HELENA - The Montana Conservation Corps (MCC) is looking for hosts to house crew members this summer due to climbing rental rates.
MCC nites that acquiring hosts to house conservation corps members in Helena, Missoula, Bozeman, and Kalispell is a first-of-its-kind statewide effort.
Seasonal crew members work from May through October, and the majority of their time in Montana is spent servicing public lands by bettering trails and parks.
“They spend most of their season out in the woods but between their hitches, as we call them, they need a place to stay. And it's always been a challenge for our folks to take up traditional leases because they're barely there and they're here for short periods of time,” said MCC Regional Director Adam Hein.
But when they are back in town, they need a place for some R&R. And while some choose to car-camp, others would ideally opt for a slightly more comfortable option with more accessible amenities.
“It's just like, more of your own personal space rather than like Planet Fitness or laundromat and like having to wait around for those chores to be done. When you're in your house you can kind of like do the laundry, wash your dishes, take a shower – all these things at one time,” said MCC Crew Lead Lyndsie Chesnic.
But because of rising rental costs, the corps is asking the community to help house service members. "If we can host these members in our community, we're going to get all that much more service done for our community,” Hein said.
Hosts are asked to take no more than 25% of the biweekly living stipend which usually runs anywhere from about $600-to-$800. And with the crew members expected to show up next week, MCC has been thankful to hear from willing hosts and are hoping to hear from even more.
“There's a lot of folks interested and it's really great to see that community come together in Helena to help host these folks and get this great service work done in our community,” said Hein.
People interested in hosting crew members can contact Adam@mtcorps.org or call 406-495-9214.
