Workforce housing for mountain communities
Small team. Hard places. Housing that pencils.
Mountain Housing Partners helps communities build housing for local workers faster, for less, and with neighbors on board.
Our focus
The projects larger developers pass over
We bring together the right team, from factory-built manufacturers and builders to engineers and local partners, to deliver ADUs, small multifamily and middle housing on sites that are hard to build on.
These are often projects under a dozen homes. They're too small for large developers and for many modular factories, and they're exactly where we focus. Small manufactured and modular home communities, ADU clusters, cottage courts, small multifamily and middle housing, for rent or for sale.
What we don't do
We don't build large stick-built complexes or LIHTC tax credit projects. We focus on smaller-scale, factory-built and middle housing where a nimble team makes the difference.
Track record
Experience built in North Lake Tahoe and Truckee
Our founders, Erin Casey and Shelly Purdy, have led workforce housing work at Tahoe Housing Hub and Housing Trust Tahoe. Mountain Housing Partners brings that experience to mountain communities beyond North Lake Tahoe and Truckee.
- 80+ homeowners helped to pursue ADUs in the Tahoe-Truckee region over the past 3 years
- 30+ factory-built manufacturers researched for financial stability, snow-load engineering and track record
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Tahoe Housing Hub
A nonprofit that helps housing project applicants navigate the approval process, and advocates for streamlined approvals, better incentives and community support for housing.
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Housing Trust Tahoe
A nonprofit that acquires and preserves workforce housing in the Tahoe region.
Mountain Housing Partners is separate from both nonprofits and does not speak for them.
Partners we work with
The team behind the work
We bring together the firms that get projects built, from factory-built homes to land use and structural engineering.
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Clever Tiny Homes
Factory-built homes
ADUs, duplexes and triplexes, including an HCD-approved factory-built duplex, plus tiny homes on wheels certified to ANSI 119.5 and NOAH+ standards. Models engineered for mountain conditions.
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Exline & Company
Land use and entitlements
Land use planning, permitting and entitlements, including Tahoe Basin and TRPA work.
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Shear Force Engineering
Structural engineering
Truckee-based structural engineers who make sure factory-built homes meet local code and snow-load requirements.
Services
How we help
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01
Development partner for small-scale and factory-built communities
We assemble and lead the team to take a project from idea to move-in.
More about development partnership -
02
Factory-built housing advisory
Most factory-built products aren't designed for mountain conditions. We know which ones can be.
More about factory-built housing advisory -
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ADU programs for communities
We help towns, counties and housing organizations launch programs that get ADUs built.
More about ADU programs -
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Community engagement and communications
Housing projects succeed or stall on public support. We bring years of experience in county government, public outreach, media and communications.
More about community engagement -
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Housing strategy and policy
Housing strategies, zoning and code review, and grant and funding strategy for towns, counties, special districts and employers.
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06
Housing on mission-driven land
Churches, school districts, nonprofits and employers often own land that could house local workers. We help them see what's possible and get it built.
More about housing on mission-driven land
Who we work with
Partners with land, a need or an RFQ
- Towns, counties and special districts Working with public agencies
- Employers housing their workforce
- Churches, school districts and other landowners with a mission
- Housing nonprofits and community organizations
- Development teams responding to RFQs and RFPs for small-scale housing
Where we work
Shaped by mountain towns
We were shaped by mountain towns, and that's where most of our work is, from Lake Tahoe and Truckee to the Eastern Sierra.
But high costs, tough sites and complicated approvals aren't unique to the mountains. If your community faces those challenges anywhere in California, our experience applies.
Our team
Small on purpose
Our small size lets us be creative, flexible and quick, and it means you work directly with the people doing the work.
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Erin Casey
Co-Founder & Principal
More than 20 years leading community organizations in the nonprofit and government sectors, including years in county government in the Tahoe area leading public outreach on large-scale projects.
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Shelly Purdy
Co-Founder & Principal
More than 30 years leading complex marketing, community outreach and engagement campaigns, and firsthand knowledge of the building side of housing.
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Jeremy Purdy
Partner & Construction Lead
Building homes in the Truckee-Tahoe area since 1996, and hands-on in every phase of construction in mountain conditions.