Hello! I’m Sarah and I am the Director of Outreach here at the Methow Housing Trust. I’m also a MHT homeowner. Last month I talked to many wonderful community members while tabling at grocery stores. I wanted to share some of the frequent conversations had. I imagine many of you have similar questions to those I spoke with. I’ll be posting the Table Talk Q&As over the next few days on our MHT Instagram and Facebook pages. Read on to see them all here.
Read MoreGet to know the Methow Housing Trust. Who are we? How does owning a home through a community land trust work? What is the difference betweening owning a MHT home and renting in the Methow Valley? Who is eligible for a MHT home? Read on for the answers to these and other common questions.
Read MoreAs the housing crisis in the Methow Valley continues to grow, community investment in the Methow Housing Trust has created 21 permanently affordable homes for ownership by Valley residents. See highlights from the Methow Housing Trust 2020 Annual Report in our most recent blog.
Read More“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.
Read MoreThe 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.”
Read MoreOn 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.
Read MoreThe 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,
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreThe 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.
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