Under this section are Affordable Housing, Homelessness, and Housing
Affordable Housing
ACTIONS:
State House of Representative, HD38 Gretchen Rydin (term ending Jan. 2027, gretchenforcolorado.com)
While serving on the Littleton City Council, I advocated for an inclusive housing ordinance, which passed in 2022 and requires a percentage of all new development--for sale and for rent homes--be affordable. At the state level, I plan to remove barriers to and expand funding for local governments and nonprofits to build more affordable housing, stabilize rents, and prevent homelessness.
County Commissioner, District 1, Carrie Warren-Gully (term ending Jan. 2029, carrie4commissioner.com)
This past year and in 2023, we worked closely with our state legislators , local elected leaders and city council members to support policies that would increase funding for affordable housing. We also signed on to Proposition 123, which is the dedicated state income tax revenue that funds housing projects including creating the State Affordable Housing Fund.
We have more than 100,000 housing units approved and ready to be built that will provide housing for over a quarter of a million individuals and families. Yet and still we need more housing options and I will continue to work with our municipalities and nonprofit partners on this issue.
The American Rescue Act Dollars have been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to provide additional funding for our work. We have dedicated $20,000,000 towards Homelessness in our County. $10,000,000 of this is for affordable housing grants and gap funding for projects already started but have seen significant increases in costs from inflation.
Homelessness
ACTIONS:
County Commissioner, District 1, Carrie Warren-Gully (term ending Jan. 2029, carrie4commisioner.com)
We have started some amazing partnerships with many of our municipalities to work on homelessness. I have been actively involved with the Tri-Cities (Littleton, Englewood, and Sheridan communities) homelessness plan. Many community partners are coming to the table to create a “navigation center” in our area that can provide a “one-stop” location for our neighbors experiencing homelessness to receive wrap-around services.
Again, here are some specifics about the use of our ARPA dollars:
Homelessness/Housing: ≈ $23,060,000
• Homelessness Program Administrator: $260,000
• Eviction Assistance Pilot Program: $1,500,000.
• Affordable Housing Grant Program: $10,000,000
• Permanent Supportive Housing—Justice Involved∆: $3,000,000.
• Ready to Work—West Side: $1,000,000.
• Tri-Cities Navigation Center: $300,000.
• Aurora Shelter/Safe Housing Options∆: $5,000,000
• State Ridge View Campus: $2,000,000
The County provides so many services to keep people housed through our rental assistance programs and our Eviction Assistance Pilot Program mentioned above.
We are also working with the Metro Denver Homelessness Initiative on their “built for zero” project to end homelessness across the Denver Metro region.
City of Centennial (centennialco.gov)
The City of Centennial partners with Arapahoe County and other local organizations to address homelessness in the community. See Arapahoe County Carrie Warren-Gully above.
State Senator, District 16, Chris Kolker (term ending Jan. 2029, kolkerforcolorado.com)
HD22-1377 Grant Program Providing Responses To Homelessness to reduce the rate of homelessness by supporting communities to develop and implement support systems that are designed to connect people without stable housing to services, care, and housing to help ensure that when homelessness occurs, it is rare and brief, and that no one gets left behind. $105 million in flexible grant funding will go to local governments and nonprofits that are pursuing innovative measures to address the needs of Coloradans experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. Those initiatives may include wraparound supportive services, care coordination, emergency shelters, transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, and property conversion. Governor Polis signed: 05/31/2022
Transformational Housing Response Grant Program
Informed by HB22-1304 and HB22-1377, the Transformational Homelessness Response (THR) grant program aims to ensure everyone in Colorado has a safe and stable place to live and thrive.
In 2023, the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), through the Division of Housing (DOH), awarded over $86 million in THR funding to projects across Colorado. These grants will run through September 2026.
The main objective of all THR funded programs is to prevent or end individuals’ homelessness as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Programs funded by the THR grant program will fundamentally shift the landscape of homelessness within the project’s community, region, and the State, by transforming systems, programs, and outcomes while being responsive to the one-time nature of the funding provided.
