Notes from the Director- Thanksgiving 2021

Homes under construction in MHT’s Cascade Meadows South neighborhood in Winthrop

It is with humility and gratitude that I ponder the past four years, and the next 4 to come. In October of 2017, Methow Housing Trust was just beginning construction of the first 5 homes on Canyon Street in Twisp - only 3 months after opening our doors as a newly formed non-profit. Thanks to the generosity and trust of our now 230 members, over 60 local business supporters, and a hard-working and highly committed staff, board and construction team, 21 local families have secured the dream of affordable homeownership.

Today, Methow Housing Trust manages a growing waitlist (currently 40+) of eligible local families who aspire to homeownership. With your support, we are committing to increasing our rate of production of homes to meet that need and demand. Thank you for the collective support and contributions that make this aspiration possible, for Methow Housing Trust, and for the local families we aim to serve.

We live in an era of rapid change that requires our full attention, vigilance and wise action. In the Methow Valley, there is an unyielding commitment to the preservation of the unique values our community is founded on. We are not alone in believing that our little mountain community is special – we are……and there are many very special places and populations across the West, each with its own unique and cherished character. And each one of those special communities is grappling with some of the same challenges we face: mega-fires, the public health crisis, a rapidly changing economy and real estate market.

There is much we can all learn from one another.

In a recent podcast (Blister, on Spotify, August 9, Part 1 of a 3-part series called Mountain Town Economics) on the housing evolution of a small, rapidly-changing town in Colorado, the interview paints the picture of a community made up of people who all have the common ground of love of place. And who all possess some combination of two kinds of capital: Financial Capital and Cultural Capital. Cultural Capital being defined as having the depth of local relationships and resources that only time can grant you – in other words, Cultural Capital is an asset that long-time residents possess infinitely. Others, more recently drawn to that community for the quality of values and lifestyle it offers, often bring with them Financial Capital, and a genuine desire to invest in positive ways in their new community.

In the good old days, most members of the community felt they possessed some healthy and intentional combination of both forms of capital. Today, those that possess Cultural Capital, but not a secure home and form or income, are just not able to make it. And newer residents, possessing Financial Capital but not time-earned Cultural Capital, ache to feel at home and truly integrated.

Recognizing this unsatisfying dilemma, that Rocky Mountain community engaged in a gritty conversation about the issues that wealth gaps have created, agreeing that everyone needs a certain level of both Cultural and Financial Capital in order to feel a true sense of BELONGING. The housing solutions and tools they have experimented with, developed and implemented are on some basic level about the exchange and sharing of resources (cultural and financial) to reclaim and create a truly integrated community. This kind of conversation is inspiring to me, and one of the many reasons I feel hopeful about the future of housing equity in the Methow Valley.

Here in our North Cascades valley home, we are starting to work out the same kind of pathway forward. The conversation is active. The Town of Winthrop recently signed a resolution declaring a housing crisis in recognition that “inaction will result in irreversible damage to the fabric of the community.” Clearly, housing is at the epicenter of our community’s consciousness, with the median home sale price doubling in the past five years from $270,000 in 2016, to $563,000 in 2021 (YTD), and businesses closing their doors more and more hours and days of the week due to a lack of workforce availability.

There is no time to lose if we wish to ensure that a genuine sense of belonging is still attainable to all of our community members, regardless of a person’s age, income or when they decided to make the Methow their home town.

In addition to the 21 homes that MHT has built, the Trust is actively planning another 50 homes in Winthrop and Twisp and has entered into a partnership with the Housing Authority of Okanogan County to support the development of 22 rental units in Winthrop. Meanwhile, over 50 community members have engaged in the development of 26 housing solutions through community conversations facilitated by the Housing Solutions Network, aimed at meeting the diverse housing needs our community is poised and ready to address.

And so, on this Thanksgiving 2021, I hope you join me in feeling a sense of both hope and renewed conviction about the future we are creating together. If any community can tackle this complex issue with open hearts and creative minds, it is ours! ~ Danica Ready