Truckee Tahoe Workforce Housing Agency Forms to Help Accelerate Housing Opportunities
July 1, 2020
In late 2018, four North Tahoe-Truckee Special District leaders gathered during a break at a Mountain Housing Council meeting to discuss how they could work together to accelerate housing opportunities for their employees.
How could they ensure that the nearly 2,000 essential workers that they represent: teachers, nurses, doctors, airport personnel, linemen, janitors, administrators, and beyond, could continue to be able to live where they work?
After a year of brainstorming and development, the Truckee Tahoe Workforce Housing Agency was formed. A joint powers agency has the sole mission of providing housing to the employees of the four founding member agencies: Tahoe Forest Hospital District, Tahoe Truckee Unified School District, Truckee Donner Public Utility District, and Truckee Tahoe Airport District.
Founded in 2020, the agency is working to provide physical housing and housing programming to the employees it supports. The agency is legally structured to pursue the leasing, buying, and development of housing units, and was built to welcome additional public agency partners throughout the region. The innovation around the creation of Truckee Tahoe Workforce Housing Agency, the first housing joint powers agency in California, speaks to the commitment to, and urgency of, developing housing solutions for the people that make up the fabric of this community: the local workforce.
“We understand the challenges employees face in finding stable housing, and see the direct effect it has on their overall satisfaction and quality of life. TTWHA’s focus will be on responding to the needs of our workforce and improving access to housing opportunities.” said Harry Weis, Tahoe Forest Hospital president and CEO and Truckee Tahoe Workforce Housing Agency board chairman.
The agency’s first program was a partnership with Landing Locals, that will connect member agency employees with second homeowners for long-term leasing opportunities.
“The program with Landing Locals is an exciting one and allows us to begin to unlock housing immediately,” said Kevin Smith, Truckee Tahoe Airport District general manager and Truckee Tahoe Workforce Housing Agency vice chairman. “This is one of many options we’ll provide to respond to our employees’ housing needs.”
Homeowners interested in participating in the program can reach out to Landing Locals through http://www.landinglocals.com/JPA.
In addition to the partnership with Landing Locals, the agency is currently researching the master leasing of housing units, and exploring opportunities with the development community. Additional housing programs through Truckee Tahoe Workforce Housing Agency will continue to be implemented based on the results of an employee housing needs survey that is currently being circulated.
For more information, please reach out to Emily Vitas, Truckee Tahoe Workforce Housing Agency executive director at emily@ttjpa.org.