Goodwill Landing project will create affordable rentals, employ new technology and support construction workforce training with Casper College
Casper, Wyo. – Aug. 19, 2026 – Wells Fargo today announced a $1 million grant to Wyoming Housing Network to support the Goodwill Landing Housing Innovation Project, a pioneering affordable housing development designed to expand housing supply, strengthen workforce development, and create a scalable model for rural communities across Wyoming. The announcement was made during a panel discussion and housing demonstration event at Casper College, featuring Mike Rowe, CEO of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation and best known as the creator and host of Dirty Jobs.
The philanthropic investment will support Phase One of Goodwill Landing, a first-of-its-kind affordable housing development in Casper that will create 24 permanent affordable rental homes using innovative construction technologies developed by InOurHands. The project combines housing development, supportive services, and workforce training to help address two of Wyoming’s most pressing challenges: housing availability and skilled labor shortages.
“Across Wyoming and the country, workforce housing shortages are an obstacle to long term economic growth,” said Jason Rosenberg, head of Public Affairs at Wells Fargo. “We’re proud to partner with Wyoming Housing Network, which is expanding the housing supply and the skilled workforce needed to build more homes statewide to help the region remain competitive for workers and businesses.”
Across Wyoming and many rural communities nationwide, housing shortages create barriers for attracting employers, building a local workforce and keeping people in rural towns they love. Goodwill Landing is designed to help address those challenges through an innovative approach that lowers construction costs, improves energy efficiency, and creates pathways for future housing production.
“Wyoming applauds the work of the Wyoming Housing Network and the generosity of Wells Fargo. Goodwill Landing is innovative — a tremendous opportunity for its future residents and a model for our state and the nation.” Governor Mark Gordon (R-WY) said. “While our top-tier education system prepares citizens for highly skilled careers, Wyoming still faces a talent drain due to a lack of starter homes. To expand economic opportunities and keep Wyoming families together, solving this housing challenge is absolutely essential.”
Led by Wyoming Housing Network, the development will feature 22 dome-style homes, two ADA-accessible duplex units, and a community clubhouse that will provide on-site property management and supportive services. Through partnership with InOurHands, which developed the High Performance Structural Cellular Concrete (HPSCC) construction methods, the homes will be built with interlocking panels that can be poured, be cured in a matter of days and then assembled on site.
“Housing stability is life-changing for people and communities,” said Melissa Noah, executive director of the Wyoming Housing Network. “We believe in stable homes and a stronger Wyoming. With this funding, we’re piloting housing innovation that can bring down the cost of construction to create affordable homes that can change lives in Casper and beyond. The Goodwill Landing Housing Project in Natrona County is catalyst for collaboration to address Wyoming’s housing and construction trades program. I like to say this project brings together dreamers, like our partners, and believers, like Wells Fargo, to strengthen communities.”
In addition to increasing housing supply, the project will serve as a workforce development hub. In collaboration with Casper College’s construction trades program and Natrona County School District’s Pathways Innovation Center, students will have the opportunity for hands-on training to innovative construction technology through the Goodwill Landing project.
“The need for affordable housing along with a skilled workforce go hand in hand, and the genius of this program lies in its ability to address both, while serving as a template for other communities throughout Wyoming,” said Mike Rowe. “It’s simply impossible to overstate the extent of the opportunity waiting for a skilled tradesperson in 2026, especially in the construction industry. Along with Wells Fargo, my own foundation is doing all we can to reinvigorate the skilled trades in America. This program is further proof of that commitment.”
Goodwill Landing is intended to serve as a proof-of-concept for future affordable housing developments. Upon completion, the construction equipment, trained workforce, and building technology will remain available for future projects, creating opportunities to replicate the model in communities throughout Wyoming. With the partnerships built around this effort, the goal is to not only have more homes available but to increase the number of skilled trades workers and entrepreneurs rooted in Wyoming towns and rural communities.
Wells Fargo has a longstanding commitment to advancing housing affordability and economic opportunity nationwide. Since 2019, the company and the Wells Fargo Foundation have invested more than $830 million in philanthropic initiatives that help increase housing affordability, improve housing stability, and expand access to economic opportunity in communities across the country.
About Wyoming Housing Network
For 20 years the Wyoming Housing Network, Inc. (WHN) has served the State of Wyoming. The mission of WHN is to strengthen Wyoming communities by providing quality resources and opportunities for people to reach their housing goals. WHN accomplishes its mission as a Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) by creating affordable housing across the state and by delivering high-quality housing education services: homebuyer education and counseling, financial capabilities programs, reverse mortgage counseling, housing counseling, homeowner counseling, foreclosure prevention services, post-foreclosure counseling, and rental coaching. We have 14 income restricted properties around the state. WHN’s capacity to accomplish its mission is expanded as the only Wyoming Affiliate of NeighborWorks® America and the only HUD certified Housing Counseling Agency in the State.
