Blake Chambliss

People’s Walk

Special Thanks to the Sponsors of the 2004 People’s Walk

Washington Mutual
Colorado Housing and Finance Authority
First Plymouth Foundation
Fannie Mae
The Enterprise Foundation
Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado
Colorado Housing NOW!
Rural Community Assistance Corporation
Bank One
Colorado Coalition for the Homeless
1st Bank Holding Company
Mercy Housing
Colorado Affordable Housing Partnership
Roger Nittler and Company
 Green Chair Marketing Group

With general operating support provided by:
The Denver Foundation

December 20, 2004

Friends of Affordable Housing;

Housing Justice! is a non-profit interfaith organization dedicated to securing decent, affordable housing for people to live – to call home.

The affordable housing shortage in Colorado continues to be a crisis!

The Colorado Division of Housing reports a current statewide demand of over 32,500 affordable rental units and the need for 42,000 affordable homes for first time homebuyers.  Working families who are essential to our communities are struggling to find places to live.  These include teachers, police officers, firefighters, and construction, retail, health care and service workers.  Retired seniors on fixed incomes cannot afford rising costs of keeping their homes. Children suffer the most as they fall further and further behind each time they change schools when families are forced to move in search of affordable housing.

In order to raise awareness and to promote solutions to this crisis, we organized and coordinated an 850 mile People’s Walk for Housing Justice around Colorado between June 5^th and August 21^st, 2004.   Blake Chambliss, one of Colorado’s leading affordable housing authorities and Joe Giron, founder of Brother’s Redevelopment Inc, walked the entire distance.  They facilitated over 40 community forums, attended by over 800 people of all ages and walks of life, where housing needs and potential solutions were explored.  It became very clear that the affordable housing shortage affects the entire state. Not a single community was able to say, “We don’t have a housing problem here.”

Housing Justice! finds itself in a unique position to help bring about lasting change in the affordable/workforce housing picture in Colorado.  We have established a considerable network of concerned citizens around the state.  We will re-visit the communities where we hosted forums and engage in long-term commitments with them. We will meet with the residents of these communities and explore ways to generate partnerships between local faith congregations, housing agencies, businesses, service providers, builders and developers to materially address their unique housing needs. Housing Justice! will serve as the catalyst to increase our affordable housing stock in Colorado.

This brief paper outlines our findings during our two and one half month journey.

Berkeley Rich, President,

Housing Justice!

People’s Walk

Walkers and Supporters of the Walk

The long walkers

And a special thanks to all those who assisted with organizing community forums, participated in community walks, and arranged accommodations for us in each of the communities we visited. 

Building awareness of the Need for Affordable housing

Sponsors

Housing Justice! Support letter

List of Walkers and supporters

Table of Contents                                                                                                                                                              

Summary                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Week 1 – Denver to Ft Collins                                                                                                                                                     

Week 2 -- Ft Colllins to Golden                                                                                                                                                

Week 3 -- Golden to Copper mountain                                                                                                            

week 4 – Copper mountain to Glenwwod Springs                                                             

Week 5 – Glenwood/ Aspen to Grand Junction                                                                              

Week 6 – Grand Junction to Montrose / Durango                                                           

week 7 – Montrose to Gunnison                                                                                                                                     

Week 8 – Gunnison to Salida / Alamosa                                                                                                          

Week 9 – Salida to Pueblo / trinidad                                                                                                               

Week 10 – Pueblo / Las Animas to Colorado Springs                                                        

week 11 – Colorado Springs to Aurora / Denver                                                             

People’s Walk

Building awareness of the Need for Affordable housing

This summer, Housing Justice! made a commitment to assist two walkers going around the State of Colorado to raise awareness of the need for affordable housing to meet the needs of all Colorado families. Housing Justice! coordinated the effort, engaging more than fifty support volunteers providing logistic, media and community organizing help.

The purpose was to engage communities throughout the state in a “People’s Walk” – an 850-mile walk around Colorado raising awareness of the growing crisis in a lack of affordable housing. (Colorado is the 10^th least affordable state in the country, with an affordable housing wage of $16.29/hour[1] -- the minimum wage has remained at $5.15 / hour since 1997.)

