Wallowa County Workforce Housing

AFFORDABLE HOUSING SOLUTIONS FOR WALLOWA COUNTY'S WORKFORCE.

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MISSION

Advance economic vitality through investments in workforce housing that is accessible and affordable for the current and future workforce of Wallowa County.

Lack of Housing Affordability Impacts Economic Growth.

Economic growth and the migration of retirees, absentee homeowners, and remote workers to the area have created a housing crisis in Wallowa County. Additionally, the promotion of the County as a national tourism destination market has resulted in a considerable amount of the local housing supply being converted from full-time residential housing to commercial short-term vacation rentals. Much of the remaining non-tourist housing is in poor condition and over-priced.

Meanwhile, median home prices have skyrocketed over the last three decades — rising 2.5 times faster than median household incomes, making homeownership out of reach for many people working in local jobs, especially those earning between 60% and 120% of area median income (AMI). Residential construction contractors serve the market for homes needed by households with incomes above 120% AMI. Low-income publicly subsidized housing serves households earning less than 60% of AMI. The gap that remains unavailable is often called 'missing middle housing'.

Housing is one of the biggest hurdles in hiring and retaining employees.

OVER THE LAST DECADE

The typical house grew in value by

while median household income
increased only by

36%

of housing units in Wallowa County are second homes or vacation rentals.

of housing needs in the City of Enterprise are for households earning below 120% of the Area Median Income (AMI).

Local workforce has expressed the need for affordable owner-occupied and rental homes.

  • "Prices are high for apartments and homes that are falling apart, unsafe, and frequently flipped." (Business Owner)

  • "Pricing is important here. For rentals somewhere between $1,000 - $1,800 a month. For home ownership somewhere between $200,000 - $300,000 would be ideal." (Business Owner)

  • "Our current living situation is less than ideal, we don't have a kitchen- just a big studio with a bathroom and a makeshift kitchen (electric burner, mini fridge, microwave). It has taken us over a year of consistently looking to find a different place to live which we will be moving into and we personally know the landlord so I feel that we got lucky." (Healthcare)

  • "We are in dire need of workforce housing. Lack thereof is harming our community’s economic prosperity." (Healthcare)

  • "Wages don’t meet the cost of living and real estate." (Mechanic/fabricator)

  • "There’s a gap between low income housing and super expensive housing. Right now there’s no such thing in the county." (Healthcare)

  • "Retirees and second homeowners can afford to buy houses but working class people cannot afford to live here because there's nothing in the middle." (Business owner)

  • "Without changes, many younger folks will be unable to continue living in the county, as house prices have continued to climb and rentals are few and far between." (Natural Resources)

  • "I would like to see affordable options and the ability to gain equity (even if limited or shared options). Also that homes stay permanently affordable for future generations." (Self employed)

  • "Consistency is key, moving every 6-12 months is expensive and disruptive." (Nonprofit Management)

  • "The #1 reason the school has difficulty retaining teachers is lack of housing." (Educator)

Where are we headed.

Working Homes LLC plans to increase the supply of attractive, well-built, energy-efficient houses available to households whose income is between 60% and 120% of AMI, roughly $48,000 to $96,000 annually. This income range is too high to qualify for traditional subsidized housing but not enough to afford most of the homes in our market.

Because of the high cost of homebuilding, we believe there is a role for a community-based nonprofit to contribute to the solution. Nonprofits can access various sources of funding that are not available to for-profit developers or people seeking housing. Funding from individual donations, foundations, and government can help reduce costs and support a variety of proven strategies to ensure homes and rental units are available and affordable to our local workforce.

SEE FUTURE POTENTIAL SITES

Frequently Asked Questions

  • “Workforce Housing” refers to properties that are designed to be affordable to the local workforce. Housing is considered affordable when the monthly payment (rent or mortgage) equals no more than 30% of a household’s monthly gross income.

  • Working Homes, LLC was created to increase the number of attractive, well-built, energy-efficient homes available to people in Wallowa County whose household income is between 60% and 120% of the Area Median Income (AMI), roughly $46,800 to $93,600 per year. This income range is too high to qualify for most subsidized housing (often limited to households below 60% AMI), but not enough to afford most of the market-rate homes in our County. The cost of land and construction today requires new sources of funding to develop affordable workforce housing. Area Median Income figures come from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), based on Census data etc. The income ranges here reflect federal and state definitions for various types of housing.

  • Based on an initial assessment, we believe there is a need for a mix of owner-occupied and rental homes, with owner-occupied homes priced in the range of $150,000 to $340,000--for households earning the following income.

    See 2023 Wallowa County Household AMI.

  • Vibrant communities are places where people can live, work, raise a family, start a business, and retire. Housing is a foundation of Wallowa County’s economy – as essential as good jobs, schools, and health care. Communities depend on workers at a variety of levels in an assortment of industries and preserving livability requires housing that is affordable at various income levels. Nearly every employer in Wallowa County has expressed concerns about finding employees and ensuring new hires have a place to live. If employees can’t live in the County where they work, it impacts the economy and community – including our Main Street businesses, our schools, and our neighborhoods.

  • Housing construction over the last decade has not kept up with demand--both here and across the country. A fair amount of existing workforce housing has been converted to recreation use as second homes or vacation rentals. And County wages have not kept up with rapidly rising rents and home prices. The following chart shows that the median home price in Wallowa County over the last decade increased by more than 130% while median household incomes increased by only 36%.

    These same dynamics affect housing affordability nationwide – especially across the rural West. In many respects, the current housing problem is similar to the severe housing shortage our country faced at the end of WWII when Congress declared a national housing emergency. Wallowa County needs more homes that are affordable and available to the local workforce. Current real estate, construction, and financing options are not meeting this need. This problem is not temporary. We need to think long-term. We welcome your ideas on how to solve the problem.

  • Housing developed by Working Homes, LLC will be guided by a community design process. For the 20-acre parcel under contract near Joseph, Wallowa Resources hired Scott Edwards Architecture to develop concepts that respond to community values and provide attractive, high-quality, and energy-efficient housing that is affordable for our local workforce. A community survey launched in early June of 2023 represents our first step in seeking your input on the types and sizes of workforce housing that our community needs. A series of public workshops to be held over the next several months will share design concepts and invite additional community input.

  • Working Homes, LLC will continue Wallowa Resources’ practice of prioritizing local economic benefit for any investments we make in housing. When we have final design plans and funding in place, we will include local and regional contractors in the solicitation of bids for all new construction and/remodeling work.