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1) Age and Household Size

You must be 18 years or older. Your household size must be appropriate to the available home size. 

2) Employment

• Applicant must be employed at a Local Business for 30 hours per week, year-round in Teton County, WY

• The Local Business must be physically located within Teton County, WY and must verify business status physically located in Teton County, WY

• Employees must be required to work in Teton County, WY to perform their job

3) Income & Asset Limits

A single household income must be under $118,860.  Household size of 2 or larger must be under $169,880.*

Total net assets must be under $339,600, not including retirement funds. 

4) Other Property

You may not own another home or land in Teton County, WY. If you do and are offered an Affordable home, you will be required to sell it.

*Some public sector employees may be exempt from the Community Housing Trust’s traditional income limits.

If you think you could be exempt, please send an email inquiry to housing@housingtrustjh.org

Household Size

What is a household—and why does size matter?

1. Your household includes everyone who will live in the home with you—a spouse or partner, children, a parent, a roommate, or anyone else who will be a permanent resident.

2. Household size matters for two reasons:

   a) Income limits are based on household size. Larger households can earn more and still qualify because it costs more to support more people.

   b) Home size must match household size. We want our homes to fit the families who live in them. For example, a 1-bedroom home is appropriate for 1–2 people, while a 3-bedroom home requires at least 2 people.

What is your household’s annual income?

How to determine your household income:

Income includes wages, salaries, and other earnings for all working adults who will live in the home. When in doubt, count everyone's income.

What is the income limit?

A household’s income cannot exceed 120% of the median income for Teton County, WY. To qualify for a CHT home, your household's total annual income must be at or below our income limit indicated in the chart below.

The median income in Teton County is the dollar amount at which half of households earn more and half earn less. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). calculates this figure for every county annually.

Because wealthy part-time residents and second-home owners are included in the Census data, Teton County's official median looks unusually high — far above what most working locals actually earn. For that reason, we've adjusted our limits upward for households of 2–4 people to better reflect the reality of working in Jackson Hole.

*** Some public sector employees may be exempt from the Community Housing Trust’s traditional income limits. If you think you could be exempt, please send an email inquiry to housing@housingtrustjh.org*

Is there also a minimum amount I need to make?

Yes. The national standard for Household affordability is that a Household does not pay more than 30% of its gross income toward housing costs. Therefore, monthly payments cannot exceed 30% of the Median Family Income for each affordability range.

Assets

What are assets — and am I under the limit?

Add up the approximate market value of your assets. If the total is under $339,600, you likely meet this requirement.

Assets are things of financial value you own beyond your regular income. Common examples include:

• Savings and checking accounts

• Stocks, bonds, or mutual funds

• Retirement accounts (e.g., 401k, IRA)

• Real estate or property you own

• Vehicles (in some cases)

• Inheritance or trust funds

View Chart Here

Our database weighs a number of factors to determine application ranking. Please find the breakdown of the point system below.

Time Lived in Teton County

1-3 years = 1 point

3-5 years = 2 points

5-7 years = 3 points

7-9 years = 4 points

9+ years = 5 points

Career tenure, serving Teton County, WY

Applicants are awarded .35 points for every year worked as a full-time employee (30+ hours/week) in Teton County, WY, for up to 5 points.

*Applicant maximizes career tenure points at 14.3 career years

Duration of application on file

1-2 years = 1 point

2-3 years = 2 points

3+ years = 3 points

Community Involvement 

Applicants are awarded a total of 5 points for 200 hours of community service or more per adult in the household. Service must be for a non-profit recognized by the Community Foundation, non-paid and non-required.

Bonus points

Additional points are awarded to essential careers in our community and existing CHT homeownership. 

Level 3: 

• Emergency and medical personnel (Fire/EMS, Police, Dispatch; MDs, nurses, PAs, PTs) +1.5

• Educators: Teachers, Principals, Assistant Principals, Guidance Counselors, and Therapists+1.5

 Level 2: 

• Non-profit Programmatic or Leadership Employees +.75

• Public Sector Programmatic or Leadership Employees (incl. local, state, federal) +.75

• Public Infrastructure/Critical Service Providers (Plumbers, Electricians, Sanitation) +.75

​Level 1:

• All other occupations +0

• Existing Community Housing Trust homeowner: 5+ years as a JHCHT homeowner, but no change in household size = 1 point, 2+ years as JHCHT homeowner and a change in household size = 2 points.

1) Submit application online or in person

a. Upon receipt of your application, your information will be uploaded to a database of active applicants.

b. Upon successful registration, you will receive an email confirmation that you are an active applicant.

c. Your application will remain active until you direct the Community Housing Trust to remove your application from the waiting list.

2) Keep the CHT up to date & be prepared

Email housing@housingtrustjh.org if any of the following changes:

a. If your contact information changes. We must have a valid email address and phone number for each adult in the household.

b. If your household size changes (e.g. you would like to add a co-applicant).

c. If your employment changes.

d. If you have new volunteer hours to add to your application for a local Jackson, WY non-profit.

e. The selection process moves quickly. We encourage everyone who is patiently waiting on the to prepare yourself mentally and financially for “the call.”

3) Housing Opportunity becomes available

a) Once a home or rental opportunity is available, the CHT will send it out to the active database. Once all interested applicants have expressed interest by the set deadline, we offer the opportunity to the highest-ranked pre-qualified applicant.

b. Once offered a home, you will be given one week to decide if you want to purchase the home. If the home offered to you is not the right fit for you or your family, we encourage passing on the home until the right home becomes available to suit your needs. This process is structured to help Community Housing Trust applicants find a home that is the right fit, at the right price, at the right time.

c. Household must provide a current pre-qualification letter that is less than 3 months old to demonstrate they can afford to purchase the home they have been offered.

d. A sales contract will be offered upon the receipt of a pre-qualification letter.  Once executed, JHCHT will commence a full qualification process with the household.  The Community Housing Trust staff is available to help you through each step of the process.  Once the purchase has closed, the joy of affordable homeownership begins. 

4) Additional Notes for Homeowner Applications

Each household is asked to submit a financial pre-qualification form completed by a local lender. You can apply without this initially and submit at a later date if needed. The pre-qualification better informs the Community Housing Trust on what the local workforce can afford. With your lender, you should take into consideration the required $2,000 earnest money deposit (due upon execution of a sales contract), the amount of down payment you can afford, your creditworthiness, your gross annual income, and any debt that you may have. Your lender should note conservative assumptions for interest rates and debt-to-income ratios. 

Apply Here

Our current interest list includes approximately 1,200 households. Wait times vary significantly by unit type. One bedrooms often move quicker while larger family units typically have longer wait times. While some applicants remain on the list longer due to personal preference or changing circumstances, the average active wait time for households that ultimately purchase or lease is typically far shorter than the size of the list might imply. Give us a call if you would like to check on where your household stands on the list.