Joe Giron and I, with an additional 50 persons who took day-long walks, made a loop around the State. We hosted more than 40 community gatherings, with more than 800 persons, in towns of all sizes and diverse economies to learn about their housing needs. 

§         In mountain towns, service workers see their communities expropriated by second-home owners who claim the most buildable land, driving up the land, development and construction costs. The result is that local workers cannot afford to rent, much less hope to own their homes.

§         In rural communities, migrant and immigrant workers have access to little housing in general, and even less that is decent, to meet their and their families’ needs. We found sparse public acknowledgement or support for addressing their ongoing housing needs.

§         In urban areas, gentrification is displacing existing residents; regrettably, we found precious few provisions being made to create appropriate long-term alternative accommodations for those being displaced.

Here are six of the lessons I have learned:

1.   The need for decent affordable housing is real: In all the communities we visited throughout the state, no community is immune to the challenge of providing decent affordable housing for its service workers. In fact, the disparity between what retail, service and beginning professional workers are being paid and the costs of producing or acquiring decent affordable housing is widening.

2.  Community needs are different: We listened to the mix of needs, and each community requires a different set of solutions to meet them. For example, in Las Animas County they told us that 80% of the housing is more than 40 years old. It will require a different strategy than meeting the housing needs in Vail, where virtually no housing is more than 40 years old. Communities will have to develop their own capacity to assure that solutions are appropriate, scaled to local image and economics, in order to meet neighborhood goals.

3.   Housing is more than shelter: Housing is the basic building block for community – the place for families to rest, from which to go to work, to school and to be active members of their church, lodge, social and cultural organizations. Housing must enrich and support families, their neighborhoods and communities. Homes, rented or owned, are a place for building individual and family self-reliance. Renters may require basic financial and employment counseling, assistance with oversight of children and available spaces for social and cultural experiences.

4.  Communities need an uninterrupted continuum of housing options: Economically and socially viable communities depend on a full range of residents’ skills, talents and labor. People who work there must be able to live there. Gaps in that housing ladder exist now. To fill those gaps will require decent affordable housing at every level of employment -- from the homeless to homeownership. We need to find the means to assure that those who work there can live there. Shorter commutes mean more time with their families and their communities’ social life, not to mention less traffic congestion an air pollution, and lower driving expenses.

5   Housing is an economic catalyst:  Affordable housing appears to be more acceptable to communities when seen in the context of “community development.” There it becomes an integral part of the community’s enterprise – creating jobs, building the tax base, expanding local businesses and meeting broad community goals, not as just an isolated charitable activity.

6.  Existing groups are doing yeoman’s work: The groups we met with are taking on vital community-building activities:

·          Preserving existing homeowner and rental housing stock.

·          Building rental housing to serve the homeless, victims (and their families) of domestic abuse, housing for the disabled, the chronically mentally ill, developmentally disabled.

·          Providing a range of rental housing with counseling and support services. They offer financial literacy and language courses, job training and child care programs to residents. They initiate budgeting and manage IDA Savings programs to help residents prepare for homeownership, help with down-payment assistance and engage families in building homes for new homeowners.

But they all have long waiting lists, and cannot make programs available to all who want and need them. They need more resources to bridge the gap between what so many families can afford and what it costs to provide decent housing.

Our goal for the People's Walk was to raise awareness of the need for affordable housing:

what we heard was an urgent call to develop more livable communities, with affordable housing as just one vital component. Though our Walk may be over, the task of broadening public awareness and understanding of Colorado’s housing affordability crisis is just beginning. We believe we have identified the nucleus of a broad constituency ready to work to achieve this goal.

 At Housing Justice!’s September Board Retreat, the Board accepted the challenge to begin working with communities identified on the Walk and to help them build the capacity to meet their own housing needs. This year we will be working with the groups we talked with over the summer: identifying communities willing to work together with us to develop a comprehensive approach to decent and affordable housing.

What do you think should be our next steps?

