As Wyoming Housing Network (WHN) celebrates its 20th anniversary, the organization reflects on two decades of service to communities across the state. Founded in 2005, WHN is a statewide nonprofit with a mission to strengthen Wyoming communities by providing quality resources and opportunities for people to reach their housing goals.
A Legacy of Affordable Housing
Over the past 20 years, WHN has played a crucial role in expanding access to affordable rental housing. With 14 properties located in cities such as Cheyenne, Powell, Casper, Cody, Guernsey, Riverton, Torrington and Wheatland, WHN provides safe, affordable homes for hundreds of Wyoming residents. These properties are the result of strong partnerships with local communities and are part of WHN’s ongoing effort to meet the state’s growing housing needs.
The organization’s most recent project, Robins’ Point in Cheyenne, is a 48-unit multi-family affordable housing complex currently under construction. As WHN continues to look ahead, it actively seeks new partnerships with Wyoming communities to develop additional affordable and permanent supportive housing projects — ensuring that all residents have access to stable, quality homes.
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Comprehensive Housing Counseling for Every Stage
WHN’s impact extends beyond bricks and mortar. Through its robust housing counseling program, WHN empowers individuals and families to navigate their housing and financial journeys with confidence. Most services are offered at no cost, ensuring they are accessible to all.
“As counselors, our goal is to equip Wyoming families with the tools they need to succeed in their housing journey,” says Manuela Ortiz, the housing counseling manager for WHN. “We are honored that they’ve chosen us to help guide them and answer their questions.” With decades of experience as a team, WHN loves to help guide residents in their home buying and give them the tools to financial success that isn’t limited to homeownership.
The services WHN counseling includes:
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Homebuyer Education – Helping prospective buyers understand the homeownership process and prepare for long-term success.
Financial Capabilities Coaching – Supporting residents in managing money, building credit and achieving financial stability.
Rental Counseling – Assisting renters with budgeting, lease understanding and tenant rights.
Foreclosure Counseling – Offering support to homeowners facing hardship and exploring solutions to keep them in their homes.
Reverse Mortgage Counseling – Helping seniors make informed decisions about reverse mortgage options.
WHN’s counselors provide personalized guidance to help residents make informed, empowered decisions about their housing and finances. One participant noted, “The counselor was very knowledgeable and easy to work with. Super helpful when I had questions and understood our concerns when we expressed them. I definitely feel that this information will be helpful to my husband and myself as we adjust to being homeowners instead of lifelong renters.”
Looking Toward the Future
As WHN commemorates 20 years of service, the organization remains deeply committed to its mission. Looking forward, WHN plans to continue expanding homeownership opportunities, increasing the availability of affordable rental housing and offering comprehensive counseling and education services.
The celebration of this milestone is not just a look back, but a reaffirmation of WHN’s vision: a Wyoming where everyone has access to a safe, affordable and sustainable place to call home. For more information about WHN’s housing developments or counseling services, visit www.whninc.org. Whether you’re looking for a home, facing financial hardship or planning for the future, WHN is here to help — every step of the way.
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This month, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, is a fitting time for reflection. Our focus turns toward family and community, and the changing weather causes us to slow down. It is a good time to take stock of the society around us. The Thanksgiving holiday naturally turns our minds to what we are grateful for — what already exists that we cherish. Christmas is a holiday of hope, focused on the promise of what is yet to come. With these holidays in mind, let us reflect on what parts of our state we are thankful for and hopeful about.
Perhaps the thing Wyomingites hold most dear is our heritage. Culturally, we are descended from pioneers and settlers — or from those who came before — and we take that frontier heritage to heart. We value independence, community and overcoming challenges. We are willing to endure hardship to build a life that we want, and we are closely attuned to the natural world and the benefits that it provides. Above all else, we know that our perch in this place is still precarious. These are perspectives that are hard to find elsewhere. They set us apart. By embracing these values, we create a society that fits our circumstances. These ideas would not fit in other places, but they fit here, and for that I am grateful.
I am also thankful for the good stewardship of our forefathers. Wyoming is a harsh place and it’s challenging to thrive here. Most of our land is arid and inhospitable, our physical conditions are difficult, and we are remote from most modern conveniences and luxuries. With poor planning or shortsighted leadership, this place could easily fall into decline.
