Hello <<First Name>>,

Thanks for tuning in! It’s been an eventful month and here’s what we’ve been working on:

• Shelterforce: “Workforce Housing” is an insulting term
• NBC: Housing advocates say evictions are continuing at ‘full steam,’ despite a federal ban
• MTV: MTV News published a segment on wealth inequality in Wyoming and featured us! We're so excited to be included in this piece reporting on Wyoming's anti-tax political structure and how that relates to housing insecurity here in Jackson Hole.

Ordinance 473
Thanks to the leadership of Conservation Leadership Institute graduates (and ShelterJH members!) Miles Yazzolino, Ash Hermanowski, Maddie Johnson, Mckenzie Myers and Kelsey Yarzab, the Town Councilors voted unanimously to repeal the definition of “family.” This decision is a HUGE WIN for us! We were concerned that the diversity of households in the valley could never be inclusively defined, so we are thrilled that the councilors voted accordingly. They also voted 4-1 to amend our land development regulations to include maximum occupancy requirements (i.e. 5 adults per bathroom). This vote is the beginning of a long process that must go through the Planning Commission and then three separate votes through the Council. Special thanks to members who wrote emails and gave comments virtually during the meeting. There will be more opportunities to comment, so stay tuned!

Action Item: Advocate for DACA Recipients
In July, the Town Council and County Commission will be updating joint rules and regulations. One of the possible updates they could make is to enable DACA recipients to apply for deed-restricted housing through the Jackson/Teton County Affordable Housing Department. One of Shelter’s first wins back in 2017 was removing the citizenship question from rental applications. Now that the country has opened up Federal Housing Administration loans to DACA recipients, we need to make sure they also have access to local housing programs. Contact the Council and Commission now: council@jacksonwy.gov, commissioners@tetoncountywy.gov.

Northern South Park
The County Commissioners voted yet again (for the third time!) to keep steering committee meetings open to the public. Thoughts from you, our members, on why this continues to be a question? There were two steering committee meetings in April. If you missed them, check out the recordings here. We need to be consistently advocating for this plan to include as much permanently deed-restricted Affordable housing as possible. Email your commissioners: commissioners@tetoncountywy.gov.
 

Join Us!
If you’re not already a member, please join our movement. We suggest a donation of $20 per year; however, we want our membership to be as accessible as possible, so please pay what you can. Members receive access to special meetings, vote on the Board of Directors, and help set the vision and trajectory for the organization. If you are already a member, please ask your friends and neighbors to join as well!

As always, I am here to answer any questions. Thanks for your steadfast support of ShelterJH!

Best,
Clare Stumpf
she/her/hers
info@shelterjh.org
(510)418-0654