Housing
ACTIONS:
State Senator, District 16, Chris Kolker (term ending Jan. 2029, kolkerforcolorado.com)
SB24-111 Senior Property Tax Portability This bill is a real testament to my respect and consideration for older Coloradans. Allowing seniors to keep their property tax benefits when they move not only increases financial stability, but empowers our elders, making it easier for them to find a suitable place to live during some of the most meaningful years of their lives. Governor Polis signed: 05/14/2024
SB24-233 Property Tax Relief Provides a long-term solution to prevent drastic property tax ballot measures, which will increase tax stability, and predictability for property owners, businesses, schools, and local governments. Governor Polis signed: 05/14/2024
HB24-1052 Senior Housing Tax Credit: This bill introduces a tax credit specifically for senior housing, helping our older community members afford a comfortable and secure place to live. I am committed to maintaining the dignity of our elders through policies that empower this wonderful population. Governor Polis signed: 05/14/2024
Colorado Attorney General, Phil Weiser (term ending Jan. 2027, coag.gov)
Colorado Partnership for Education and Rural Revitalization
A housing initiative in Southern Colorado
Communities in Southeast Colorado have long faced challenges with blighted housing and shortages on available housing stock. This housing shortage is largely due to the age of houses and the lack of appropriately trained labor in the area. Many of these houses were constructed before 1990, and a large percentage of those were constructed before 1939. Because the cost to repair, rebuild, or renovate the houses often exceeds their resale value, many commercial homebuilders will not build in the area.
That is why Attorney General Phil Weiser announced a new grant program in the Office of Community Engagement designed to both revitalize rural housing and support construction training programs at community colleges in Southeast Colorado.
The Colorado Attorney General’s Office, as part of its new Colorado Partnership for Education and Rural Revitalization (COPERR), announced in 2020 grants of up to $5 million to Trinidad State College and Lamar Community College to develop skilled trades programs that will address labor shortages and increase the availability of viable and affordable housing in southern Colorado. In February 2023, the office announced an expansion of the program to include a new trades program at Pueblo Corporate College, a division of Pueblo Community College, and expanded programs at Trinidad State College and Lamar Community College. In November 2023, the program expanded to Otero College.
City of Centennial (centennialco.gov)
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are small secondary residential structures located behind the primary house or within an existing house. Alternate names for ADUs include granny flats, mother-in-law apartments, alley houses, secondary dwellings or carriage houses. City Council regulations would allow property owners to construct ADUs with appropriate height, size restrictions, setbacks and other requirements to ensure ADUs will fit seamlessly into Centennial’s neighborhoods.
The ADU regulations implement the City’s comprehensive plan, Centennial NEXT, which identifies the community’s desire to:
Provide opportunities for new housing options that meet market trends and the evolving needs of current residents.
Explore the allowance for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) within residential areas, subject to operation and design guidelines that respect the character and context of the City’s various neighborhoods and zone districts.
Offering ADUs can address a portion of the City’s housing demand with minimal impact on neighboring properties. ADUs can house family members or provide a rental home for a small household.
Ordinance No. 2024-O-03(PDF, 279KB) passed with a 9-0 vote by City Council on May 7. The Ordinance will be effective June 15.
Infill Residential Development The City is considering creating additional residential zone districts to create more predictability for what types of homes will be built in new residential projects. This includes additional zone districts for a variety of residential types, including single family detached and attached, townhomes, multifamily, etc.
One of the goals in creating these additional zone districts is to prioritize compatibility, ensuring new homes blend with the existing neighborhoods. These additional zone districts would apply only to new residential projects and are not intended to replace the primary residential zone district in the City, called Neighborhood Conservation (NC).
POSITIONS:
State House of Representatives, District 37 (HD37), Chad Clifford (term ending Jan. 2027, chadforcolorado.com)
We have a real issue in Arapahoe County where housing inventory vs. demand has created a crisis for affordable housing. When I moved to Colorado in 2013, houses in my neighborhood could be purchased by working families with decent jobs. Today, the same neighborhood would be unaffordable for most new families. This is already having an impact on our community and is an issue that will most shape our district in the next 10 years.
Seniors who raised families here can't afford to downsize due to property tax burdens on inflated property costs, people who work in our community can't afford homes here, and children that grew up here move to other areas due to the price of housing.
It's so important that we get this right. My "mission" for housing in District 37 is to work on incentives that expand housing inventory – more places to live at affordable prices. We need to build a wider variety of housing projects that create a mix of dense use, affordability, and responsible transportation. My ideas for this are more sites like "Southglenn," but affordable and ownable. In order to attract this, we need to deal with existing "Defects Laws" that have scared developers away, and incentivize affordable housing. This issue impacts every resident of the district and has to be a top priority.
Additionally, we need to expand Homestead Exemption and provide other tax relief for people who have owned their homes in our communities for many years and reduce the burden on downsizing or moving.
Another area that I plan to tend to in 2024 are consumer protection issues that are impacting homebuyers such as delayed closings (for profit), and adjustments to our "Defects Laws" that stifle building new housing.