Housing Toolkit
A Future worth staying for starts with a Place to Live
Wyoming businesses are ready to grow. The jobs exist. The demand is real. But when workers can’t find a place to live, those jobs go somewhere else – and the people we need to fill them don’t stay.
This toolkit is for community leaders, employers, developers, and local officials who want to take action. You won’t find a simple answer here, because there isn’t one. What you will find are tools, partners, frameworks, and examples from communities across Wyoming that are already working on this – so you don’t have to start from scratch.
ARE YOU A COMMUNITY LEADER, EMPLOYER OR DEVELOPER?
You're in the right place! Scroll down for a helpful step-by-step framework, partners, funding tools, and additional resources.
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR HOUSING ASSISTANCE?
wHAT WYOMING IS SAYING ABOUT HOUSING
HOUSING IS CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
On June 2, 2026, more than 140 Wyomingites joined the WBC and a panel of local leaders, developers, and employers for an unscripted conversation on housing as critical infrastructure. The most common words they used to describe Wyoming’s housing situation: Expensive. Limited. Dire. Critical. Crisis.
UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM
THIS IS AN ECONOMIC PROBLEM, NOT A SOCIAL ONE
Wyoming’s housing shortage isn’t primarily a story about people who need help – it’s a story about businesses that can’t hire, communities that can’t grow, and young people who leave because there’s no place to put down roots.
When we talk about workforce housing, we mean housing that workers can actually afford – the clerk, the EMT, the welder, the nurse, the teacher. The people every Wyoming community needs to function. When those workers can’t find a place to live, businesses stall, services shrink, and the community ages faster than it should.
Two out of three young Wyomingites leave the state and don’t come back. That’s not a loyalty problem. It’s an opportunity problem – and housing is one of the biggest pieces of it.
Research from a recent study on Housing in Wyoming found that Wyoming’s home prices have run above what you’d expect given local incomes and population in nearly every county, for the past two decades. That’s not because there’s no demand. The private market sees the demand. What’s blocking it is specific: restrictive local zoning codes and a shortage of water and sewer infrastructure to make new sites buildable.
HOW TO GET STARTED
YOU’RE READY TO TACKLE HOUSING IN YOUR COMMUNITY
Knowing where to start is often the hardest part. Communities that make real progress on housing aren’t the ones that found a magic answer – they’re the ones that built a team, defined their specific problem, and kept moving. Here’s a framework to help you do the same.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
This framework is for communities ready to take action. WBC’s Regional Directors are available to help facilitate early conversations, connect you with peers in similar communities, and help you navigate the tools and partners below. You don’t have to do this alone.
1. BUILD A DIVERSE TEAM
Communities with the most housing progress are the ones that brought the right people to the table from the start. Your team should represent the full range of people affected – not just the ones easiest to convene.
Consider including:
- Employers – private businesses and institutional employers like schools and hospitals
- City and county planners, elected officials, and the local economic development organization
- Developers, builders, and contractors
- Lenders, credit unions, and impact investors
- Young professionals and entry-level workers – the people most affected by your local housing challenges
- Social service providers and nonprofit housing developers
This list is a starting point. Who matters most depends on your community’s specific challenge. And if you are a small community, your team might look more regional or include a group of rural communities that have similar housing issues.
2. SET YOUR GROUP NORMS
Even people who agree that the problem is real can disagree on how to solve it. Before you dive in, write down how your group will work together. A simple group constitution should answer:
- What is our shared mission?
- How will we make decisions – and handle disagreements?
- Who facilitates? (WBC staff can help with this.)
- How do new people join, and what happens if someone consistently drops out?
- What tools will we use to communicate and share documents?
3. SET A DEADLINE
Housing work can feel like it has no end in sight. It helps to define the scope of what your group is working on right now. Consider:
- Sprint – 4 weeks to produce a specific output
- Policy cycle – 3 to 6 months aligned to a planning or budget decision
- Pilot phase – 6 to 12 months to test one approach and measure it
- Systemic change – 3 to 5 years with formal governance and accountability
You don’t have to solve everything at once. Define what ‘done’ looks like for this phase.
