In The News – The Sally Fund launched to provide local housing assistance, prevent homelessness
November 12, 2025 | Member Submitted
Originally Published in The Tahoe Daily Tribune, 11/12/2025, Staff Report
St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, Incline Village, announces the creation of The Sally Fund to generate support for our housing-insecure neighbors in North Tahoe-Truckee. Using part of a generous bequest from a longtime member as seed money, St. Patrick’s invites our community to add to this fund–and help prevent homelessness.
Donations will flow to those in need through two outstanding partners—Sierra Community House and Tahoe Family Solutions—who serve individuals and families struggling to enter housing or to stay housed.
As Connie Skidmore, St. Patrick’s Senior Warden states, “When Sally Jane Hammel willed her Incline condo to her church family on her passing in 2020, St. Patrick’s leadership intentionally made a decision to spread her spirit of generosity. The legacy of her home, where Sally shared warmth and hospitality, as well as Sally’s known desire to help others, inspired us to launch a housing assistance fund in her name.”
Housing insecurity seems to be a chronic problem in resort communities like Incline Village. It affects our business owners, business professionals, service workers, retirees, and the young singles we hope will settle down and start families here. When temporary assistance is needed, our family advocacy organizations, such as Tahoe Family Solutions and Sierra Community House, are the boots on the ground. Their resources for financial assistance are limited. Recently, St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church introduced the Sally Fund to raise funds and encourage collaboration among all providers. Some of you may remember Sally Hammell, a longtime resident. The Sally Fund is her legacy. Donate directly to St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church.
I know it’s a trite phrase, but it is so true. It takes a Village…here’s how some other organizations are involved in workforce housing.
IVCBA Housing Committee educates and convenes the community on housing issues. Sign the housing pledge and get on the mailing list. Go to the Housing page to learn more about housing programs in Incline Village. Both Rotary clubs help fund IVCBA’s housing committee.
IVCBA businesses such as Sun Bear Realty and Incline Vacation Rentals also handle long-term rentals. Something not often discussed but deserving of mention is the assistance and forbearance that landlords quietly offer to local tenants who are in a bind.
PLACEMATE is a program funded by Washoe County that gives assistance to landlords willing to lower the rent for locals.
TRPA Living Communities is the regional agency that works to implement policies that would open up and enable multi-family dwellings to be built in the basin.
Word of mouth and social media will always be the ultimate go-to network!
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In The News – IVCBA Workforce Housing Series presents ‘Housing Insecurity in Paradise: A New Solution to a Chronic Problem’
November 4, 2025 | Member Submitted
Originally published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 11/4/2025, Staff Report
Its easy to see the housing crisis escalating in our region: not only in the headlines, but in the stories of friends and neighbors who’ve been priced out or pushed out of their homes, jobs, schools, and communities by rising financial pressure. Housing insecurity is a reality the Incline Village Crystal Bay Association are called to address in North Tahoe-Truckee.
Come to this engaging community presentation–part of National Homelessness Awareness Month–to better understand this problem and also its solutions. New collaborations are forming among local faith-based organizations, social services, civic organizations, and philanthropies to make a difference.
You’ll learn about The Sally Fund to support our neighbors with housing assistance and rapid rehousing funds. Launched by St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, this fund will be distributed to those in need by Sierra Community House and Tahoe Family Solutions. Representatives from the church and these vital social service agencies will explain the fund’s inspiration by long-time resident Sally Jane Hammel–and its power to change lives.
The Sally Fund – Housing Security in North Tahoe-Truckee
October 21, 2025 | Member Submitted
THE SALLY FUND helps our neighbors stay securely housed in the North Tahoe region: Incline Village, Kings Beach, Tahoe City, Truckee, and all unincorporated areas. Launched by St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church in Incline Village, this community fund is a model of the collaboration needed to address our local housing crisis.
PLEASE ADD YOUR SUPPORT!
Why is The Sally Fund needed? We see the housing crisis escalating in our region: not only in the headlines, but in the stories of friends and neighbors who’ve been priced out or pushed out of their homes, jobs, schools, and communities by rising financial pressure. A bad weather season; a serious illness; a sudden jump in rent can upend lives and livelihoods. Without well-timed and well-targeted support, your neighbors may risk homelessness. The Sally Fund is a coordinated way you can help.
