KEENE — Three organizations in the greater Adirondack region are launching a program incentivizing short-term rental owners to convert their properties to long-term rentals. If it works, they hope to expand to other areas in the Adirondack Park.

The pilot program is a joint venture between Elizabethtown-based nonprofit Adirondack Roots, Keesville-based AdkAction and LivingADK, which focuses on communities along state Route 28: Forestport, Webb, Inlet, Long Lake and Indian Lake.

Megan Murphy, executive director of Adirondack Roots, said it’s a pilot program for a reason — they aren’t sure how much interest there will be. However, she is optimistic that this will be a starting point for people who are considering becoming landlords.

“We are hoping to find some folks who have been thinking about this already and try to inspire them to take that final step and try it,” Murphy said.

The program will offer a $2,000 stipend to 12 STR owners who want to switch to long-term leases for at least a year. This is supported with $20,000 in grants from Adirondack Foundation and the Hudson Headwaters Upstream Fund. The pilot will be open to landlords with rental units in Elizabethtown and surrounding towns such as Keene, Westport and Lewis, and Old Forge and neighboring towns.

Murphy said she knows that $2,000 dollars isn’t a huge sum of money, but this pilot program is meant to be the push for people who are already on the fence about converting to a long-term rental. She suggested the money could be used to store furniture, since STRs are most often furnished, or to work with an accountant or legal firm on the lease.

“People are not knocking down our door waiting to convert,” said Steve Underhill, director of economic development for LivingADK of Old Forge. “But people are out there thinking about it.”

All three organizations acknowledge that there are pros and cons to owning a short or long-term rental and that everybody has different needs, schedules, and capacities. Adirondack Roots has assembled a tool kit that lays out the pros and cons of each type of property. The tool kit provides links to resources about things like tenants’ rights and best practices for management for people who are interested in becoming landlords. Adirondack Roots also has a calculator that can compare the income and expenses of long and short-term rentals.

Underhill said a lot of STR owners have realized that maintaining a rental is a lot of work. In addition to staying abreast of fluctuating STR requirements and regulations, they find themselves saddled with what can be a daily task of cleaning and even serving as unofficial concierges. Meanwhile, LTRs provide a more steady income and require less daily, hands-on work, Underhill said.

There are benefits that some STR owners might not be willing to part with. Murphy has heard from owners who are accustomed to blocking out time at their second properties for friends or family who come to visit the area. The additional responsibilities, legal and otherwise, that come with LTRs should not be taken lightly.

“It’s not for everybody, being a long-term landlord,” Murphy said. “So we do want them to consider this carefully.”

LivingADK has another similar program in the works, the LivingADK InDeed Legacy Housing Program, which provides a more substantial financial incentive for homeowners who agree to keep their property as a long-term rental in perpetuity. Underhill said they have secured funding for the program and have approved their first applicant for the program.

The idea of a short-term rental to long-term rental incentive program is based on success stories from towns in other parts of the country. Vail, Colorado has made strides toward a goal of securing 1,000 deed restrictions. This will ensure thousands of residents have a place to live, according to the town’s website.

Sawyer Bailey, executive director of AdkAction, said this pilot is one of many approaches that organizations like theirs are using to address the housing shortage. While there is a need for new homes, converting existing structures is the fastest and cheapest way to provide housing.

“I think we’re sort of at the place where we have an all-of-the-above strategy for housing,” Bailey said. “It may not seem like a lot to work with 10 properties at this juncture, but that’s 10 more families who are able to be working in the health care space, working in our school districts, being service providers and making sure that the resources that people want to see in strong communities are present.”

The organizations are hosting an online information session at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. To register for this session, access the toolkit or apply for the program, visit https://tinyurl.com/295zmmjk.