Habitat for Humanity of the Eastern Bighorns reports 30 years of local building, launches land‑trust project

Habitat for Humanity of the Eastern Bighorns outlined a series of local housing initiatives to Sheridan’s mayor and council on Feb. 3, reporting three decades of work in Sheridan County and new projects aimed at expanding affordable homeownership and repairs.

The presentation: Johnny Law, director of operations standing in for the usual presenter, summarized the nonprofit’s local record and plans. “Our mission at Habitat is building homes, community, and hope in Sheridan County,” Law said. He told the council Habitat has operated in the county for about 30 years and has built 47 homes in that period.

Land trust and homeownership: Law described a new community land‑trust project north of town intended to preserve permanent affordability. Under the plan applicants would be households with incomes in a range the presenter described as roughly 80–120 percent of area median income who live or work in Sheridan; the land trust would retain ownership of the land while buyers finance structures on leased ground. Law said the ground lease would be “about $50 a month” and that applicants would seek their own mortgage financing. He said selection would use a points system and that the first three units on the site are being built by Stonemill; an RFP for the remaining 27 homes was set to close on Feb. 7.

Repair program and restore operations: Law also described a relaunch of Habitat’s critical home‑repair program aimed at low‑income households; the program will target health and safety repairs and require a volunteer contribution and a small payment schedule with partial forgiveness if payments are completed. Law said the Habitat Restore — the nonprofit’s resale and diversion operation — generated about $275,000 in gross revenue in 2024, diverted an estimated 55,000 items from landfill and served more than 7,000 customers.

Costs and selection: Discussing construction costs, Law said the three homes being built by Stonemill are estimating a construction cost of “about 285” (thousand dollars). In response to council questions he said Area Median Income (AMI) guidance is set by HUD; for a family of four he said the AMI figure the organization used was about $115,000 (based on the 2024 HUD numbers the group currently uses). Law told council the land trust product would likely be sold at about 80 percent of market value and said Habitat is working with local lenders on mortgage options for buyers.

Next steps: Habitat is continuing work on the land‑trust site (foundations and framing were underway), pursuing proposals for the next phases of construction, and plans to ramp up a home‑repair program currently aiming for roughly 10 repairs this year. Law said the nonprofit will share its annual report and contact information with the council for further follow‑up.

Context: The presentation was delivered as a community update; no formal council action was requested or recorded on the item.