What does The Sally Fund do? Our two outstanding partners—Sierra Community House and Tahoe Family Solutions—both serve our community members struggling to enter housing or to stay housed. Their programs criss-cross city, county, and state lines because our workers and residents do the same. We have a regional housing problem.
By funding each agency equally, The Sally Fund is a two-way solution for housing assistance (financial aid to help individuals or families pay their housing costs, housing cost arrears, or utility bills so they can secure and maintain stable housing) and rapid re-housing (tenant-based rental assistance, security deposit, and services for 1–6 months, to help people obtain housing quickly, increase self-sufficiency, and stay housed). Our partners assess and assist clients; our donors fuel their work.
Who is Sally? Sally Jane Hammel, a beloved Tahoe neighbor for over 30 years, was well known as a bright, exuberant personality; an accomplished singer, artist, and thespian; and a longtime local U.S. Postal Service worker who always greeted us with spirit and a smile. A devoted member of St. Patrick’s, Sally willed her Incline condo to her church family on her passing in 2020; a portion of this generous bequest is the seed money for this fund. Her gift of a home, where she shared warmth and hospitality, inspires us to do the same.
How can you help? Please uplift our community, as Sally did, by giving to the fund established in her name (your tax-deductible donation is payable through the QR code below or with a check to St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, 341 Village Blvd., Incline Village, NV 89451, with The Sally Fund in the Memo Line). Ask your church, temple, organization, or business to become an official co-sponsor/funder by contacting St. Patrick’s at 775.831.1418. Come to the fund’s launch Nov. 17, followed by future fundraisers. And spread the word!
Originally published in the TRPA Newsletter, 10/17/2025, Written by Julie Regan
A cheerful crowd of community members, state and local leaders, and affordable housing advocates gathered on the campus of Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) earlier this month to commemorate the opening of a truly remarkable student housing project. As the Tahoe sky did its Fall dance, flashing from hot sun to gray drizzle and back again, we marveled at the new 100-bed dormitory and listened to a moving speech by a student leader that reminded us how important access to safe, affordable housing is in the Tahoe Basin. On behalf of Team Tahoe, congratulations to LTCC for bringing a game-changing affordable housing project to the Tahoe Basin.
The speaker was Hudson Conners, one of the first full-time students to move into the facility. “With scarce housing and high rent, housing became a difficult barrier that had to be overcome,” Conners said. Like many students, some of whom are local high school graduates and hospitality workers, housing became a serious barrier not just to his education, but to the course of life.
The dedication ceremony came less than two building seasons from the start of construction, a speed record of sorts for a major project in the Tahoe Basin and a record-setting completion date for the State of California community college affordable housing initiative. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) played an important role in the permitting process, similar to the 248-unit Sugar Pine Village affordable housing project in South Lake Tahoe where 68 units are already occupied and the next 60 units are under construction.
Team Tahoe came together for both projects, showing we can protect Lake Tahoe and deliver quality affordable housing at the same time. However, much more needs to be done. In addition to the human toll of housing insecurity, today more than half of Lake Tahoe’s workers live outside the basin, which adds to traffic and vehicle emissions that harm air and water quality. We need to be able to scale these successes up in ways that will protect Lake Tahoe’s environment and meet the region’s housing needs.
Enter Cultivating Community, Conserving the Basin. Over the next year, TRPA is leading a public process to advance new policies that maintain environmental protections and current growth limits while creating incentives and lowering costs for many types of affordable housing throughout the region. Earlier phases of this work have made it easier to add accessory dwelling units, created a monitoring and compliance program to protect existing deed-restricted housing, and set new policies for building design that will reduce the cost to create multi-family homes and apartments as long as they are deed-restricted for local workers or certain income levels.
