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  • Comment Detail

  • Date: 07/31/23
    First Name: Bryce
    Last Name: Neal
    Email: brystin@hotmail.com
    Organization Type: N/A
    Organization: Bozeman Tenants United + Homes Guarantee Campaign

  • Comment

    As a renter in Bozeman, MT who earns around $55,000 per year in my current position, I am still very vulnerable to housing instability in my community. While I am securely housed for now, starting rents for one bedroom apartments across Bozeman are around 50-60% of my monthly take home pay. If I ever had to leave my current place, I would find myself in a rental market where wages (even relatively high wages) are not keeping up with skyrocketing housing costs. Despite my income, I will always need roommates to afford housing in Bozeman, and I will never be able to afford even a small house in this community due to exorbitant costs. Many of the low-income folks I know living in federally subsidized housing in Bozeman are particularly vulnerable to rent hikes, and are often living paycheck to paycheck. We need rent control, eviction protections, and so much more as conditions for landlords to obtain federally backed mortgages.