Weighted Drawing Eligibility 

Weighted Drawings for Affordable and Workforce Housing

After filling out our online Intake Form, you will receive a notification via text and/or e-mail whenever a home becomes available via our Affordable or Workforce Housing programs. 

If you review the details of the home and decide that you are both eligible and interested, you may enter the Weighted Drawing for that home. 

You will have two weeks from the weighted drawing notification to complete everything needed to enter the weighted drawing. After the weighted drawing entry period is closed, all applications are submitted to an outside firm to conduct a random, weighted drawing. Drawing results are recorded in the order they are drawn. If the first household drawn declines the home, it will be offered to the second household drawn, and so on. 

You may not enter a weighted drawing for an Affordable home unless you have completed the online Intake Form prior to the announcement of an Affordable home. You are responsible for updating your Intake Form as changes in your status occur. Making changes to your Intake Form account after a weighted drawing has been announced will disqualify you from being able to participate in that weighted drawing. 

Eligibility Requirements for a Weighted Drawing:

  • One adult in the household must be able to prove at least one year of full-time employment at a local business immediately prior to entering the weighted drawing. 

Our definition of "full-time" is 1,560 hours/year (an average of 30 hours per week).

All adults in the household must be able to verify their current employment status, but only one person must prove at least one year of full-time employment at the time the weighted drawing is announced. It is a "weighted" drawing because you will receive one entry for each full year of consecutive, full-time employment at a local business immediately prior to entering a weighted drawing, for a maximum of ten years. 

Entries are based on one person in the household. They are not "doubled up". For example, a two-person household, with one person who has worked full-time locally for four years, and one person who has worked full-time locally for two years will be assigned four entries total. 

Our definition of a "local business" is below:

Local Business: 

Two Part Definition 

A.) A local business means (1) a business physically located within Teton County, Wyoming, holding a business license with the Town of Jackson, Wyoming, or one that can provide other verification of business status physically located in Teton County, Wyoming, and (2) the business serves clients or customers who are physically located in Teton County, Wyoming, and (3) the employees/owners must work in Teton County, Wyoming to perform their job. 

Or 

B.) A business physically located in Teton County Wyoming who employs two or more Qualified Employees, which qualified employees must work in Teton County Wyoming to perform their job.

  • The household must fit into the specific income and asset limit requirements for the home that is available

Affordable Homes: Households of prospective renters must fall within the 0%-120% Median Family Income (MFI) range on our Income Asset Limit Chart.  

Workforce Homes: There are no income or asset limits, and no occupancy requirements. The household must be able to verify that they earn at least 75% of their income locally, and must be able to qualify for the loan for the home. 

  • Debt to Income Ratio

When entering any weighted drawing, a full credit report must be provided for every adult in the household. This will be used to calculate the entire household’s debt to income ratio. Debt to income ratio is the percentage of your income that goes toward total debt payments each month. This includes a mortgage payment. A household’s total debt to income ratio cannot exceed 45%.

  • At least one person in your household must be 18 years of age

Special Cases and Exceptions

  • Critical Service Providers

Households who have verified Critical Services Providers (CSPs) will receive an additional entry into the drawing for each CSP in the household, with a maximum of two points. More details about CSP eligibility can be found here.

  • Permanently Disabled Residents

An individual who is defined as disabled and is unable to be gainfully employed due to the disability meets the employment qualifications for housing in Teton County if the individual has a minimum of one (1) year of full-time residency in Teton County, Wyoming; Teton County, Idaho; or Lincoln County, Wyoming. Other resources for disabled residents can be found here.

  • Accesible Units

For ADA units, priority will be given to households with member(s) who are mobility impaired. If more than one household with a mobility-impaired person applies for an Accessible unit, a weighted drawing will be held. If no households with a mobility-impaired person apply, the weighted drawing will be held with all other applicants. 

  • Interruption of Employment

Interruption of employment is allowed for up to two years for the following reasons:

  • caring for a sick or disabled immediate family member
  • attending secondary school
  • hospitalization

The applicant must be able to verify their employment according to the weighted drawing criteria for at least two years prior to an allowable interruption in employment.

Weighted Drawing entries will not be given for the time period during the interruption of employment.

Weighted Drawing entries will be given for consecutive years employed full-time at a local business immediately prior to, and after the interruption of employment.  

  • Military Service

Active military service in the U.S. Armed Services counts as employment in Teton County, Wyoming if that member of the household met employment criteria in Teton County, Wyoming for a minimum of two years prior to enlisting.

  • Caregiver

Work as a caregiver counts as an employment exemption if the following criteria are met:

1. Full-time Resident: The caregiver is a full-time resident of Teton County, Wyoming; Teton County, Idaho; or Lincoln County, Wyoming. 

2. Duration and Time of Caregiving: The caregiver was or is volunteering all or a portion of their time caring for their own children or an ailing or disabled immediate family member and, therefore, was unable to gain full-time employment in Teton County. Verification will be required using varying methods including but not limited to birth certificates, letter from health provider, and affidavits from family members or neighbors.

Extra Eligibility Requirements for Ownership:

  • At least one person in your household must be a U.S. Citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident

To be eligible to apply for ownership, at least one person in the household must be a U.S. Citizen or a foreign national who has been granted the right to reside permanently in the United States and holds a Green Card (Lawful Permanent Resident).

  • At least one person in your household must take the Homebuyer Education course prior to entering a weighted drawing

To be eligible to apply for ownership units, at least one member of the household must take the Wyoming Housing Network Homebuyer Education course. This is a $75 online course that takes approximately five hours and can be taken at your convenience. If you are a serious prospective buyer, we recommend that you do this course in advance. Otherwise, you will only have a two-week window after a weighted drawing is announced to complete the course and submit your entry. This only needs to be done once -- completion will never expire.

Occupancy Requirements

Affordable Units

To be eligible to enter a weighted drawing, the household size must fit the minimum occupancy requirements as follows:

Studio:                                1 or 2 people

One-bedroom:                    1 or more people

Two-bedroom:                    2 or more people

Three-bedroom:                 1 or 2 adults with at least two dependents. For rental units, 3 or more people.

Four bedroom:                   1 or 2 adults with at least 3 dependents. For rental units, 4 or more people.             

Workforce Units

There are no minimum occupancy requirements for units in the Workforce Housing program. However, if a household enters a drawing and meets the minimum occupancy requirements in accordance with the requirements for the Affordable Program, the household will be given one (1) additional entry into the drawing. 

Any deviation from the minimum occupancy requirements must be approved prior to the drawing through the exception process.

How to Count Household Size

For purposes of counting household size, children or adult dependents must live with the household and be claimed as a dependent on Federal Income tax returns.

To see the full text of Section 4. Weighted Drawing in the 2019 Rules & Regulations, please click here.