Sherrie Neff, Realtor & Author

Affordable housing is a critical challenge across the nation, but Great Falls stands out as a beacon of what is possible when a community works together. Across Cascade County, a network of dedicated educators, trade professionals, local nonprofits, and civic partners are hammering away at the housing shortage. Together, they are constructing more than just physical walls; they are building confidence, fostering specialized workforce skills, and shaping the very future of our neighborhoods.

Instead of worrying, let’s pitch in and keep this momentum growing!

Youth

First, let’s talk about our youth. We want to keep our children and grandchildren close to home. Building their technical and vocational skills for local jobs and apprenticeships is a core method to retaining our homegrown Montanans.

1. Hands-On Student Learning: The GFPS High School House

For nearly three decades, the Great Falls Public Schools (GFPS) Career and Technical Education (CTE) department has partnered with NeighborWorks Great Falls (NWGF) and the City of Great Falls to orchestrate a remarkable feat of vocational education. Every September, more than 40 industrial technology students from Great Falls High and C.M. Russell (CMR) High School step out of the traditional classroom and onto a real-world job site.

Under the expert guidance of veteran GFPS instructors like Pete Pace, these upperclassmen frame, roof, wire, and finish a single-family home from the ground up. The collaboration even extends to high school interior design classes, who compete to pitch aesthetic concepts, ultimately selecting the flooring, paint, and fixtures.

Now working toward their 49th High School House, this project delivers a double victory year after year: it provides local, low-to-moderate-income families with a beautiful, affordable first home, while simultaneously sending highly skilled, job-ready young tradespeople straight into our local workforce. Due to strict school liability and curriculum guidelines, the physical labor on these homes is reserved exclusively for the students and specialized subcontractors, making it a pure testament to the capability of the next generation.

Volunteers

2. Community Sweat Equity: Habitat for Humanity Great Falls

Running parallel to this student-led effort is Great Falls Area Habitat for Humanity, an organization fueled entirely by the heartbeat of community volunteerism. Since its founding in 1991, Habitat has constructed 45 homes across our community, providing safe, permanent shelter for dozens of local working families.

Thank you to the staff for the wonderful job they do! The Board of Directors currently has open positions, if you have construction, financial, or organizational leadership skills to offer, please consider reaching out to apply. A sincere thank-you goes out to the volunteer board members, Tom Hardin, Hugh McLaughlin, and Rick Tanner for giving their invaluable time to guide this non-profit mission.

Habitat's mission relies on a powerful synergy between the community and the future homeowners themselves. Through mandatory "sweat equity" hours, families work alongside neighbors, local business groups, and retirees to construct their own future dwellings. Led by experienced on-site construction managers and project coordinators, it is a program where no prior construction experience is required, only a willingness to pick up a hammer, wear a pair of work gloves, and learn from supervisors on the job.

Do It Yourself

3. Mutual Self-Help & Owner-Built Homes: NeighborWorks Great Falls

Beyond the High School House, NeighborWorks Great Falls facilitates the Mutual Self-Help Housing / Owner-Built Homes Program, funded through USDA Rural Development. Under the leadership of construction professionals like NWGF Construction Director Keith Nelson, groups of participating local families pool their labor to build each other’s homes simultaneously.

Guided by professional job-site managers, participants perform roughly 65% of the total construction labor themselves. This hands-on "sweat equity" replaces traditional cash down payment requirements, allowing local families to build immediate equity in modern, high-quality neighborhoods while learning lifelong home maintenance and construction skills.

Leaders

4. Institutional & Community Development: GFHA & GFDA

While the efforts from the programs above deserve praise and recognition, affordable home building in Great Falls requires broader development and production to meet growing regional demand. We are blessed to have local leaders working hard to ensure major development happens across our city and county. This extends into institutional partnerships and multi-family housing developments:

• Great Falls Housing Authority (GFHA): Manages public housing complexes, townhomes, and targeted affordable rental properties, utilizing federal HUD funds and Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) to construct and rehabilitate high-density housing options for seniors, veterans, and low-income residents.
• Great Falls Development Alliance (GFDA): Works alongside private contractors and regional developers to spur workforce housing initiatives, such as Carter Commons and Meadowview Village, bridging the gap between local wage growth and escalating construction costs.
• City of Great Falls HOME Program: Directs federal grant dollars to local builders and nonprofit partners, providing gap financing for new single-family and rental developments that meet strict affordability standards.

Navigating the Path to Homeownership

Building affordable homes is only half the equation; getting local families mortgage-ready is the other. Many first-time buyers in Cascade County assume homeownership is out of reach simply due to upfront cash constraints.

However, local resources like NeighborWorks Great Falls offer comprehensive Homebuyer Education classes alongside key financial tools, including down payment assistance programs like HomeStretch, MBOH (Montana Board of Housing), and specialized lending options (such as USDA and VA loans). Pairing these programs with local housing developments creates real, tangible pathways to closing on a home.

How You Can Help: Get Involved & Volunteer Today!

These projects do not happen without community involvement. Whether you are an experienced tradesperson or someone who has never touched a power tool, there are numerous ways to lend a hand and build a stronger Great Falls:

• Volunteer on a Build Site: Help construct homes alongside local families with Habitat for Humanity Great Falls or the NeighborWorks Owner-Built Homes Program. Weekend work parties, corporate group builds, and individual volunteer shifts are open year-round.
• Support the Habitat ReStore: Donate gently used furniture, appliances, or leftover building supplies to the Great Falls ReStore, or volunteer a few hours a week to help process donations. Proceeds directly fund future local home builds.
• Mentor the Next Generation: Local trade professionals and subcontractors can support the GFPS CTE High School House by offering guest instruction, site visits, or apprenticeship pathways for graduating seniors.

Are you ready to take your own step toward homeownership in Central Montana?

Whether you are exploring down payment assistance programs or looking for a luxury home in Central Montana, contact Sherrie Neff, Cycling Realtor at EXIT Realty Great Falls, to start mapping out your smartest financial move today!