Employees at Yellowstone National Park will have more affordable housing options, thanks to a $40 million gift that was announced on Thursday by the National Park Foundation and National Park Service.
According to a news release, the gift will expand and improve employee housing at Yellowstone, funding more than 70 new modular units that will help ease a "critical shortage" of affordable employee housing.
The release said the investment was made possible by donors who wish to remain anonymous.
“This transformational gift will meet a critical need for new housing in Yellowstone, and be a catalyst for more philanthropic investment,” Will Shafroth, President and CEO of the National Park Foundation stated in the release. “These skilled, dedicated professionals at the National Park Service who protect our parks and make visitors’ experiences great deserve housing they can be proud to call home.”
"This gift will be transformational in helping us continue improving employee housing across Yellowstone," added Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Cam Sholly. "Our thanks to the donors for their generosity and commitment to meet the needs of park employees and to the Park Foundation for its leadership and continued partnership."
According to the release, the $40 million gift bridges a funding gap to meet current employee housing needs and will serve as a model to accelerate employee housing construction at national parks across the U.S.
Work on Yellowstone's new units is set to begin later this year.
