In March and April of 2022, a community-wide Watauga Housing Forum was held. These four sessions spanned eight weeks and included topics on safety, accessibility, affordability, and potential solutions. During the sessions, community members shared stories, local housing data was examined, panelists spoke, and facilitators conducted roundtable discussions. Roughly 120-200 community members were present at each session. 

 

Following the sessions, the Watauga Housing Council (WHC) was organized in June of 2022.​ 

 

The Watauga Housing Council used a Results-Based Accountability (RBA) Framework to identify community action steps, priorities, and vision.  WHC's vision is that all people in Watauga County have secure and stable housing. WHC's mission is to increase housing supply for Watauga community residents who are cost-burdened through partnerships and systemic change. 

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Watauga Housing Council fulfills its mission through the following strategic objectives:

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1. Explore new housing opportunities and solutions with stakeholders & evaluate desired outcomes

2. Coordinate with community partners to identify and secure private, local, state, and federal funding and resources

3. Seek, integrate, and disseminate continuous data from target communities within Watauga and act as an information hub

4. Develop and maintain backbone support for long-term collective impact effort on housing

 

Three committees were formed to conduct work: Community Outreach, Housing Solutions, and WHC Structure & Fiscal/Sustainability. Watauga Housing Council meets monthly, on the first Tuesday of every month from 3:30pm-5pm. All are welcome.