Missoula — The Missoula Housing Authority has scrapped a long-running centralized wait list and now publishes weekly vacancy boards for its rent-restricted apartments, Executive Director Sam Oliver said in an interview on Missoula Community Access Television.

"We discontinued that wait list," Oliver said, describing the old system as a stack of thousands of applications, many years old. He told host Joel Baird that at one point the agency had nearly 3,900 households on its wait list and that many of those applications were several years old and no longer current.

Oliver said the agency now refreshes and posts available units each week on its website and social media, so prospective tenants can select specific vacancies that meet their needs. "You can access which units are vacant at which properties," he said. MHA publishes vacancy information at missoulahousing.org.

The operational change is part of a broader effort to modernize access and reduce administrative bottlenecks, Oliver said. People can still apply through individual property managers or via the agency website; Oliver said MHA hopes to enable fully online applications through a system within about a year.

Beyond access changes, Oliver emphasized preservation and recent growth. He said the agency put about 400 new units "on the ground" last year after roughly a decade of development effort and is working to "rightsize" staff to accommodate that growth.

One major preservation project is a planned rehabilitation of 96 affordable units at Wildflower Apartments on Missoula's south side. "There's 171 people that live at Wildflower," Oliver said, noting the complex was built in 1993 and needs substantial work. He said MHA was awarded low-income housing tax credits from the state to fund the rehab.

Oliver also described the agency's role as both an owner and voucher administrator. "The housing authority is basically Missoula's largest landlord," he said, adding that MHA owns about 1,200 rent-restricted apartments and administers just over 1,200 Housing Choice Vouchers; he put the agency's housing portfolio at roughly $165,000,000.

On voucher programs, Oliver outlined several targeted options: Housing Choice Vouchers (formerly Section 8), HUD-VASH vouchers for veterans paired with VA caseworkers, and Shelter Plus Care and other supportive vouchers for people exiting homelessness. He noted Blue Heron Place as a 30-unit permanent supportive housing project.

Oliver highlighted the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program as a key asset-building service for voucher participants. He said total escrow payments for FSS graduates in 2024 were $105,000 across 105 participants — an average escrow of about $7,702 — and that the program has helped participants become homeowners and earn certificates and degrees. "It helps people work on becoming self sufficient," he said.

Oliver framed MHA's work as part of a broader community effort involving local partners such as Homeward and the Missoula Public Library, which he praised for connecting people to services. "Providing safe, stable, affordable housing is the linchpin of people's safety and stability in the community," he said.

The interview closed with host Joel Baird directing viewers to MCAT for nominations of future guests and providing MHA contact information and the agency website for those seeking housing assistance.

Contact: missoulahousing.org; MCAT (406) 542-6228.