4. WRITE A PROBLEM STATEMENT
A clear problem statement gives your team a compass. Without it, people pull in different directions.
Use this simple structure:
WHO experiences WHAT PROBLEM, which results in IMPACT, because of the ROOT CAUSE. This matters because of the BROADER SIGNIFICANCE. Example: Our city is experiencing an inelastic housing market, which results in higher-than-expected prices because supply is not responding to demand. This matters because entry-level home buyers are moving to communities where housing is more attainable. |
5. DIAGNOSE THE ROOT CAUSES
Like a doctor, don’t just treat symptoms – understand what’s driving them. Common issues in Wyoming communities include:
- Restrictive local zoning codes: minimum lot sizes, density limits, parking mandates, and building material requirements that raise costs without adding value
- Infrastructure gaps: lack of water and sewer capacity to support new development
- Construction labor shortages: a thin local contractor base drives up project costs
- Short-term rental pressure: tourism-driven demand competing with long-term workforce housing
Every community is different. Your specific barriers may look different from your neighbor’s – that’s why a local team matters.
Barriers to Economic Growth → This guide walks you through how to identify your most critical barrier – so your project targets the right problem and delivers the strongest return on public investment.
6. FIND YOUR FOOTHOLD AND START CHIPPING
Based on your timeline, the capacity of your team, your community’s readiness to change, and the authority your group actually has – pick the one barrier you can start moving right now. If your group is large enough, break into workgroups and work on a few causes simultaneously.
Revisit your problem statement as you learn. It will sharpen as you go. That’s not a sign of failure – it’s a sign you’re doing the work.
Need help identifying your foothold? Contact your WBC Regional Director →
Find a Regional Director to Access Community Resources
Partners Working on Housing
You don’t have to figure this out alone. These organizations are active in Wyoming’s housing space and are ready to connect with communities, businesses, and developers.
STATEWIDE PARTNERS
ORGANIZATION / RESOURCE | WHAT THEY OFFER | LINK |
WCDA – Wyoming Community Development Authority | State agency for affordable housing programs; also issues bonds for housing development and serves as a pass-through agency for state and federal bond programs. | |
WyoNAHRO | Statewide volunteer network for housing professionals – networking, education, collaboration, and an annual housing conference. Free membership. | |
Wyoming Housing Network | Connects Wyoming residents with housing resources and counseling. | |
Wyoming Neighbors for Housing | Grassroots advocacy network amplifying the voices of Wyomingites who support building workforce housing. | |
WyoPASS | Wyoming Planning Assistance Support Service – tools and guidance for local planning and zoning. | |
Wyoming Business Alliance | Statewide business advocacy; housing as a workforce issue is a key focus. | |
Wyoming Economic Development Association | Statewide nonprofit professional association with members active in developing strong professional development goals and mentoring programs, to keep the workforce and businesses in Wyoming. | |
Wyoming Association of Municipalities | Serves all 99 incorporated municipalities across Wyoming, ranging from small towns to bustling cities. WAM provides a range of services tailored to Wyoming’s municipal leaders, including legislative tracking, events and training sessions, and exclusive resources for members. | |
Wyoming County Commissioners Association | Unites all 23 Wyoming counties under a shared mission to strengthen local government through networking, education, and unified action. |
FEDERAL PARTNERS
ORGANIZATION / RESOURCE | WHAT THEY OFFER | LINK |
HUD – Dept. of Housing & Urban Development | Federal housing programs, fair housing resources, and data. | |
USDA Rural Development | Housing loans and grants specifically for rural communities and low-income borrowers. Also offers training and informational support for realtors and others working on housing. |
FINANCING & FUNDING TOOLS
FUNDING SOURCES FOR HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
There is no single pot of money that solves Wyoming’s housing challenge – but there are more tools available than most communities realize. Here’s a starting map.
