HIGHLIGHTS
- Wyoming will need up to 38,600 more housing units by 2030 to meet demand.
- Rents and home prices are increasing faster than incomes.
- Abt is identifying challenges and solutions, creating a blueprint for meeting Wyomingites’ needs.
PROJECT
Wyoming Statewide Strategic Housing Action Plan, Wyoming Community Development Authority (WCDA)
The Challenge
A recent report by the Wyoming Community Development Authority (WCDA) found that the state will need to add 20,700 to 38,600 new housing units to adequately house its population. This comes at a time when median rents increased 32 percent between 2010 and 2021, and median renters’ incomes increased by 18 percent. Affordable housing in the state also faces regulatory barriers, limited land availability for housing development, and limited state and local resources to bolster infrastructure and builder capacity to foster more development. The state is exploring ways to develop and strengthen its housing infrastructure, the funding mechanisms needed to build it and encourage developers, as well as the staff to support it.
The Approach
To help address these challenges, WCDA contracted Abt to develop a Wyoming Statewide Strategic Housing Action Plan. Abt began in June 2024 by identifying available resources and local challenges, reviewing housing policies, and conducting interviews with stakeholders across the state. On behalf of WCDA, Abt is also facilitating three public meetings and conducting a survey of state residents.
The Results
The Abt team has already identified key considerations for creating the Action Plan, i.e. those things that are important to Wyomingites as their state grows. These include the ability to make decisions locally and flexibility for municipalities to chart their own course. The team also found the state’s policymakers are more likely to accept plans that emphasize the importance of housing to the economy and the development of the workforce. Abt is gathering feedback from the public and stakeholders on potential solutions, including setting up a flexible housing development fund, centralizing statewide housing resources, and saving time and resources by making pre-approved housing plans available to interested developers.