Great Falls organizations and community members joined forces this week for the 2025 Housing Summit – a gathering focused on addressing the city’s growing needs and planning for the future.
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Hosted at the Great Falls Association of Realtors, the summit brought together voices from all corners of the community.
The collaborative effort included speakers from the City of Great Falls, NeighborWorks Great Falls, the Great Falls Association of Realtors, the Home Builders Association of Great Falls, and the Great Falls Development Alliance.
“We are in a housing crisis here in Great Falls,” said Zac Griffin, the CEO of the Great Falls Association of Realtors. “There is no housing here for them, rental rates are the lowest they’ve ever been in our community for vacancy rates and Great Falls needs to start producing more homes.”
The Great Falls Development Authority (GFDA) has recently released a 2024 Housing Market Demand Assessment, indicating a need for a mix of housing types to meet diverse income levels and preferences in the Great Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area and the broader 13-county region.
The study projects a demand and an under-supplied market for both rental and for-sale housing products over the next five and ten years. Additionally, a separate study from 2021, funded by GFDA and others, found that Great Falls needs 2,721 new rental units and 3,668 new for-sale units over the next 10 years.
“The issues that we have concerning our housing are really extreme obstacles. This summit allows us to educate each other on what we’re seeing and educate the public on what we’re doing so that we can have more productive conversations on how to move forward,” explained Brock Cherry, the Planning & Community Development Director for the city.
The event was not just a conversation, but a commitment. By uniting citywide efforts under a common goal, the summit hopes to create a momentum.
“I’m feeling really motivated and really supported by the community in this effort,” explained Jake Clark, GFDA Business Development Vice President. “Now folks understand that these things are happening, and they want to be a part of the solution to get back to an equilibrium that’s a little more healthy for the community.”
Griffin added, “Our plan is to continue to do this quarterly so we can continue to update the public on things that are needed, that we have some big projects coming here very soon.”