Blake Chambliss                                                 contact me at:    www.peopleswalk.org  or   303  251-3412

The first week of the 800 mile Walk was a “shake-down” week, adjusting preliminary Walk logistics to the conditions on the road. The weather challenged us, from a record high 98 F on Monday to a cold front on Wednesday, with a tornado ahead and hail damage behind us – reminding us of the challenges we may expect from Colorado’s summer weather. As the weather cooled, our blisters heated up.

From the opening ceremony and Community Walk in Denver on Saturday, through the community forums and encounters along the road, we have been generally cheered (or honked at) by smiling drivers. One lady driver with two feisty dogs beside her stopped alongside us (our walk follows the blue highways throughout the state) and asked why we were walking. When we replied that we were walking to raise awareness about the need for more affordable housing, she said, “God bless you for your efforts.”

In the community forums so far we have encountered several definitions of what their needs entail.

In Brighton, pop. 20,905, we were greeted by most of the city council and several interested citizens, including their State Representative. They proudly discussed their accomplishments. As they make affordable housing a centerpiece of their community’s redevelopment efforts, they are seeking new ideas and resources. The Mayor read a prepared statement declaring their commitment to develop affordable mixed-use housing to “bring a rebirth to our historic downtown area.” And she added, “we have the tools in place to develop more.”

In Platteville, pop. 2,370, the mayor, mayor pro-tem and other citizens discussed their views. They described the difficulty of encouraging private developers to make housing permanently affordable. In their experience, when private developers have used government funding they keep the units affordable only the minimum required time. Platteville has no housing authority, no development authority of its own nor any established contact with their county’s housing authority or other public-purpose agency that might assist them.

In Greeley, pop. 80,639, we met with Congregations Building Communities, a faith-based consortium working with the Hispanic community (one third of Greeley’s population is Hispanic) to improve social and economic conditions. They expressed concern about high rents, low incomes and poor quality housing. A large proportion of their families are paying more than 50% of their incomes – for still inadequate housing (lacking adequate heat and plumbing, complete kitchens or overcrowding). We discussed actions they could take to use housing as a tool to build jobs, create wealth and improve the quality of life of their constituents.

Thursday was a non-Walk day, so we drove to Sterling, pop. 13,916, to meet with housing authority staff and interested citizens to discuss their perceptions and needs. They have had a down-turn in the community’s economy. Six businesses have closed in the past year. New businesses (primarily Wal-Mart) pay minimum wage, utilize part-time employees so that they are not be responsible for paying for health care, vacations or other fringe benefits. They noted that in their depressed economy, “landlords get as much rent as possible, while employers pay as little as they can.” That leaves renters caught in the middle with little bargaining power. In addition, they expressed alarm that the Administration has directed HUD to cut back on their housing vouchers – the housing authority is authorized to have 92 vouchers, but are under a HUD freeze that limits them to 85. They have a waiting list of 200 qualified families. They want more resources to meet their housing need: new vouchers to assist low income families who wish to rent the existing housing, better paying jobs, and the creation of a state Housing Trust Fund to fill many of the remaining gaps.

This second week has been a challenging week for the Walk. Our blisters are on the mend, and we are hearing from many who have expressed their appreciation to be heard. On the other hand, we have suffered from not meeting our original expectations of the numbers of people who would walk with us. We have had eight day-walkers with us, with two to four at any one time. We have had three community walks since the 208 walkers participated in Denver, with about 180 walkers. We have conducted in 12 community forums with a total attendance of 350, with attendance between 3 and 72. That has forced us to adjust to the reality of the perception of housing need, streamline our walker support and refocus our outreach efforts to upcoming communities.

Our forums continue to elicit wide ranging interest. We have met with many for whom housing is not a pressing personal concern. We have met with those without adequate housing but who are fearful about making their own needs known. And we have met with many providers who are doing a great job serving those for whom there are programs and resources, but who are desperately concerned about all those they are not able to assist.

