affordable housing

Jackson Hole is in a unique position in Wyoming. While it's a cornerstone of the state's economy, it's often considered separate from the equality state. Energy and natural resources reporter Cooper McKim recently visited the western Wyoming town to gauge how locals felt about the state and the area's future. He spoke with news director Bob Beck about the visit.

A new report shows that rental prices are cooling off for the first time in several months. Apartment List, which is a national rental marketplace, found that rental prices have started to stagnate, or in some cases, even drop. That’s normal for the fall months, but especially welcome in a year that’s had unprecedented increases in rents across the Mountain West.

The pandemic has not only led to crowded hospitals but it's also impacted housing. The exploding housing market in Jackson and other communities is leading Teton County advocates to once again push for a real estate transfer tax. Wyoming Public Radio's Kamila Kudelska has more.

Short-term rentals are great for tourists looking for alternative lodging options, but they're also contributing to housing shortages and sky-high real estate prices.

The idea of selling public lands is sacrilegious in much of the West. In Southern Nevada, the affordable housing crisis may be an extenuating circumstance.

A Pew Research analysis of census data shows that growth in U.S. households during the last decade slowed to its lowest pace in history.

DACA recipients, also known as dreamers, who have lived and worked in Teton County for at least a year are now eligible to qualify to buy affordable housing. Teton County has a growing Latino population and it's estimated that many of the 510 DACA recipients in Wyoming, live in Teton County. Wyoming Public Radio's Kamila Kudelska has this story.

The Jackson Town Council and Teton County Commissioners unanimously passed a housing regulation change that allows DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipients, also known as Dreamers, to qualify to purchase affordable housing.

Wyoming's Emergency Rental Assistance Program has awarded $4.7 million to more than 1,400 households. That money comes from a large pool of funding from the federal government. Recently, Wyoming and other small states were criticized for spending only a fraction of their funding so far. But Wyoming Public Radio's Jeff Victor spoke with Department of Family Services Director Korin Schmidt who said the program is accelerating after a rocky start. But that rocky start, Schmidt said, was necessary to get out as much assistance as possible to all the people who needed it.

By just about any measure, Laramie, Wyoming is experiencing a housing crisis. There aren't enough homes available, the homes that are available are too expensive, and rental prices are high. As Wyoming Public Radio's Jeff Victor reports, all of this hurts the local economy.