Housing in Teton County is a complex challenge that requires community coordination and action.

The Housing Dashboard is a data tool collaboratively created by community invested partners and supported by the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole Housing Solutions Initiative. This shared data tool will help inform and guide future housing solutions for Teton County.

Demand for Housing

Housing Supply

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Funding

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The Housing Dashboard is a project in partnership with the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole.

Needs and Opportunities

The lack of affordable and workforce housing is one of the most pressing issues in Teton County. Addressing community housing needs requires local policies, subsidies, and creative partnerships to build upon the already significant achievements of the town, county, local organizations, employers, private sector, and community.

Demand for Housing

There is an impact on employers in the current housing market. According to the 2022 Housing Needs Assessment, when employers were asked about issues they experienced when finding or keeping qualified employees, the lack of housing was the number one issue. Beyond the demand for affordable housing options, there is also a need to address barriers such as increasing safe accessible housing opportunities across diverse segments of the community.

Community Experience:

In Teton County, WY, America’s wealthiest and most economically unequal county, the working class fueling the economy is quickly disappearing due to housing shortage. A Disappearing Home, a long-term photo project, began in 2020 and is still in development. The purpose of this project is to illustrate how our crisis affects Teton County’s entire working class, no matter their cultural background. Since the pandemic, Jackson-based photographer, Lina Collado Garcia has documented dozens of working-class residents, focusing on how this chronic instability affects their mental and physical health, family structures, community ties, education, and upward mobility. This project’s ultimate goal is to provide a platform for the community to speak up and share their stories on an issue that affects us everyday. Please see two of those stories below:

Mara, 39, nurse and Doug, 39, physical therapist, moved to Jackson in 2008. For the last four and a half years they have rented a three-bedroom home in town with their two daughters, Olivia, 2, and Sierra, 4. Mara and Doug work 35-40 hours a week in order to be able to afford their costs of living in Teton County, WY.

Raymundo, 49, and Gaby 40, moved to Jackson in 2006. They have a daughter, Shania, 11. They live in a two bedroom apartment in one of the county’s five largest apartment complexes. Rents across all complexes increased 60% in one year, tightening the strain on local families and costing over 55% of Raymundo and his wife’s monthly income in rent.

A Disappearing Home (exhibit video by Zach Montes) was exhibited in Spanish and English at Teton County Library between September and November 2023 and was also featured as part of different fundraising campaigns for JH Community Housing Trust and Habitat for Humanity. The library exhibit was possible thanks to the support of the Arts for All Grant, and WY Arts Council. 

Housing Supply

As reported in the 2022 Teton Region Housing Needs Assessment, “Hispanic/Latino households are under-represented in the housing inventory that is serving households below 80% of AMI (Area Median Income). About 27% of non-Hispanic/Latino households that earn under 80% AMI are residing in employer-assisted or restricted housing compared to 18% of Hispanic/Latino households that earn under 80% AMI.”

Increasing outreach and education, and creating more housing priced below 80% AMI, could help promote equity within deed restricted and employer owned housing.

Project Highlights:

Jackson Hole Community Housing Trust’s Hansen Corner Project

On five lots on the corner of Redmond and Hansen, CHT will develop 20 Affordable townhomes in ten duplex buildings. Housing on Hansen Corner will serve local employees including those of Jackson Hole Fire/EMS, Teton County Sheriff’s Office, the Jackson Police Department and employees from nine Human Service Council organizations dedicated to serving our community’s most vulnerable populations.

Habitat for Humanity’s Parkside Project

We're bringing our community together to build 18 truly affordable homes in East Jackson. Parkside at Benson-Brown Station will be an 18-unit housing development built in partnership with Teton County and the Jackson/Teton County Housing Department. Parkside will be completed in three phases, with six units in each phase. This project includes a mix of 2- and 3-bedroom units to better address the diverse needs of local families and individuals earning between 30-80% AMI.

The Parkside Development will be made up of 18 total townhomes: This last Parkside Phase III (next to Mike Yokel Park) will be 6 townhomes for sale – 4, 2 bedroom and 2, 3 bedroom units.  Info sessions have dedicated nights for English and Spanish.

Application deadline is August 23, 2024.