STATE FUNDING TOOLS
ORGANIZATION / RESOURCE | WHAT THEY OFFER | LINK |
WBC – Building Resilient Communities (BRC) | WBC’s primary community infrastructure grant program. Can support housing-related infrastructure (water, sewer, roads) that makes development possible. | |
Wyoming State Budget Department Grants Management Office (GMO) | Assists state agencies, local governments, Tribal governments and organizations, small businesses, and nonprofits in identifying, pursuing, and managing grant funding. | |
WCDA Bond Issuance / Pass-Through | WCDA issues bonds for housing development and serves as a pass-through agency – a distinct function from their lending programs. | |
WCDA Affordable Housing Programs | Lending and financing programs for affordable and workforce housing development. | |
WBC Opportunity Zones | Tax incentive for investment in designated low-income communities. Current Wyoming Opportunity Zone information. |
FEDERAL FUNDING TOOLS
ORGANIZATION / RESOURCE | WHAT THEY OFFER | LINK |
CDBG – Community Development Block Grant | Federal block grant for community development infrastructure, including housing. WCDA administers for Wyoming. Applications open annually. | |
USDA Rural Development Housing Programs | Loans and grants for rural housing construction, repair, and purchase. | |
HUD Programs | Multiple federal programs for affordable housing development and preservation. |
COMMUNITIES IN ACTION
WHAT WYOMING COMMUNITIES ARE ALREADY DOING
No two Wyoming communities have the same housing challenge – or the same solution. These examples are meant to spark ideas, not prescribe answers.
ALBANY COUNTY HOUSING & LAND TRUST
The Albany County Housing & Land Trust (ACHLT) is more than a traditional community land trust. While they proudly steward permanently affordable homes, their mission extends further – to accelerate the creation of all quality housing across Albany County, regardless of whether those homes enter the land trust portfolio.
DOUGLAS – PLANNING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Douglas Community Development has been navigating the connection between water and sewer infrastructure gaps and housing development. It is a WYOPASS member actively using planning tools to address workforce housing needs.
SHERIDAN COUNTY HOUSING & LAND TRUST
The Sheridan County Housing Land Trust is a not-for-profit under Habitat for Humanity of the Eastern Bighorns. By establishing the HLT, Habitat for Humanity aims to preserve affordable homeownership opportunities for generations to come and stabilize housing costs to prevent displacement in the community.
SHERIDAN DEVELOPER PARTNERSHIPS
Sheridan homebuilders have worked directly with large local employers to survey workforce pay ranges and needs, then reverse-engineered home designs and pricing around what local workers can actually afford – a market-driven approach worth replicating.
TETON COUNTY AFFORDABLE HOUSING
The Teton County Housing Department works to create healthy housing solutions so its workforce can live, spend, and volunteer locally, maintaining the community character they cherish.
WBC ASSESSMENT TO ACTION – HOUSING COMMUNITIES
To date, five Wyoming communities have used WBC’s Assessment to Action (A2A) program to tackle housing as their primary economic barrier:
- Sheridan: stakeholder collaboration and city-wide process integration
- Greybull: Habitat for Humanity partnership negotiations
- Shoshoni: town-sponsored A2A committee with long-term housing plan
- Rolling Hills
- Burlington
83% of A2A teams are still working on the problem 12+ months later. Want to use the A2A process for your community’s housing challenge? Contact your WBC Regional Director.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
RESEARCH, PLANS & TOOLS
These documents and tools provide useful background for communities building their case or developing a plan.
DOCUMENT / TOOL | DESCRIPTION |
The state’s broad housing action framework. A good starting point for understanding the statewide picture. | |
Practical toolkit for local governments looking to modernize their zoning codes to allow more housing types. | |
WBC summary document on the housing challenge and evidence-based solutions. | |
Statewide economic development strategy — housing features throughout as a workforce infrastructure issue. | |
Helps determine how much income is required to meet basic needs, with the amount varying by family composition and geographic location. | |
Connect to help when you need it. Wyoming 211 makes it easy to connect to resources for food, job training, rent and utility assistance, and so much more. | |
Housing studies are completed to satisfy a lender or provide information to a developer, and can range from simple (with limited but specific information needed) to comprehensive (with extensive information needed). Make sure a proposed project will benefit from a housing study and determine the type of study needed before engaging a contractor. | |
WBC’s synthesis of the June 2, 2026, Building Wyoming’s Future Open Mic. Poll results, participant quotes, five key themes, and resources shared by the community. |
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS)
Q: WHAT CAUSES WYOMING'S HOUSING SHORTAGE?
