“The eligibility policy is the backbone of our mission,” said Rocklynn Culp, policy committee chair for the Methow Housing Trust, in a statement. “We wrestled with multiple eligibility options for well over a year before landing on the decision that felt right.”

MHT will now offer two options. For a family making up to 100% of the Area Median Income (AMI), the home price and mortgage will be calculated to fit their “wage reality,” according to the housing trust.

Families making 150% of the AMI are newly eligible to apply, and their home sale price will be closer to the market rate, but still subsidized by MHT. The trust will sell up to 25% of its homes to families in the higher wage bracket.

The Winthrop property, a recently approved long plat, includes 14 “shovel-ready” lots, with infrastructure (roads, water, sewer) already established, according to an MHT press release.

“This donation is a huge win for the Methow community, both long and short-term,” said MHT Executive Director Danica Ready. “Because the land donation includes neighborhood infrastructure development already installed, the Methow Housing Trust can get right to work building homes for the families waiting for the opportunity to acquire secure, affordable housing in our community. With real estate values continuing to increase rapidly in our valley, this gift could not have come at a better time.”

On behalf of the Methow Housing Trust board and staff, I’d like to offer you a window into the 2020 learning that we felt was important for us to begin our journey as equitable housing advocates. We welcome your reflections and feedback. The learning never ends. But what we know for sure is this: Now, More Than Ever, secure housing is a community value that we should, and can, create and sustain together.

Jeanne White

The Methow was love at first sight since we laid down our roots here 20 years ago. It's been such a pleasure to be involved in the community, from coaching the Methow Valley Killer Whales to cofounding Sam and Augie's Mercantile. The last ten years I've been very fortunate to work for the Methow Conservancy,

The Methow Housing Trust wants to hear what is important to you in the work we do to provide permanently affordable, quality housing for residents of the Methow Valley. Throughout 2021 we will be hosting small group discussions with a focus on learning what is important to you, and how we can reach our community goals for housing security better, together. Sign up to our Community Voices Email List to be notified of these opportunities.

The world, our local community and our personal lives have all felt a tectonic shift this year. We know this for sure, and yet, we are not entirely sure what the shift means yet. What has changed permanently? What helpful lessons have we learned that might make us stronger and wiser moving forward? And how will we react to all that is both gained and lost, when that becomes more clear?

I’ve been thinking about this a lot as it relates to housing security (and uncertainty) in the Methow Valley. Too many of our community members face housing uncertainty every day.

Aspen Ostlie-Pritchard was born and raised in the Methow Valley, but never thought she’d be able to buy a house here “because the price of homes is so ridiculous.”

But last month she and her 9-year-old son moved to a newly built home on Canyon Street in Twisp, the final house sold this year by the Methow Housing Trust.

“It’s still a bit surreal that this is mine,” Ostlie-Pritchard said. “I’ve rented all my life.”

Her house is one of nine homes constructed on Canyon Street over the past three years by the nonprofit Methow Housing Trust, which develops affordable housing in the valley. Four more houses will be completed by the Housing Trust on Canyon Street by next summer, and eight houses have been built and sold in Mazama.

For the past eight years, Ostlie-Pritchard and her son Wyatt lived in the Twisp Riverview Apartments, which provides rentals for low-income households. Ostlie-Pritchard worked part-time as a bartender in Twisp. If she worked full-time, even at minimum wage, she said her income would have disqualified her from the subsidized apartment — but would not have provided enough income to afford scarce rental units elsewhere in the valley.

Who is served by the Methow Housing Trust? What if I make below or above the income guidelines? What are the eligibility requirements? Read on to see Frequently Asked Questions and answers related to the Methow Housing Trust.

The need to reduce mortgage payments to make ends meet during the COVID-19 crisis is real and necessary for many people. This arrangement made with your lender/ loan servicer, called forbearance, is temporary and you must pay the money back in the future.

For many lenders/ servicers the issue of forbearance is being dealt with on an individual case by case basis. It is important that you contact your lender/ servicer of your loan to find out what they are doing for individuals who need payment relief through forbearance.

Many people are worried that if they enter into forbearance, they will be obligated to pay a large lump sum of money at the end of the forbearance period.

When I accepted the position of Executive Director for the Methow Housing Trust nearly three years ago, I was well acquainted with the Community Land Trust (CLT) model of permanently affordable homeownership - but I was totally unaware of the origins of the model. I soon came to understand that that the CLT model was born out of the Civil Rights Movement in the deep south in the 1960’s, in an effort to create housing equity for people of color who were unable to get a foothold into secure housing in their own communities. Today, the history of our mission feels more relevant than ever - for Black Americans, and for marginalized people in our own community.

The national association of CLT’s shared these thoughts in a recent newsletter: