BOZEMAN — Housing in Bozeman is tight, and for many renters, just staying housed can feel like a fight. Advocates say change is long overdue.

Connie Howell has lived in the Gallatin Valley for 25 years. She’s a leader with Bozeman Tenants United, and she says the cost of living is pushing working families out of the city.

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“The city has grown fast, and the city government has not responded to that growth well. Twenty years ago, when we were here, the housing crisis was bad, and now it’s beyond bad here,” Howell says.

When asked how she would describe Bozeman’s affordability, Howell says it’s “ridiculous.”

“It’s not affordable. The housing crisis—and it is a crisis—in Bozeman, unless you make 30 or 40 dollars an hour, you can’t afford to live here,” Howell says.

According to the Montana Legal Services Association, 48% of households facing eviction include at least one child.

“Without tenants, society really doesn’t work. We are the ones that go and work in the service industry. We are the ones that work in the restaurants and hotels. As tenants, we get pushed around a lot,” Howell says.

That’s why advocates like Howell are calling for Tenant Right to Counsel, a policy that would guarantee renters facing eviction the right to a lawyer, free of charge.

It’s a program already adopted in cities across the country, and on Sunday night, Bozeman residents had the opportunity to learn more at a public town hall event.

“The purpose is to educate the people on what the Right to Counsel program is,” Howell says. “We’re here to make the playing field level for tenants, because tenants don’t have any rights when going into eviction court. Who understands legalese? It takes seven years for a lawyer, and you think you’re going to learn that in five days after getting an eviction notice? I don’t think so.”

Howell says Sunday’s event is just one step in a larger campaign.

“The City Commission has a work session coming up May 13. The question is going to be whether to fund the Right to Counsel program or not. We want people to come and voice their opinions at that work session,” Howell says.