Missoula mobile home park seeks grant for infrastructure needs

Martin Kidston

(Missoula Current) Residents of the Old Hellgate Village mobile home park are hoping to land a federal grant to replace the property's outdated septic system – a move that would save them big on their monthly lot rent.

Missoula County this week approved a $187,000 request from NeighborWorks Montana to serve as matching funds for the grant application. The funding comes from the county's Housing Innovation Fund.

“If they're able to pull together all the funding and get the project completed, it would significantly reduce out-of-pocket costs residents have to pay for their monthly lot rent,” said John Wilke, the county's housing specialist. “It'll keep 34 mobile homes permanently affordable once the project is completed.”

If the application is successful, the project will replace the park's “very outdated” septic system and connect the property to city water. The project carries an estimated cost of roughly $2.2 million.

The county established its Housing Innovation Fund in 2023 to aid projects that benefit those at or below 200% of the area median income. Among other things, the funding can be used to preserve affordable housing and upgrade infrastructure.

“Without grant support, the resident cooperative would likely need to incur significant debt, resulting in rent increases that would undermine affordability and threaten long-term housing stability,” the county wrote in its grant agreement. “This investment preserves existing affordable housing at a fraction of the cost of new development.”

The county in recent years has worked to preserve mobile homes as affordable housing. In 2025, the county questioned one Dallas investment firm about two increases in lot rent.

In 2023, the county also provided two essential grants to help residents of the Two Rivers mobile home park in Lolo purchase the property, turning the park into a resident-owned community.