In this month’s Town Manager’s Update, I’d like to focus on the impact of Truckee’s Workforce Housing Programs. Our region continues to face a significant housing shortage, and both employers and employees are feeling the strain. Over the past five years, housing has remained a top Town Council priority, and the Town has worked intentionally to develop innovative programs that incentivize meaningful workforce housing solutions.
Many housing solutions rely on contracts or deed restrictions that preserve housing for members of our local workforce. By incentivizing these restrictions, with the interest and support of the property owner, the Town helps ensure these units remain available to those who live and work in our community. We also recognize that our workforce is regional and not defined by invisible jurisdictional boundaries between the Town, Placer County, and Nevada County. That is why the Town’s housing programs—and similar programs offered by Placer County—define workforce eligibility based on employment within local school district boundaries. This approach allows, for example, a teacher who lives in Truckee but works at Kings Beach Elementary to qualify for our programs.
We believe a regional workforce that can live in Truckee strengthens our community character and supports our economic and social foundation. Housing affordability is not just a market issue—it is a community issue, closely tied to who we are, how we function, and our ability to remain a vibrant, year-round town.
It is also exciting to note that several of these housing programs originated right here in Truckee—developed locally in response to real community needs—and are now being replicated in communities across the country. While we recognize there is still much work ahead to secure enough housing restricted specifically for members of our local workforce (defined as employees working for employers within local school district boundaries), we are proud to share updated data on the performance and impact of our workforce housing programs. By regularly evaluating how these programs are working, who they are serving, and their effectiveness, we are better positioned to support our residents, local businesses, and regional partners.
Through a combination of targeted housing initiatives, the Town has now housed more than 860 locals. These programs are designed to address different segments of the housing continuum—rental preservation, conversion of existing homes to long-term rentals, and deed-restricted homeownership—while keeping housing attainable for those who live and work in our community.
The Lease to Locals Program focuses on converting short-term rentals into workforce housing rental units. To date, this program has successfully converted 252 rooms into workforce housing rentals and has housed 626 locals, members of our workforce and their families, making it the Town’s largest workforce housing initiative as well as the first initiative to launch.
The Rooted Renters Program is the newest housing program and is centered on the preservation of existing long-term workforce rental housing. This program secures rental housing for workforce members and has already preserved 65 homes and housed 163 locals, helping renters remain rooted in the Truckee community.
The Truckee Home Access Program supports long-term housing stability through deed-restricted workforce homeownership opportunities. This program has preserved 31 homes for ownership and housed 77 local workforce members and their families, ensuring these homes remain preserved and affordable for future generations of local workers.
Our Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) programs are also starting to take root, having supported 6 ADU projects with loans. Two of those projects have been completed, housing 4 locals.
Looking at where participants work, 42% of those housed are employed within the Town of Truckee, 32% work within Placer County, and 9% work in unincorporated Nevada County. An additional 17% are regional employees who work for organizations with multiple sites throughout the greater Truckee region.
When reviewed by business sector, the data highlights the essential role these programs play in supporting our local economy. Recreation industry employees account for 24% of those housed, followed by food and beverage services (13%), retail (9%), construction (9%), and education (8%). Other key sectors—including public administration, health care, accommodation, and property management—each represent approximately 5% of the workforce served.
We are excited to see these programs fully operational and delivering measurable results for our workforce, neighbors, and business community. If you would like to learn more about these programs, check out the Town’s website at Housing | Truckee, CA. Going forward, this data will directly inform upcoming budget discussions, guide policy recommendations, and help shape the next generation of housing programs as Truckee continues to invest in a strong, resilient, and inclusive community.
Thank you for being part of our Truckee community and for your continued partnership as we work together to support our local workforce, businesses, and neighbors,
Jen Callaway, Town Manager