In Windsor, pop. 9,896, we encountered a relatively affluent community, built largely around a major Kodak film production plant. More than 80% of the households are homeowners, with a median home value of $259,000 – more than 50% higher than in the surrounding communities. The Town of Windsor’s Workforce Housing Task Force has focused its efforts on providing homeownership for families earning between $43,500 and $51,800 (80% of the AMI for the area). We met with two city council persons and the leadership of “Stepping Stones of Windsor,” a new faith-based nonprofit organization attempting to address the needs of the 48% of households earning below that income level. The group is in its formative stage, learning the vocabulary of affordable housing development, identifying the resources necessary, and seeking public and private assistance to move its objectives further.

In Fort Collins, pop. 118,652, the housing coalition helped stage a 2 mile community walk from the edge of town to Harmony Presbyterian Church in south Fort Collins. About 35 residents showed up for the beginning of the walk, following a line of afternoon thundershowers across the town. 20 walkers started out along the road and we soon ran out of sidewalk, and walked a muddy trail for one quarter mile until we found solid sidewalks away from the highway shoulders. We were cheered as we entered the church which was festively decorated with balloons, and a lasagna supper for all. After supper, there were brief presentations describing the continuum of housing and human services being provided: from shelter and care for the homeless, SROs (single room occupancy – hotel-like living accommodations), transitional and rental housing with counseling, financial literacy, down payment assistance and the development of affordable homeownership opportunities. It was heartening to see a demonstration of the strong support of the community, including the political leadership of the city, building a commitment among the public, private and nonprofit sectors to work closely together to find a full range of solutions that serve the total community’s needs.

In Loveland, pop. 50,608, First Christian Church hosted us for an evening forum to discuss their housing issues. Two major subjects were discussed – a local realtor, owner and landlord for affordable housing questioned the purpose of the Walk and how it would affect him and his business. We discussed his experience in owning and operating housing with the lowest rents at $575 per month and who that was serving ($575 plus utilities would serve families earning at least $24,000). He accepts housing vouchers from tenants when they have them, but there are few available to them, and he expressed concern that there could be less in the future. He also asked about education for renters to help them become better tenants. A second participant talked about her lack of access to housing vouchers. She is a single mom, on SSI disability with two children, all of whom suffer from mold infections from their previous housing. She asked about what could be done to improve the condition and supply of the existing rental housing stock.

In Longmont, pop. 71,093, we led a community walk with 45 participants with the assistance of Thistle Housing, a county-wide nonprofit. Afterwards, we met in the Central Presbyterian Church, to discuss the City’s efforts to address affordable housing issues. City Housing Director, Kathy Fedler led a discussion of the most crucial housing concerns in the City. After asking for the opinions of the local families about Homelessness, Rental Housing, Property upkeep and Maintenance and  Home Ownership Opportunities, she presented startling statistics from their needs analysis about the amount of housing need for each. They include: 565 Homeless according to their “point in time” survey this January; 600 families on their waiting list for rental assistance, with a 2-3 year waiting list (no new vouchers, and the threat of a HUD administered cutback of future assistance); 9005 households are living in housing with one or more housing problems – paying too much, or living in overcrowded or substandard housing; 1300 income-eligible renter families (50-80% AMI) seeking homeownership opportunities, with few available for them. The City is preparing their new Comprehensive Plan and seeking input to help them prioritize their limited resources to address the needs. Additional input from Thistle Housing and other nonprofit housing providers described the enormous gaps between the need and the housing resources available to them.

In Boulder, pop. 94,673, with Thistle’s continuing help, we took a community walk to St. John’s Episcopal Church. Approximately 30 people, including several in wheelchairs participated. As we walked into downtown Boulder, we were reminded to walk at a “window shopping pace” to allow everyone to keep together, and were greeted by a cordon of well wishers as we entered the church fellowship hall. At the Forum we heard of the extreme difficulties that handicapped residents have – doubly challenged with a lack of affordable and accessible housing. Thistle Housing Board Chair, Ann Getches described the “Top Ten Things You Can Do to Support Affordable Housing,” headed by YIMBY – yes in my back yard!, followed by, becoming active in “social action committees,” volunteering with affordable housing providers, lobbying for an Affordable Housing Trust Fund, and encouraging candidates for office to support permanently affordable and accessible housing.

