Affordable and available housing choices are critical to economic and community development, quality life, available workforce and youth success. Wyoming’s housing issue has not and will not fix itself. Housing needs real, doable solutions for a long-term resolution. A multi-agency task force was established to pool the resources and knowledge necessary to provide workable housing solutions in Wyoming.

This is a long-term, collaborative effort. Resources will be added as they are identified, so please check back.

Benefits of Affordable Housing

• Stronger labor force. Available housing for all income groups helps a community retain jobs and retail stores, and helps business owners attract and retain quality and reliable workers.
• The job creation and expansion impact is strongest if workers reside in the community. Employees are able to live near employment centers and thus are better able to report to work on time and have time to improve their job skills or get an education.
• Improves ability of communities and businesses to attract and retain workers.
• For a community, housing ties people together. It fosters a sense of place and local identity. It plays an important role in a community’s economic sustainability and development.
• New construction and management of a property creates new employment and generates multiple ripple effects that strengthen the local economy.
• Workforce housing creates a more stable environment for children and helps them perform better in school.
• Enables lower-wage earners to get into a home and begin building equity. A house payment is generally less expensive than rent, which increases disposable income.
• Helps improve distressed neighborhoods and strengthen community and neighborhood pride.
• Increases property values and property tax revenue to communities.
• Creates family stability.
• Housing plays a key role in individual welfare and often represents the single-largest family expense/investment.

2018 Housing Needs Forecast

Run your own demographics here.

Headwaters Economics - an independent, nonprofit research group that works to improve community development and land management decisions in the West.

Youth Homeless Demographics

The Wyoming Business Council offers a comprehensive look at factors affecting housing prices. Download the data and take a deeper dive here. Need some help interpreting the reports? Try this document.

Counties:

Housing Study Flowchart
Housing studies are completed to satisfy a lender or provide information to a developer. Housing studies can range from simple (with limited but specific information needed) to comprehensive  (with extensive and wide ranging information needed).
Identifying housing needs often starts with a healthy dose of community opinions, personal perspectives, and spotty rumor-based assumptions. Make sure a proposed project will benefit from a housing study, and determine the type of study needed before engaging a contractor. 

Property Dynamics
15625 NE 191st St.
Woodinville, WA 98072
(425) 489-9780

Bowen National Research
155 E. Columbus St. #220
Columbus, OH 43147
(614) 833-9300
www.bowennational.com

Bowen National Research provides independent real estate research and market feasibility studies for a variety of development alternatives throughout the United States.

Cambridge Partners & Associates
500 N. Plum Grove Rd.
Palatine, IL 60067
(847) 776-1976
www.cambridge-partners.com

Cambridge Partners & Associates, Inc. is a multidiscipline consulting company serving the U.S. and international business communities. We specialize in valuation and appraisal consulting, M&A advisory and data management services.

HUD Good Neighbor Next Door
Law enforcement officers, pre-Kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians can contribute to community revitalization while becoming homeowners through HUD's Good Neighbor Next Door sales program. HUD offers a substantial incentive in the form of a discount of 50 percent from the list price of the home. In return, you must commit to live in the property for 36 months, as your sole residence.

HUD Making Home Affordable
Making Home Affordable (MHA) is designed to get mortgage help and avoid foreclosure.

Wyoming Community Development Authority
For 41 years, Wyoming Community Development Authority (WCDA) has been making it easier for people across Wyoming to finance their first home.
We provide low-interest single-family mortgages and education to help our customers buy and retain their homes. We also offer special programs to aid in the sustainability of homeownership. From our down payment assistance program to homebuyer education and counseling, to our partnerships with developers and our work with nonprofit community organizations, WCDA is the state’s leading resource for housing finance.

Wyoming Housing Network
Preservation and creation of affordable housing, homeowner and homebuyer education.

USDA Rural Development
We are committed to helping improve the economy and quality of life in rural America. We help rural Americans in many ways through our programs.

We offer loans, grants and loan guarantees to support essential services such as housing, economic development, health care, first responder services and equipment, and water, electric and communications infrastructure.

We promote economic development by supporting loans to businesses through banks, credit unions and community-managed lending pools. We offer technical assistance and information to help agricultural producers and cooperatives get started and improve the effectiveness of their operations.

We provide technical assistance to help communities undertake community empowerment programs. We help rural residents buy or rent safe, affordable housing and make health and safety repairs to their homes.

Housing Resource Information Form
There are many resources available in Wyoming to address housing topics. If you are one of those resources, please fill out the Housing Resource Information Form to be added to this website as a resource.

Downtown Sheridan Apartments
Discover downtown Sheridan living spaces.

Country Homes Best Practices: Moving on Up
A successful project for low-income families purchasing a home.

Wyoming Business Council – Lead Agency
Kim Porter kim.porter@wyo.gov 307-777-5812
Heather Tupper heather.tupper@wyo.gov 307-777-2804
Kim Rightmer kim.rightmer@wyo.gov 307-577-6012

Casper Housing Authority
Kim Summerall-Wright kswright@chaoffice.org 307-266-1388 x 17

HUD
Lyle Kondol lyle.j.konkol@hud.gov 307-261-6251

USDA Rural Development
Scott Sutherland Scott.Sutherland2@wy.usda.gov 307-233-6706

University of Wyoming Extension – Community Development
Hannah Swanbom hswanbom@natronacounty-wy.gov 307-235-9400
Duane Williams WilliaDD@uwyo.edu 307-766-3695

Volunteers of America Northern Rockies
Todd Richins trichins@voanr.org 307-672-0475

Wyoming Community Development Authority
Lesli Wright wright@wyomingcda.com 307-233-0052
Scott Hoversland hoversland@wyomingcda.com 307-233-0053
Carol Wilson wilson@wyomingcda.com 307-233-0057
Jessica Howard Jhoward@wyomingcda.com 307-265-0603
John Batey jbatey@wyomingcda.com 307-265-0603

Wyoming Housing Network
Jim Grenfell JimG@whninc.org 406-690-2650

Wyoming Association of Municipalities
Katie Waldner kwaldner@wyomuni.org 307-632-0398

Wyoming Economic Development Association
Anja Bendel Anjab@cheyenneleads.org 307-772-7242

My Front Door
Brenda Birkle brenda@myfrontdoor.org 307-514-5831

Wyoming Association of Realtors
Steve Beazley sbeazley@wyoming.com 307-851-1014

Wyoming Chapter – National Association of Housing & Redevelopment Officials
Greg Hancock ghancock@cheyennehousing.org 307-262-7845
Deanne Widauf dwidauf@cheyennecity.org 307-7-6255
April Thompson april_thompson@rswy.net 307-352-1471

Wyoming Real Estate Commission
Nicole Novotny Smith nicole.novotnysmith@wyo.gov 307-777-7141