Workforce Housing

Our mission is to increase the quality and choices of housing in Red Lodge and the surrounding rural communities, provide the community with awareness of housing issues, and expand housing opportunities through training and education.

We connect with and inform the community to provide workforce housing services, programs, training, and education. Our goal is to maintain the integrity and uniqueness of Red Lodge’s small-town culture along with our other rural communities and strengthen its economic well-being by influencing the housing environment to be more affordable, attractive, stable, and accessible for the local workforce. We strive to be efficient and knowledgeable, working with the communities to remain a trusted partner and respected authority on housing issues.

The Workforce Housing Steering Committee is comprised of:

Lenders
Realtors
Insurers
Builders
The County
The City
Businesses
Highly engaged volunteers who donate their time and expertise

In addition to our Workforce Housing Steering Committee, in order to educate and take action on housing solutions, we currently partner with:

USDA Rural Development
Trust Montana
Beartooth RC&D
AmeriCorps NCCC
HRDC Home Center

Our efforts have resulted in:

The building of 10 permanently affordable Mutual Self-Help homes on community land trusts since 2021, with 4 rental units completed in August 2024.
Numerous households gaining advantages from participating in first-time homebuyer education programs, financial literacy, and other counseling resources.
Completion of the “Carbon County Workforce Housing Study” in December 2022 once again supported the need for affordable workforce housing.
Hosting another AmeriCorps NCCC Team for 12 weeks in April 2023 that focused on the final phase of the mutual self-help housing project in the Spires.
Completion of the Bridger Housing Study in 2024.

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Volunteer for Workforce Housing

The Path to Schuyler Commons
The Roberts workforce housing project began in 2022 with a simple goal: to create attainable, long-term housing that would strengthen the community and support local workforce stability. Early momentum was challenged by a familiar obstacle—finding suitable property in a constrained market. The first site identified in 2023 was unsuccessful, delaying progress but reinforcing the need for persistence. That persistence paid off in 2024. Through collaboration with Trust Montana and local partners, RLACF assisted with the acquisition of a .66-acre property in Roberts, establishing a foothold for future attainable housing development. By May 2025, planning and design for Phase I of Schuyler Commons were underway. Over the summer of 2025, the existing home on the property—the Roberts “Bungalow”—became the first expression of the project’s impact. Using an employer-supported First Right of Refusal model, the home was made available to support school placement of a local Roberts teacher, demonstrating how community-based housing solutions can directly address workforce needs while generating momentum for additional units. Fast forward to April 2026, Phase I of Schuyler Commons stands as a successful community-driven project that will provide additional attainable housing for both Roberts & Red Lodge School staff. The success of Schuyler Commons has been achieved through the dedicated commitment and collaboration of numerous local stakeholders aiming to support their community’s needs.