had “excellent” credit and paid 20% down on 30-year-fixed-rate mortgages at a 6.125% interest rate, new homeowners pay roughly $3,290 monthly—34% higher than the national median mortgage cost estimated at $2,172. 

Though the median household income has risen slowly since 2010, skyrocketing housing costs simply outpace employee wages. Adjusted for inflation, wage earners, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, pocket $70,400 per household across a handful of industries prominent in Park County. 

Many in the professional and business services sector earn on average $95,423 annually, yet 28% of the workforce is comprised by members of the leisure and hospitality industry in an economy heavily driven by tourism—earning, on average, $34,646 annually for just $16.66 hourly. At an estimated 30% for maximum housing expenses, service industry employees can afford to pay just $866 monthly with residual income amounting to a mere $505 weekly—money for food, healthcare, transportation, phone and internet service, childcare, education and other costs. 

“I think we can all agree that housing is certainly an issue,” remarked Sage Lodge General Manager Jon Martin during opening statements at Tuesday’s conference, well attended by several members of the Park County business community, non-profit sector, and school district, among other entities and individuals with a stake in the housing market and local economy. Formal community needs assessments also consistently reveal housing as a persistent challenge. 

One potential resolution to this complex issue, according to Park County Housing Coalition Program Manager Katherine Daly, is a flexible, renewable source of funding to close the housing gap for renters and homeowners alike—voluntary fee programs.

“These funding sources are created and administered at the local level to support a variety of affordable housing activities,” she stated, further explaining that such funds may be used to supplement federal grant funding yet without program restrictions and stipulations—tailored to address priorities and needs specific to each community. The question is whether voluntary fee programs, designed with high degree of variability, are a viable option in Park County. 

Plenty of motivation, reasons both personal and professional, for considering this solution surfaced among attendees during a small group discussion workshop, from friends and colleagues jumping ship for more affordable housing markets, to workforce housing shortages and turnover. One Livingston HealthCare employee described how job offers to potential employees are initially considered at length but often declined due to the housing market. Others invoked the housing continuum in Park County, or lack thereof, citing difficulties for aging citizens to downsize or aspiring homeowners to transition out of renting into starter spaces. 

Event sponsors invited guest speakers to discuss successful approaches for thwarting these manifold issues, recently designed and implemented throughout the state to pool money for local housing initiatives.  

Guest speaker Rhonda Fitzgerald was integral to launching a community support program in Whitefish, where she helped organize a non-profit business collective dedicated to bolstering economic vitality. Initially focused on grant funding and marketing efforts, she and her group eventually sought funding to supplement the state bed tax by instituting a voluntary support fund through tourism promotion fees collected by businesses involved in the local visitation economy—primarily food and beverage, retail, transportation, and lodging.

Member businesses voluntarily charge consumers an additional 1% fee contributed to the fund. Funding is not only used for promoting sustainable tourism via community branding tactics, but financing ongoing program marketing, education and outreach, effectuated in concert with Explore Whitefish and the city government through local media outlets and leadership advocacy. A majority of businesses, she says, have voluntarily joined the alliance, with only a few opting to forego benefits. Guests may also request the additional fee be removed and receive reimbursement, though relatively few such cases exist, according to Fitzgerald. 

Half of all proceeds collected by member restaurants—now comprising at least 27 establishments—however, are allocated to a workforce rental assistance program designated for local employees who meet qualification criteria. Applicants must live and work in Whitefish, forfeit more than 30 percent of their household income on rent, and earn below the annual median income. The fund garners nearly $160,000 annually and those who qualify may receive up to $400 in monthly assistance. 

Other guest speakers included Ania Bulis, a broker with Big Sky Sotheby’s International Realty, and Matt Lovett, Lodging Director for Xanterra. Bulis, former Executive Director of the Big Sky Chamber of Commerce, organized the non-profit Big Sky Collective, a group of real estate agents and brokers who donate 1% of their gross commission and encourage matching, tax-deductible donations from buyers and sellers to combat the pitfalls of development—a process and problem inherently perpetuated by the real estate industry, she acknowledged. 

“We started by reaching out to second homeowners. We really touched on their notions of compassion and empathy for the people that help them daily and whether they were willing to consider giving back to those in need,” explained Bulis. 

Started in 2021, the group, according to Bulis, has mobilized two million dollars to promote affordability, sustainability and mental health resilience—the organization’s three pillars—by funding medical expenses, affordable housing trusts, food banks and other initiatives for the underserved local workforce—many of which are part-time, seasonal employees who lack health insurance. Though membership numbers often fluctuate, Bulis claims the group generates roughly $300,000 annually.

The three-and-half hour session concluded with an integrative small-group discussion on structuring a hypothetical voluntary fee program in Park County and how proceeds would be allocated. Program marketing and onboarding, fee structuring, membership recruitment and systemic considerations emerged as central themes. 

“When the rent eats first, people go without what they really need to enrich their lives and fulfill themselves. Housing is a smart place to start,” said Daly. 

For more information, please contact the Daly at kdaly@thehrdc.org or call (406) 723-1941. 

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