In The News – Mountain communities weigh in on housing (part 2)
October 16, 2025 | Member Submitted
Originally Published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 10/16/2025, Written by Eli Ramos
The unique challenges of creating and maintaining housing in Tahoe have been the focus of the Tribune’s housing series. Now, the Tribune takes a look at other mountain communities: their challenges, triumphs and lessons they’ve learned.
Part 1 of this housing story touches on location and tourism challenges. Part 2 touches on fundi challenges, opinions on housing and lessons learned.
The Tribune spoke with housing managers and planning employees from Ketchum, Idaho (Carissa Connelly); Aspen and Vail, Colorado (Jason Dietz); Jackson and Teton County, Wyoming (April Norton); Hood River, Oregon (Dustin Nielsen); and Mammoth Lakes, California (Marcus Sproll.)
In The News – Sun Bear Realty & Property Management acquires Vacation Station and Incline House Cleaning
October 10, 2025 | Member Submitted
Originally published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 10/10/2025, Staff Report
Sun Bear Realty & Property Management in Incline Village, Nevada, has recently acquired the well-established Vacation Station short-term and long-term property rental business and its subsidiary, Incline House Cleaning.
‘We are happy to announce our recent purchase of Vacation Station and Incline House Cleaning, both of which are long-time businesses based in our hometown of Incline Village,” said Blane Johnson, owner of Sun Bear Realty & Property Management. “We thank Don Cauley and Kathleen Savino for trusting us to continue their well-respected operations and wish them the best as they retire and enjoy their new adventures in life.”
“With this purchase, we look forward to welcoming their staff to the Sun Bear team,” said Johnson.
In The News – Mountain towns weigh in on housing (Part 1)
October 10, 2025 | Member Submitted
Originally published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 10/10/2025, Written by Eli Ramos
The unique challenges of creating and maintaining housing in Tahoe have been the focus of the Tribune’s housing series. Now, the Tribune takes a look at other mountain communities: their challenges, triumphs and lessons they’ve learned.
The Tribune spoke with housing managers and planning employees from Ketchum, Idaho; Aspen and Vail, Colorado; Jackson and Teton County, Wyoming; Hood River, Oregon; and Mammoth Lakes, California. While these communities span across the states, they have similar problems with location, tourism and funding, as well as their own residents’ thoughts on housing development.
Location challenges
While the mountains, lakes and rivers of these rural areas are beautiful, they pose a challenge for developing housing. Limited land makes it harder to build for increasing populations, especially when surrounded by public lands or protected sites.
In The News – Potential priority applicant policy for affordable housing in Placer County
October 9, 2025 | Member Submitted
Originally Published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 10/09/2025, Written by Eli Ramos
On Tuesday, Placer County held their Tahoe workshop to get feedback on a priority applicant policy, which could look similar to South Lake Tahoe’s local preference policy. The public feedback will be used to bring a draft to the Placer County board of supervisors on November 18.
Housing development project planner Marie Maniscalco presented to the small group gathered on the potential policy they’re trying to create. She noted that there has been a feeling that Placer County tends to do things from the top-down and emphasized the importance of sharing input for this undertaking.
Nikki Streegan, housing manager, said that the concept of affordable housing priority policies have been considered in the past, most recently during discussions of Dollar Creek Crossing. The policy would only apply to affordable housing units, which are meant to house those at the 80% area median income or lower. The median income in Placer County is about $84,550.
Originally published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 09/24/2025, Staff Report
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) is hosting a third round of public workshops in October to share and discuss recommended policy changes to encourage more affordable and workforce housing in the Tahoe Basin, while maintaining strict environmental protections. These recommendations have taken shape over this year through community input and technical advisory groups, the agency said today.
Two hands-on workshops are scheduled for October 6 in South Lake Tahoe, Calif. and October 7 in Kings Beach, Calif. The series of workshops are part of the multi-year Cultivating Community, Conserving the Basin project and will review and take feedback on how TRPA has used previous input to shape specific recommendations. Small group discussions will help show participants how different policies could result in on-the-ground changes. The recommendations will be presented to the TRPA Governing Board this year for further consideration.
Cultivating Community, Conserving the Basin will modernize the regional growth management system and regional building regulations to help deliver a greater variety of housing types in the Tahoe Basin.
