The sound of children laughing filled the pristine rooms, echoing against the bare walls of their brand new home. Having just closed on the Cody house the previous day, Nathan and Tiana Ballard were thrilled to finally be able to afford a house in their hometown — something they doubted would ever happen in Cody.

"We wanted to stay in Cody, but housing is quite expensive," Tiana said, adding that she is a stay-at-home mom and the couple relies on one income. Nathan works for the Shoshone Municipal Pipeline.

But then they applied for and became eligible for financing for a lot and brand new construction on New Hope Drive through Mountain Spirit Habitat for Humanity — next door to two other families who previously qualified for homes and near six other lots awaiting applicants.

The two oldest children, Maylee, 9 and Elsie, 7, were already planning for a butterfly motif in their shared bedroom, while Brinley, 5 and Owen, 3 were still too enamored with the affects of helium combined with mylar balloons to care about motifs, as long as they had a bedroom. All were thrilled to finally have their first new home after spending the last 10 months dreaming about possibilities.

Some folks have assumed the homes are presented to families for free, Tiana said, but that kind of misinformation is disrespectful to families who guard their credit rating like mama grizzly bears to qualify for the homes and have a multiple decade-long mortgage like most homeowners.

The only financial advantages of working with Habitat for Humanity, a Christian nonprofit, are in the amount of property taxes and interest rates they pay: zero.

The savings provide significant benefits to families who might otherwise struggle to invest in the American dream. Owning a home is doubly important for the Ballard family. Their modest house will also be the home-schooled children's alma mater.

Nathan and Tiana were high school sweethearts, meeting in their early teens and still going strong. In 2016, Nathan put a little romance in his proposal by putting an engagement ring on the correct finger of a pair of super soft winter gloves he had purchased for Tiana's Christmas present.

Tiana felt the gloves and then immediately threw them to her mother so she could feel how soft they were. Nathan panicked.

"I was worried, because I thought that ring was gonna fly off," he said.

When Tiana inspected the present and saw the ring, she immediately said yes. Ten years and four children later the family was finally able to move out of Tiana's parents' home. They had been living there for seven years.

They applied with the Mountain Spirit in March, were approved and then worked with Executive Director Rachel Rodriguez-Williams and local builder Joe Atnip to construct their new home. The months flew by fast.

Curiously, despite the organization transitioning from designated application periods to accepting them year-round, there still aren't enough applicants, Rodriguez-Williams said.

"We have six lots left here in the subdivision, so we're eager to build two more next year," she said.

But they need families to apply before they can partner on a house.

When families apply, the staff and board at Mountain Spirit help them through the process. They have a family advocate, so if they have any difficulty with applying, they have that assistance available. After the board determines a family qualifies, they have a blind process to ensure families are chosen without bias or discrimination.

Mountain Spirit's financing is driven by the two Habitat for Humanity stores in Powell, she said.

"We're not just, you know, your average thrift store. We are specifically carrying out a mission to build affordable housing," said Rodriguez-Williams, who has been the director for the past two years.

The funding has allowed the organization to double the amount of homes they can build with partner families, said Mountain Spirit Board President Amy Wells.

"We're so proud to be able to do not one, but two homes [per year] for the last few years. That's pretty amazing," Wells said. "We only have six lots left in [the New Hope] subdivision, which is crazy. We started with 27."

Mountain Spirit Habitat for Humanity expands to Big Horn County

Big Horn County residents can expect some more assistance for affordable housing in the near future as Park County’s Habitat for Humanity program is expanding its services to the neighboring county. 

Mountain Spirit Habitat for Humanity last week announced the move as a way, in large part, to address affordable housing. 

Organization President Amy Wells said Greybull and Basin are being targeted as communities in need of more support. 

“Personally, I wanted Habitat for Humanity to expand because there is a clear need for affordable, decent housing that local residents cannot otherwise access, especially in the Greybull area,” she told the Tribune. “I also believe a ReStore would do well there, as store options are limited in that area.”

Habitat does not give away houses; instead, future homeowners partner with the nonprofit organization to build and pay an affordable mortgage. In 2024, Mountain Spirit Habitat for Humanity built two homes in Cody. The organization is in the process of closing on one of the homes — an open house is 10 a.m. Friday to celebrate that accomplishment — and the other is still under construction. 

The new homeownership program is one of several programs offered by the organization. The revitalization program offers necessary home repairs for qualified homeowners to improve health and living conditions. Recently, a single woman in Deaver was the first recipient in Big Horn County to receive services from the revitalization program. 

The Fresh Start program is funded by a grant through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wyoming’s Caring Foundation. Qualified recipients that are in critical need of items such as clothing or household items receive items from the Restore and Shop on Bent.

Wells said the southern Big Horn County towns of Greybull and Basin are being targeted at present as she sees them as in need of more affordable housing. 

“We have had some early discussions with some Town of Greybull leaders,” she said. “There are a few different land options we are considering.”

Ultimately, Wells said the organization would like to get to the place where houses could be built in both counties simultaneously, but that will depend on fundraising — a Big Horn County Restore would help on that end, she said.

While discussions remain as to how it will all work going forward, Wells said it’s a positive step for the organization.

“I definitely think this is a win for the Big Horn County communities and for Habitat for Humanity,” she said. “Expanding always brings bigger challenges, but potentially being able to help more families is the name of the game, So yes, I'd say success for all.”