Next ‘SymBozium’ tackles affordable housing in Southwest Montana

Bozeman Public Library’s SymBozium, a civil discourse series, engages the community in respectful and productive conversation around complex controversial topics. At this divisive time in our world the need to consider and understand diverse perspectives is critical, especially within our community. This free participatory event series features current topics and keynote speakers representing varied points of view.
Next up is “Who’s Responsible for Affordable Housing?” at 7pm on Wednesday, November 6th, at Norm Asbjornson Hall on the Montana State University Campus. Affordable housing – Everyone talks about it, but why is it so hard to do anything about it? Subsidies? Developer incentives? Private-public partnerships? Ideas abound about how to create reasonable opportunities for those who can’t afford Southwest Montana’s sky-high housing market. Still, comprehensive policies remain elusive. Join event panelists to explore the role the public sector should play and the challenges it faces in solving the affordable housing crisis.
The panel will be moderated by Carmen McSpadden, director of Montana State University’s Leadership Institute. She formerly served as director of the Leadership Fellows Program and adjunct faculty in management for the Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship. Guest speakers will include Dr. Corianne Payton Scally, principal research associate in the Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center at the Urban Institute; Andrew Jakabovics, vice president of Enterprise Community Partners, a national nonprofit that creates housing opportunities for low and moderate-income people; and Phil Rotherham, president of Rotherham Construction Inc, a commercial and multi-family general contractor in Bozeman.
SymBozium is made possible by The Kendeda Fund, Bozeman Public Library Foundation, NorthWestern Energy, Entropy Brands, Holding Ground Architects and Bozeman Daily Chronicle in addition to many private citizens that donated to support the series.
SymBozium is free and open to the public. Space is limited and registration is recommended at www.symbozium.org.
Bozeman Public Library creates opportunities that inspire curiosity, exploration, and connection.