BILLINGS — More affordable housing is now available on the Billings South Side after the construction of Tapestry Apartments was completed.
The complex, located at 115 S. 30th St., was a product of the nonprofit Community Leadership and Development Inc. (CLDI) and aims to help put a dent in the list of nearly 6,000 people in Billings for some form of assisted housing.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Kaleb Perdew, the CLDI executive director, said on Wednesday at the ribbon cutting for the complex. "From the first time we broke ground — would have been a year ago — having this day come is so exciting.”
The Tapestry Apartment complex aims to alleviate the affordable housing problem seen in Montana by adding 27 units, including studios and one- and two-bedroom apartments, to anyone who qualifies by making 40% to 60% of the area's median income.
"Rent depends on the income qualification that people are at. So they'll income qualify at either 40, 50 or 60 percent average median household income, but it'll fall somewhere in the area around $1,000 below or a little above," Perdew said.
According to the U.S. Census, in Yellowstone County in 2022, the median household income was $72,300.
Jessica Smith is the director of the Hannah House, a recovery home for women who have just left prison or are recovering from addiction.
She sees firsthand how a lack of housing options impacts women and children leaving the program.
“Affordable housing is a big deal,” Smith said. “At the end of their stay, it’s like, they’re asking questions like how am I going to afford, you know, living outside of here.”
Questions that now have easier answers because of a place such as the Tapestry Apartments.
“Having shelter, having a place that you call home, isn’t just protecting you from the elements, but it’s proving every other service that you need to provide for yourself,” Perdew said.
The project was $8.7 million and was CLDI's biggest project to date. Occupancy in the units is slated to begin on Feb. 17.
“For us to keep up with this housing need, we have to continue building projects like this and although it’s a small drop in the bucket, hopefully, it’s a catalyst that allows for momentum to build as we build more and more housing options," Perdew said.
