The opening of an affordable housing complex is making it easier for a number of families to find cheaper housing during a time when housing costs have reached unprecedented increases associated with the Bakken oil boom.
The Parkview Village opened in late September as a partnership between the Richland County Housing Authority, the Richland Affordable Housing Corporation and the Mountain Plains Equity Group of Billings.
Located near Crestwood Inn, Parkview provides 20 apartments with one, two and three bedrooms and new appliances and central air conditioning. Each unit renter also receives a covered car port.
"This project came about because we identified there was a need for housing. Parkview set the precedent for developing a waiting list for affordable housing within the county. We never had to do that in the past," said Stacey Netz, Deputy Director for the Housing Authority.
Currently, there are several vacancies in the complex with applications being reviewed. The average wait-time for an opening is between six and nine months.
One of the goals of the project was to ensure affordable housing would allow community members not involved in the oil activity to continue to live and work in the area. "There is a need for those people who work in other industries to be able to also support the other aspects of the community where wages aren't as high," Netz said.
The project began with an application for tax credits and is funded entirely by those credits received through the state. "It has been a while since this kind of low income housing has been built and the tax credits were the first ever awarded to Sidney," said Netz.
Rent is figured as a flat amount based on each family or individual's income with a cap at 60-percent median income for a family. This means a family of four can't make more than $35,000 annually.
"We wanted to be able to provide quality housing those families can be proud of. We wanted to ensure they have a safe place to raise their families while knowing they will be able to afford their rent at the end of every month," she added.
Once renters move in, the rent will not increase. Rental rates for a one-bedroom unit are $570 or less while two-bedroom unit rates are $685. Three-bedroom units are $775 or less.
The County has 80 low income housing units within the county and offers housing to over 250 individuals and families through Parkview, housing units in Fairview and Crestwood Inn.
For information on Parkview Village's low income housing contact (406) 433-1978 or pick up an application at 1032 6th St. SW. Applications are also available at the apartments from 8:00 a.m. to 10 a.m., Monday through Friday. Background and credit checks are included in the application process.
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