All aboard for a new chapter! In preparation for the start of construction of the Pope Street Workforce Housing Project, this historic McKeen railway car, which has long been stored on the property at 963 Pope Street, is now on its way to a fresh start. McKeen railcar enthusiast Madison Read more…
A Mid Year Message August 2024 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE It has been a productive and exciting year so far, and we want to take this opportunity to update you on what we’ve been working on and the progress we’ve made. Pope Street Workforce Housing We are nearly fully funded Read more…
How Much Do You Need to Earn to Afford to Live in Napa Valley? Napa County recently commissioned the State of Housing in Napa Valley report, prepared by Generation Housing (aka Gen H). And the California Housing Partnership recently published the Napa County 2024 Affordable Housing Needs Report. We want Read more…
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE It’s exciting to leap into 2024 as a year of building for Our Town St. Helena (OTSH), which takes on many forms. Building on Our Momentum After several years of predevelopment work and assembling multiple funding sources, this year OTSH will begin constructing 9 new rental apartments Read more…
As wages stagnate and rents continue to rise across the U.S., lower-income renters are increasingly vulnerable to being housing cost-burdened, meaning more than 30 percent of their earnings are spent on housing costs. As a result, they are more frequently threatened with eviction due to their inability to pay rent. Read more…
They teamed up to help build each other’s homes—now they’ve teamed up to score some goals. Brenkle Court FC poses for a photo during the 28th Annual Holiday Cup at Epicenter Sports City in Santa Rosa. Homeowners at Brenkle Court, the first project developed by local affordable housing non-profit Our Read more…
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE A St. Helena landlord I know recently had an apartment for rent in town. It was a 2-bedroom, 1-bath, upstairs unit with one assigned parking space. The monthly rent is $1,850 and the landlord covers water and garbage. Here is a sampling of applicants who ultimately were Read more…
Developing affordable housing is more expensive and takes longer to build than market-rate homes. But why? Here are the major challenges Our Town St. Helena (OTSH) faces as we develop our Pope Street Workforce Housing project (10 units) and the Fountain Street project (approximately 40 units). Complex Financing When the Read more…
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE Hello friends! It is already approaching April and it seems we haven’t come up for air since January to check in and share lots of good news. First, Our Town St. Helena (OTSH) wrapped up 2022 with a very successful end-of-year fundraising campaign. Because of your kind Read more…
What do you do when you can’t find affordable housing near your job? You find the next best option. For 78 percent of the people working in St. Helena, that means commuting. Thirty percent of St. Helena’s workforce commutes from the city of Napa, about 38 miles round-trip. For almost Read more…