The Methow Conservancy recently announced the donation of six acres in Winthrop's Heckendorn neighborhood to the MHT. Located near the Meadowlark Natural Area and Sullivan Cemetery, this land will enable MHT to develop a permanently affordable neighborhood for full-time residents.
This community forum hosted by Methow Housing Trust, Resilient Methow, Methow Valley Long-Term Recovery and VIP Insurance will be on Wednesday October 30th, 6:00pm at the Winthrop Library.
Since its inception in 2017, Methow Housing Trust has made huge strides to address the need for affordable housing with the development of five neighborhoods, the construction of 49 homes, and the expansion from one staff member to five.
MHT’s core program requires expertise in land acquisition, neighborhood planning and permitting, neighborhood design and project management. As the need for focused leadership in this key area grows, Danica Ready, MHT’s founding director, has decided to make that part of her current role her primary focus.
The aim of local housing easements is to create and preserve housing for people who live and work in the valley. The idea is to establish permanent easements on properties that would require occupants of housing on those properties to be full-time residents.
The Winthrop Town Council has given final approval to two housing developments, one in private ownership and one by the Methow Housing trust.
The council acted on approval of the Housing Trust’s Cascades Meadows North planned development, which creates 24 lots for single-family homes on an 8.4-acre site. The homes will be built and sold by the Housing Trust.
To address the housing dilemma faced by local residents, the Methow Housing Trust is exploring a new model of home ownership, called local housing easements, aimed at creating and preserving housing for people who live and work in the valley. The idea is to establish permanent easements on properties that would require occupants of housing on those properties to be full-time residents of the Methow Valley.
Together, we are preserving the character, values and diversity that many rural mountain towns are quickly losing.
We’ve made great progress so let’s keep it up. This progress isn't adequately captured in the numbers of dollars raised, or houses built, but is best represented by the quality of life for the 105 Methow Valley locals that now have stable, quality housing through MHT homeownership. Your continued dedication to our mission ensures that a significant portion of our community’s housing stock will remain affordable for locals, forever!
The Community Foundation of NCW has awarded $104,000 in Methow Valley Fund Game Changer Grants to four nonprofits in Methow Valley. The Game Changer Grant, offered annually, provides a significant funding opportunity that empowers a nonprofit organization or collaborative to take their work to the next level and move the needle on a Methow Valley community issue.
by Ashley Lodato, original published by Methow Valley News, 05/25/23
The Methow Housing Trust has broken ground and begun construction in their next Twisp neighborhood, which will eventually add 10 single-family homes ranging in size from one to four bedrooms to the trust’s inventory of permanently affordable, quality homes for full-time residents who make between 60-150% of area median income.
by Sandra Strieby, original published by Methow Valley News, in Methow Home 2023 03/16/23
“Home,” with all its implications, is a compelling concept, one that feeds our souls and imaginations and grounds us on every level. Even the thought of being without a home is frightening; the reality can undermine health and well-being and precipitate a cascade of consequences.
While the housing crisis continues, there is strong work being done! In recognition of this fact, the Housing Solutions Network has evolved yet again. In the fall of 2022, leaders representing an organization actively working on a housing project were invited to be a part of the HSN, attending bi-monthly roundtables (along with ad hoc collaboration), to create some connective tissue between these leaders and their projects. Today the HSN is made up of 15 individuals, representing 15 different entities and projects.
This group has now met twice, and the progress and optimism is contagious and encouraging. We’d like to share this optimism, encouragement, and notes on progress with you, our community!
Please join us on Tuesday, February 7th, from 5-7pm at the Twisp Grange.
A teacher and Methow Housing Trust homeowner, a long-time community leader for economic resiliency in the Methow Valley, a professional civil engineer with a passion for inclusive and affordable housing, and more! What do all these wonderful community members have in common? They are serving on the 2023 Methow Housing Trust’s Board of Directors. Read their full bios in our latest blog.
As you know, our community is both generous and appreciative. It’s a way of life that drew many of us in, and that ethic sustains us over the years as we move through personal and community-wide ups and downs. Over time, regardless of when we arrived and started to call the Methow “home,” we learn to engage and give ourselves to each other, and we find ourselves belonging to this place, rather than expecting it to belong to us.
As the Executive Director of the Methow Housing Trust, I end up being the conduit for a lot of feedback - much of which comes in the form of gratitude. When this feedback comes (as it often does, in passing at a local store or the post office), I often wish that I had time to list off the significant team of people and partners that make the delivery of affordable homes to local families...possible. I wish for all of the people who make it possible, to hear directly from their community, what a difference they are making.
So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I’d like to share with you some of the mighty forces at work behind the scenes at MHT, so that when you next see one of them, you can offer thanks to them directly.
YOU, our community, have informed the direction of the Methow Housing Trust throughout our formative years. Together we are building towards a healthier housing ecosystem for our Valley that includes affordable homeownership for at least 75 local families, 22 affordable rental units through partnership, and continued widespread community action to advance more local housing solutions. Read on to see how you’ve shaped where MHT has gone thus far, and where we are headed next as YOUR community land trust.