Several things compound each other – and the research is specific about which ones matter most. The 2023 Housing in Wyoming study found that regulations and infrastructure are the two biggest constraints statewide. Local zoning codes, despite Wyoming’s reputation for low regulation, often restrict density, minimum lot sizes, building types, and parking in ways that block supply. And many sites that developers would build on simply can’t be built because the water and sewer systems aren’t there to support them. Land supply and material costs matter in a few specific communities but aren’t the primary statewide driver. The ‘missing middle’ – duplexes, small apartments, starter homes – has also largely disappeared from new construction, leaving a gap between large single-family homes and subsidized affordable units that most working Wyomingites fall into.
Q: WHAT HAPPENS IF WYOMING DOESN'T ADDRESS THIS?
Businesses can’t hire. Workers relocate to places where they can afford to live. Young families don’t put down roots. Communities age faster and lose the tax base needed to fund basic services. In our June 2026 Open Mic, 45% of participants named losing young people as the single greatest cost of inaction, and 26% named businesses unable to hire, meaning more than 7 in 10 see this as a workforce and economic growth problem, not a social services problem.
Q: WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE GOVERNMENT IN ADDRESSING THE HOUSING CHALLENGE?
Wyoming’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy identifies housing as one of five core barriers to the state’s economic growth, alongside workforce, capital, infrastructure, and diversification. That framing matters: it means housing isn’t a side issue, it’s central to whether Wyoming can grow and diversify its economy at all. State and local government can’t build its way out of this alone, but it can remove the barriers that prevent the private market from doing its job. That means investing in the infrastructure (water, sewer, roads) that makes sites buildable; removing zoning barriers that prevent attainable housing types; providing the financial tools that de-risk projects private lenders won’t touch; and building alignment across the agencies, funders, and community leaders who all need to pull in the same direction. The state can also bring communities together, share what’s working, and help local leaders make the case.
Q: HOW CAN BUSINESS LEADERS ADVOCATE FOR HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN THEIR COMMUNITY?
Start by naming the problem in economic terms – not “we need affordable housing,” but “I can’t hire the workers my business needs because there’s nowhere for them to live.” Show up at local planning and zoning meetings. Speak up at your local city council and county commissioner meetings, or state-level and legislative hearings with specific, local stories. Partner with your chamber, your local economic development organization (EDO), and other employers to advocate together – small towns are stronger as a coalition than individually. And connect with WBC – our Regional Directors can help you frame the case and navigate the tools available.
Q: IS THERE A SINGLE SOLUTION THAT WORKS FOR EVERY WYOMING COMMUNITY?
Unfortunately, no, and be skeptical of anyone who says otherwise. What works in Laramie (a housing trust fund with university and employer anchors) may not be the right fit for Meeteetse. What solves the problem in Sheridan may not match the infrastructure situation in Rawlins. The most progress we’ve seen comes from communities that build a diverse local team, clearly define their specific problem, and keep chipping away with the right tools for their context. That’s what the How to Get Started framework above is designed to support.
Contact & Next Steps
READY TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP?
WBC’s regional directors are available to help communities navigate the housing challenge – connecting you with the right tools, facilitating early conversations, and linking you to peers in similar communities across Wyoming. You don’t have to figure this out alone.
→ Find Your WBC Regional Director
STAY CONNECTED
The housing conversation is happening across Wyoming right now. Stay connected through the Team of Thousands newsletter – it’s how WBC closes the loop on what we hear from communities and shares what’s happening next.
→ Sign up at wbc.pub/TOT_Newsletter