Kate Kool and Daniel Primich, Jackson, WY residents

“Jackson is a tight knit community where friends greet each other at the post office, grocery store, music events, on trails and at the library. There’s an underlying care for each other here and a fierce need to preserve the unique magic of our town. My husband Daniel and I are grateful to have the opportunity to teach in Jackson, we believe our school district is one of the best in the nation. Daniel teaches 2nd grade at Munger MT Elementary, and I teach Kindergarten at Jackson Elementary School. We are motivated to help misunderstood kids find their voice. We love reading and sharing stories, and we love to hear their untethered stream of consciousness (remember, I teach Kindergarten). We believe kids want to learn while having fun, and our job is to empower them to do so. But the truth is, for many people, securing stable housing in Jackson is not realistic. Because of this, I know Jackson to be a transient place where hardworking and talented people are forced to move away due to housing circumstances. If affordable housing were not available to us, we would eventually have to leave Jackson as well. Through our affordable housing opportunity with the Housing Trust, Daniel and I can continue our jobs as educators and give back to the community that has brought us so much joy.”

Funding

Teton County has the unique advantage and capacity to meet our diverse community housing needs and leverage partnerships. Using innovative and integrated funding streams we can create housing opportunities.

Understanding the Capital Gap

“Capital gap” refers to the difference in the amount of money it takes for organizations to build deed restricted housing and the amount of money organizations currently access from varied sources of funding. “Capital” or “Funding Stack” is the collection of capital used to fund community housing initiatives.

The example below is for a unit in a multi unit development. The example reflects costs associated with providing a  $400,000 affordable purchase price (100% Area Median Income), the $780,000 building costs are based on the costs associated with building the housing unit leaving a $380,000 gap where additional funding is required.

Innovations that diversify the capital stack can lead to more community funding and affordable housing opportunities. As construction costs go up, the stack will need more innovative solutions.

Source: Trend line from 2023 Nexus Study and 2023 and 2024-2025 Housing Supply Plan breakdown of recent projects, excluding Habitat projects from the construction cost trend because of their non-monetized construction labor donations 

How Permanently Protected Housing Gets Built

Funding Sources and Uses for Projects Under Construction 2020-2024.

Source: Housing Supply Plans, 2023 and 2024-2025

Interactive Housing Data

Use the interactive charts below to explore supply, demand, opportunities, and funding housing data in Teton County, WY. Use the toggles to look at past and present housing data and compare across metrics. All terms are defined in the Glossary. We are working on developing Spanish-language access for this important tool. This data is most easily accessible in desktop format.

Community Members Making a Difference

There are many organizations and community members doing this important work in our community (see Partner Page). Below are the stories of three community members who are engaged in housing work at Shelter JH.

  • RYAN DORGAN, ShelterJH Member

    “Simply put, people deserve housing. But for the folks in the back who feel they don't have enough skin in the game: the more housing opportunities there are for the valley's working class, the better Jackson is, and the more enjoyable your visits will be.” Photo credit Joey Sackett

  • ESTHER JUDGE-LENNOX, ShelterJH Member

    “It is my mission to bring awareness to how many homes are available each year to move and how many reasons there are to reuse them. New development and the existing structures are not mutually exclusive.” Photo credit Joey Sackett

  • REED MATTISON, ShelterJH Member

    “Through the hard work and support of my friends in Jackson, I was able to secure stable housing that wasn't employer-provided. It gave me the opportunity to separate the two which I believe to be vital to the working class. Workers face exploitation when in employee housing. 'If you don't work like we want you to, we'll kick you out of your home.' Housing is the carrot employers dangle in front of the horse's face.” Photo credit: Reed Mattison

  • LINA COLLADO GARCIA, ShelterJH Member

    “I joined ShelterJH to join our community in standing together to address housing insecurity in Teton County. I feel it is extremely important for a community to ensure it creates the space for its local workforce to live within the community. Local workers are an essential part of the community, and need to be rooted in their community.⁠” Photo credit: Joey Sackett

Teton County, WY Housing In the News

Click on the article title to read the full publication.

County picks Pennrose as Virginian developer May 22, 2024, jhnewsandguide.com

Beta Version Feedback

You are viewing a beta version of the Teton Community Wellbeing Dashboard. Many focus areas are currently under construction and others will be developed in the near future. Regardless of where they are in their development, each of the focus area dashboards are engaging in cycles of continuous improvement.  


You are our community. Help us make this better! Each user brings a unique perspective to the dashboard. We value your participation  and invite you to provide feedback on your user experience.