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By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

MONTEVALLO – Residents across Bibb, Chilton and Shelby counties have spent the past year in conversation about one of the region’s most pressing issues: housing.

Beginning with small-group discussions at University Baptist Church in Montevallo in fall 2024, the effort has grown into a regional initiative guided by a steering committee of local leaders and supported by the David Mathews Center for Civic Life, a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to civic engagement.

“This is a dire need in a lot of different directions,” said Herman Lehman, retired Montevallo city clerk and co-founder of Keys to the City Community Coaching, who helped organize the discussions. “Housing is an issue that touches everybody.”

The effort built momentum in May with two public forums—one hosted at University Baptist Church and another at the American Village Rotunda. Residents were asked to consider the guiding question: How can we ensure that housing in the Tri-County Area remains affordable, available and accessible for all residents, including those in vulnerable situations?

Participants explored options ranging from updating zoning policies and expanding affordable housing to creating regional funding tools, transitional housing and wraparound services.

To support those conversations, the steering committee and Mathews Center developed a community discussion guide, organizing ideas into three key categories: affordability, availability and accessibility. The framework followed the National Issues Forums model, which outlines approaches with both benefits and tradeoffs to spark deeper discussion.

Over the spring and summer of 2025, community members met in a series of forums, speaking candidly about rising home costs, limited housing supply, long waitlists, gaps in emergency housing and challenges for seniors and families.

“It was reassuring to hear the same themes articulated by participants at different forums,” said Scotty Kirkland, executive director of the Mathews Center. “That meant we had planned well and put forth thoughtful materials to guide the discussions. But what also emerged was a broader feeling of a community of individuals with shared values and a desire to address these issues, perhaps in a new way or with a new partner.”

On Thursday, Aug. 14, the process culminated in “The Big Reveal,” a community event where findings from the forums were presented back to residents. Attendees ranked priorities and volunteered for action teams. The top three regional concerns identified were:

• Lack of transitional housing
• Affordability and cost burden
• Limited housing availability

The largest number of volunteers signed up to address transitional housing and related services, reflecting the most urgent gap identified in the conversations.

“This meeting provides evidence that people do care. We may not get it perfect, but we can do stuff together,” one participant said during the session.

The steering committee is now organizing working groups to translate community insights into pilot projects and partnerships. Early focus areas include improving housing literacy, exploring a regional housing trust, engaging developers and nonprofit builders and aligning local reforms with county plans to support more diverse and attainable housing options.

While much work remains, Lehman said the conversations mark an important first step.

“We’re just beginning,” he said.

For more information on the David Mathews Center for Civic Life, visit Mathewscenter.org.