New 2026 Members Manual
What is the WCHT Members Manual?
Our Members Manual explains the model we are using. Housing Trusts in different areas use the same basic premise of selling the home while conserving the land beneath. Since every community has different housing priorities, however, Trusts can differ in the specific programs and strategies they employ.
We released the first edition of our Members Manual in 2024 to detail the basic model and how we were applying it in Watauga. We wrote it in the middle of our first homebuilding process, while still figuring out what the organization would look like in the long term. This new edition takes all the lessons we learned from that first project to inform a new Theory of Change and the organizational structures needed to carry that change out.
We will keep updating the Manual as the organization grows, so it can serve as a definitive reference on WCHT's approach, and a starting point for someone hearing about us for the first time.
We structured the chapters based on common questions about how WCHT operates to clarify our path forward. WCHT has never had employees, yet we have been able to fundraise over $200,000, purchase property, and complete a multi-year reno on a 100-year old home. This Manual details how we envision this model scaling and becoming a long-term institution for housing in Watauga, a democratic institution run by the community itself to provide for its own housing needs.
If that makes you curious, please read the new Manual and let us know what you think. We are actively inviting more community members to run for our Board of Directors, be part of an Executive Committee, or join/start a project Working Group. Let us know if you're interested- we are still accepting nominations for the 26-27 Board- if you would like to be part of WCHT’s leadership, submit a nomination here.
Annual Members Meeting
On April 27th at 6pm at Parallel Brewing we will host our 2026 Annual Members Meeting.
At this event, incoming board members will introduce themselves and current board members will share proposals for the next fiscal year’s budget.
All WCHT Members may vote on these proposals to shape the budget for the coming year.
Voting will be open for two weeks online after this event. Look out for more information in our next newsletter.
If we want different results for our community, we need to take on different strategies. If we want more affordable options in our housing landscape, we need to create them ourselves. That's what the Members Manual is for: to show how possible it is if we as a community want it.
Read or share the Members Manual online with this link:
Print copies are available at any WCHT meeting or tabling event!
Here is the 2024 Members Manual to show our progress.
Thank you, more soon!