The Housing Solutions Network was formed in Fall 2020.
The core team is made up of representatives from Methow Housing Trust, Room One, TwispWorks, Methow Valley Citizens Council, and Methow Conservancy.

• Our goals:

  • Raise awareness in the community about potential housing solutions and the possibility for purposeful, structural change.

  • Create a vetted list of potential housing solutions that could work to address the most pressing housing needs in the Methow Valley.

  • Identify which existing organizations have capacity to take the lead on the vetted solutions, and which important solutions currently lack a “lead entity.”

  • Engage stakeholders, impacted community members, and leaders from all sectors to assess potential solution leaders (or coalitions) in preparation for a larger engagement event with the community in early fall.

• We Believe

  • All local community members should have a stable place to call home.

  • If we do not address housing in the Methow Valley now, the Valley we love may be lost.

  • In an integrated community. We believe that all community members (local workforce, seniors, families, single households) should have a stable place to call home, and that when there are housing options for all, we all benefit.

  • The housing challenges facing the Methow Valley are multi-faceted and interconnected and will therefore require a diversity of housing solutions to meet the varied needs. There is no one solution to our current situation.

  • We believe our community can find implementable actions that will create lasting and equitable housing options for all in the Methow Valley. We believe this may require new forms of leadership and collaborations between for-profit, nonprofit, and governmental organizations. We believe it may also require changes in how many of us in this community live and think.

• We are

  • We are focused on solutions. We are not interested in blame or finger pointing.

  • We are not all housing experts. Our strength lies in our roots in this community and in our ability to think boldly and practically.

  • We are committed to finding practical solutions. All members of this network have made housing solutions a priority.

• We will

  • We will initiate coordinated community engagement around housing, but we do not intend to lead it indefinitely.

  • We will seek outside expertise when needed, and rely on data that has already been collected. We seek examples of what works from other communities. We will recommend solutions that “fit” the unique strengths of this community.

  • We will aim to engage voices and representation of all segments of our community, recognizing that it is essential that we see everyone in our portfolio of solutions.

  • We will consider the environmental, social, and economic impacts of any solution we recommend. We acknowledge that there can be tensions and unintended consequences in any of the solutions we may offer. We still aim for action.