February 2022
Workforce Housing Newsletter
Greetings!

Welcome to our first quarterly newsletter of 2022 to highlight updates, news, and stories about housing and financial readiness resources for Carbon County.

If you were forwarded this message and would like to receive future newsletters, CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP, or contact Robin Adams at 406-426-1983 | robin@rlacf.org.
Owner-Built Workforce Housing Program
Community Build Day a Success!
The Red Lodge Area Community Foundation and Helena Area Habitat for Humanity hosted a Community Build Day on Saturday, November 13th. 18 volunteers came out to help our owner/builders make great progress. Accumulating a total of 96 volunteer hours, they participated in a variety of construction tasks such as Truss bracing, Roof sheeting, Air sealing, and sheeting on the garage. Huge thank you to Red Lodge Pizza Co. for sponsoring pizzas for our amazing volunteers.
Meet the Current Owner-Builders
Alison Fischer is a one of our current owner/builders that just started building with the second group. She moved to Red Lodge in 2020 with her 12-year-old daughter, Madison, and is a CNA at Beartooth Billings Clinic working in the ER. She remarks, “this home will mean everything to my daughter and me. It will mean stability and security. My daughter will finally have a place to call home.” 
Another future homeowner is Amanda Mitchem, a teacher living in Bridger with her two daughters. She’s been searching for her forever home for over a year, and says “this entire process has been a learning process, but so much fun. It’s such a relief knowing I’m finally on the path to creating the life I want for my children and myself.” 
Julian Robinson is also excited to be a part of the Owner-Built Housing program. A wildland firefighter and Assistant Engine Captain for our local Forest Service in his tenth season, he says, “I’m excited to know that wherever my career takes me, I can always have my house and home.”  
Applications for the 2022-2023 cycle of the Owner-Built Housing program are still open!
Volunteer Opportunities
Build Site Volunteers Needed!



In order to help these families get into their homes, we rely on the strength of our dedicated volunteers to help in the building process. Consider spending some of your time with us during the week or weekend! If you are interested please reach out to Eric at (860) 331-0915 or eric@rlacf.org
2022 Housing Needs Assessment and Strategic Plan
We received over 330 responses for a housing needs survey in December - January that was open for all residents of Carbon County. This valuable community input will be used to assess the current housing needs of Carbon County residents and workforce in order to formulate targeted strategic action in the face of the housing crisis. Stay tuned for updates and a full report in March 2022.
Want to get involved?

The RLACF Workforce Housing Steering Committee meetings are open to the public and held on the fourth Thursday of the month at 4 pm. Contact Robin Adams at (406) 426-1983 or robin@rlacf.org to learn more.
Contact:

Robin Adams, Workforce Housing Manager
Cell: (406) 426-1983
robin@rlacf.org

Eric Allen, Workforce Housing VISTA
Cell: (503) 512-9659
eric@rlacf.org