Whitefish Housing names executive director
Housing Whitefish has named Daniel Sidder as the organization's executive director and first full-time staff member.
Sidder recently relocated to the Flathead Valley from Corvallis, Oregon where he served as the development director at Benton Habitat for Humanity. While at Benton Habitat, Sidder led the fundraising efforts, community engagement and strategic partnerships. Sidder will be tasked with much of the same in his new role at Housing Whitefish.
“The organization has done a great job securing initial funding and I’m grateful to those in the community that have supported our mission thus far,” Sidder said in a media release.
The start-up funding for Sidder’s position comes from a donation from Mark and Robyn Jones, along with grants from the Whitefish Community Foundation and Explore Whitefish’s Community Sustainability Fund.
The group said the finalized Whitefish Community Housing Roadmap offers clear priorities for the organization to pursue.
"The Roadmap identifies Housing Whitefish as a key partner that will assist the city and community in meeting its ambitious housing strategies by establishing public/private development partnerships, applying for federal and state grants, and securing private donations to support the development of affordable housing projects," the media release stated.
“I’m impressed with the work that has been done around community housing in Whitefish,” acknowledged Sidder. “The scale of the housing crisis across the community can intimidating, and Whitefish has taken pragmatic and thoughtful approach in developing the new Housing Roadmap.”
For Sidder, his goals for the first few months on the job are to start building relationships, identifying funding opportunities, and getting to know the Whitefish community.
“I can tell there are a lot of people that care deeply about this community, and I’m ready to be another one,” Sidder said.
To find more information about Housing Whitefish, visit www.housingwhitefish.org or email Sidder at daniel@housingwhitefish.org