“We don’t have to tell you how acute and dramatic the housing crisis has become over the past two years. We all feel the gravity of the local housing market changes, and have friends who struggle to find or afford a reasonable place to live. We’ve watched our local businesses reduce their hours, or even close, for lack of workers who can afford to live here.
And yet, we are making progress, like few communities could, because our community character is premised on generosity, civic engagement and taking the long-view. We are committed to ensuring that people of every age, at every income level, know that we all truly BELONG here.”
Ways you can join this effort
Give Generously: Make a personally significant gift to the Campaign to Build Belonging. Your donation will secure land, build homes and innovate other housing solutions.
Engage: Talk to your friends and neighbors, ask them to join the campaign, and support your elected officials and community leaders in moving the needle on housing efforts of all kinds.
Goals of the Campaign to Build Belonging
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5 years ago the Methow Housing Trust opened our doors and as of today 21 local families now own a MHT home. The members of our community who live in MHT neighborhoods are educators, baristas, bakers, store clerks, small business owners, health care workers, fire fighters, neighbors and friends. In that same time frame we couldn’t have imagined the dramatic increase in need for housing services for local residents that has surfaced. The possibility of homeownership, and in many cases basic housing security, has slipped out of reach for many of our community members, especially for year-round residents whose income is derived locally. The momentum of MHT’s impact to date is possible because of community investment in our mission. There are over 50 qualified families waiting for homeownership through MHT. Thus far this campaign has raised enough to fulfill our current waitpool; however, with our waitpool growing by an average of 10-15 families per year, more money needs to be raised today, so we can keep pace with demand for our program.
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Limited amounts of land meet this description, and it needs to be preserved for community housing before it is too late. Once the land is gone, it is gone forever. That is why MHT needs funds to acquire land TODAY.
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The Methow Housing Trust’s partnership with the Housing Authority of Okanogan County to build 22 permanently affordable rental units as a part of MHT’s Cascade Meadows neighborhood in Winthrop, is an example of how MHT can effectively leverage partnerships to advance more housing solutions. Together with the funds to complete 50 more MHT homes, the Campaign to Build Belonging already will add close to 80 permanently affordable housing units to our local housing stock over the next 5 years. In 2020 MHT formed the Housing Solutions Network; convening a group of service oriented non profit leaders and interested community members to explore more housing solutions for our Valley. It is going to take more innovative partnerships of all kinds, between individuals, organizations and municipalities to continue to move the needle on the housing crisis and we hope you’ll join this effort by giving to this campaign and signing the Methow Valley Pledge to Build Belonging.
Methow Valley Pledge to Build Belonging
I BELIEVE...... that a genuine sense of belonging in the Methow Valley begins with equitable access to stable, quality housing for all.
I WISH...... to create and maintain a truly inclusive Methow Valley, where all those who live, work and strengthen the fabric of our community, can afford to live here.
I COMMIT..... to do my part to ensure that every member of our community, at every age and income level, has a place to call HOME.
If you share this belief, please make a personally significant donation to Methow Housing Trust’s Campaign to Build Belonging, share this effort with your friends and neighbors, and sign the Methow Valley Pledge to Build Belonging