Fortunately, we have been blessed with the opposite. The state’s early settlers understood the importance of building the infrastructure that would allow for growth. When it became clear that natural resources would power our economy, our leaders decided to set aside large portions of the state’s mineral revenue to support us in perpetuity. The easy decision — the short-sighted decision — would have been to spend those dollars on the needs of the day. They certainly could have built some nice things, and those projects would have been popular. They also would have been fleeting. Because of wise leadership and decisions that focused on the long-term, we all benefit from our state’s bounty.
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Just as we are grateful for the good decisions of the past, we should be hopeful for the future. Despite our state’s challenges, there are many good reasons to have hope. First, our state is full of opportunity. We have space, natural resources, and the ability to be nimble when it comes to building regulatory structures that can support new industries. Our people are hard-working and determined. We have existing expertise in manufacturing and mining that is missing in many other parts of the country. Our climate and location give Wyoming an advantage in attracting computing facilities to locate here. If we take advantage of the opportunities in front of us, Wyoming is poised to thrive, and that gives me hope.
I am also hopeful because there appears to be a growing consensus on the issues we face, which allows us to better meet these challenges. In surveys and conversations about Wyoming’s future, the challenges of economic diversification and talent retention quickly rise to the top. We recognize where our weaknesses are, which is a significant part of the battle. Once we agree on the problem, we can work to find solutions.
Finding a fix is often an easier undertaking than identifying the problem itself. Already, drilling into these challenges has helped us recognize the underlying problems connected to affordable housing, livable spaces, health care access and education. Understanding how these fit together and how improvements in one area can lead to improvements in others puts us on a much more manageable path. It will still not be easy to overcome our hurdles, but the fact that we must wrestle with difficult problems is not unusual or unique. We have answered big questions before. Now that we have a growing consensus on what those problems are, I am far more hopeful about our ability to move forward.
In this holiday season, we should take the time to contemplate the world around us. Self-reflection is important. We should look both behind us and ahead of us, toward the past and gratitude and the future and hope. Our state gives us plenty to consider on both accounts.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Wyoming Department of Transportation has reported that the ongoing high wind speeds throughout the state have caused 39 vehicles to crash on Wyoming highways so far this week, primarily between Dec. 9 and Dec. 11.
According to a report from WYDOT, most of the crashes occurred on Interstate 80 near Cooper Cove west of Laramie, on I-25 on Wyo Hill south of Cheyenne and along I-25 near Wheatland at Bordeaux. Many blown-over vehicles were underweight, and some trailers were even empty.
WYDOT updates the minimum weights listed on overhead digital messaging signs based on real-time wind speeds. Drivers are encouraged to check weight-based wind closure information often to ensure travel is permitted.
It’s not just commercial vehicles that are at risk, either; the department reports that campers, toy-haulers and other large trailers are also susceptible to blowing over in strong winds.
June skiing and pond-skimming at Arapahoe Basin in Colorado
Skiers and snowboarders soak in the sun and attempt to make it across a pond on a June day at Arapahoe Basin in Colorado
Snowy Range ski area is scheduled to open for the season on Dec. 12.
Daily lift ticket prices range from $40 for children to $69 for adults.
Snowy Range, one of the closest ski areas to Fort Collins, is scheduled to open for the season Dec. 12 and remain open through April 12, 2026.
The ski area had a snow depth of about 30 inches on Dec. 9, spokesperson Kate Lessman told the Coloradoan in an email.
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Daily lift tickets range in price from $59-$69 purchased onsite for adults, $52-$62 for teenagers ages 13-17 and $40-$50 for children ages 5-12. Children age 4 and younger and senior citizens age 70 and older can ski for free. Tickets purchased in advance online are discounted $5.
More: Complete Colorado ski resort guide
Snowy Range Ski and Recreation Area is located about 100 miles northwest of Fort Collins and 36 miles west of Laramie, Wyoming.
For additional information, visit the ski area’s website.
Coloradoan reporter Kelly Lyell can be reached at KellyLyell@coloradoan.com. Follow him on x.com/KellyLyell, threads.net/KellyLyell and facebook.com/KellyLyell.news.
