Housing nonprofit to hire first full-time staff member to take lead on affordable housing projects

After establishing a board earlier this year, the nonprofit Housing Whitefish is now making the move to hire a full-time executive director that will facilitate planning affordable housing projects among other essential tasks.

Housing Whitefish has been run entirely on volunteerism up until this point and the board believes that by hiring a director the organization can quickly and efficiently make progress toward the goal of providing and advocating for community housing across the Whitefish zip code. With the local housing crisis becoming increasingly dire each day, Housing Whitefish and its partners are aware of the urgency of the situation.

“We recognize that it is essential to hire an executive director for the organization as soon as possible to stave off any more delays in helping relieve part of our community’s housing crisis,” Housing Whitefish Board Chair Katie Williams stated. “Hiring a full-time executive director who will take the lead in fundraising, housing advocacy and planning efforts will expand Housing Whitefish’s capacity to achieve our mission.”

According to Williams, Housing Whitefish was formed in 2020 when the Whitefish Housing Authority decided to rebrand an inactive nonprofit called the Whitefish Area Land Trust. This nonprofit was amended to become a standalone 501(c)(3) nonprofit called Housing Whitefish. Now the Whitefish Housing Authority and the nonprofit Housing Whitefish work together through a memorandum of understanding (MOU).

The need to create Housing Whitefish was magnified when the Covid-19 pandemic hit and the effects from it exacerbated the housing issues in Whitefish. The Whitefish Housing Authority does not have nonprofit status and therefore cannot receive direct donations or tax write-offs — this is where the newly formed Housing Whitefish can help.

However, Housing Whitefish is its own organization and is working on separate projects from the Housing Authority as well. The Housing Authority is a government agency while Housing Whitefish is a stand-alone nonprofit — therefore the two can take different avenues to achieve similar missions.

“Housing Whitefish can really go out there and figure out how to build a bunch of different types of housing without some of the restraints that the Housing Authority may have,” William said.

Regarding Housing Whitefish’s mission, she added, “Our goal is to work with other partners throughout the community, including the City of Whitefish, to not only advocate for housing but also create housing and help individuals who are looking to create housing find useful tools and partners.”

The ability to hire a paid staff member for Housing Whitefish comes from three different donations and grants. Earlier this year, Whitefish residents Mark and Robyn Jones committed up to $1 million to the definition, planning and design of an affordable housing project to be led by Housing Whitefish. Of this donation, $20,000 was designated to support the hiring of a full-time staff member. Additionally, a $20,000 grant from the Whitefish Community Foundation and funds from the Whitefish Convention and Visitors Bureau (Explore Whitefish) Community Sustainability Fund will also help with the start-up costs associated with hiring an executive director.

“We are cognizant of the urgency to create more affordable housing stock in the Whitefish area. This initial donation is to define a very specific project against which we and the community can rally and invest,” Robyn Jones stated in a release.

For Housing Whitefish, it is essential that the new executive director can take on several duties. One that will be especially important is grant writing so the organization can leverage the funds provided by the WCVB, hopefully at double the rate, by soliciting and acquiring grants.

The executive director will also take on the tasks of identifying land and projects, fundraising and community outreach.

“We need to have a face and a consistent message and someone who’s out in the community working with our partners day in and day out to try and listen and find additional solutions to our housing crisis,” Williams said.

Housing Whitefish knows the town is already far behind the curve, according to Williams, and hiring an executive director is vital to being able to work on affordable housing issues quickly and efficiently. She says the organization needs to keep the momentum going and push forward on projects that can make an impact because they don’t want to be at the same junction five years down the road.

“Right now time is of the essence,” William said. “We can identify a project to build, but it’s still going to take a couple of years between the application process and building timelines.”

Housing Whitefish is currently working on a potential affordable housing project off Monegan Road on city-owned land that has been designated for housing development. The organization is also actively seeking land owners willing to parcel a portion of land for Housing Whitefish to purchase and land bank for a later project.

For more information about the Housing Whitefish executive director position, including desired qualifications and application requirements, contact Williams at: info@housingwhitefish.org.