In Evergreen, pop. 9,216, we joined 22 affordable housing advocates in the annual Rodeo Parade and walked through the heart of downtown Evergreen. With nearly 75 floats or groups, we wondered if there was anyone left to watch. There were. It is a regional event attracting many from throughout the mountain suburbs of Denver. Following the parade, we met with political candidates expressing an interest in affordable housing. They all expressed concern at the lack of workforce housing. Housing prices there are nearly double those in western suburbs of Denver, while wages are almost the same. Several local groups indicated they are seeking assistance from the county housing authority or are hoping to create a new nonprofit organization to address the need. We also heard from the Park County Crisis Center about the number of families in the mountain community for whom affordable housing means living in their cars, tepees or cabins without running water or doubled up and overcrowded with friends or family. The lack of affordable housing options leaves victims of domestic abuse and their children with few alternatives other than going back into the abusive home.

We took a community walk in Golden, pop. 17,159, with about 30 walkers, walking past two affordable housing projects. Following the walk we lead a discussion of the range of affordable housing issues facing residents in Golden. Concerns included the lack of workforce housing and housing for seniors, both exacerbated by the competition from School of Mines students for housing. The group prepared a list of 16 affordable housing issues to take before the housing authority and city council. A long discussion followed, regarding the role of mobile homes and manufactured housing in meeting affordable housing needs for very low-income homeowners. They raised the issue specifically of the escalating cost of land leases and the near-monopoly of a few mobile home park owners. The discussion on solutions centered on finding new alternatives for ownership and financing. Cooperative land ownership and resident participation in the management of the land under the homes was seen as a way to control the quality of the parks and the escalating land lease prices.

Our third week begins our trip west from the Front Range. We started up into the mountains and over the Continental Divide. We crossed Loveland Pass, which at 11,900 feet above sea level was our highest point on the Walk, and down into the Town of Dillon. By the end of Week Three we traveled 248.8 miles according to my pedometer (which needs to be re-calibrated periodically going uphill and downhill, and as weary legs require a change of gait).

We have more people walking with us, as friends and others learn about the walk and are willing to take a day or two (or part of a day to walk segments with us). We have encouraged others who wish to join us. We appreciate the company.

In Idaho Springs, pop. 1889, Clear Creek County, pop 9,322, we discussed the problems of housing for service and retail workers, school teachers and for the elderly. They expressed a need for a full spectrum of housing choices, and frustration that the private market seems unable to meet a large portion of them. Workers must travel in from western Denver suburbs, or live in crowded or unsuitable housing nearer to their workplace. In the narrow Clear Creek Valley, with limited available land, the competition for buildable space leaves little developable land available for new lower income housing. Much of the existing housing is not being adequately maintained by absentee speculator landlords. The Interstate 70 corridor further divides the community’s available land. Mobile home parks provide needed affordable housing, but escalating land costs and their unsightliness from lack of maintenance or upgrades results in a lack of community support, and threatens their continued availability. Families there face threats from both rising rental rates and the parks’ conversion to more profitable land uses. Existing housing (mobile home parks and individual houses) is seen as a “holding use” in speculation for higher land prices.

As the community moves more toward a tourism economy, they expressed concern about the ability of minimum wage earners, particularly single female-headed households and the elderly, to reside there in the future. Clear Creek County has sponsored a Housing Task Force, with full cooperation from the municipalities and private businesses to assess the housing conditions and need. They hope it will also help identify county-wide solutions to address housing for all County residents.

We met with the Clear Creek County Commissioners in Georgetown, pop 1088, to discuss the County’s housing needs, and the potential for seeking other resources such as the National Housing Trust fund, and the plan for a State Housing Trust Fund to address affordable workforce housing.

Later, we led a forum with other concerned citizens. They discussed the relationship between worker housing needs and economic development opportunities. They expressed concern that the persons that work for government and businesses in the County couldn’t afford to live and raise their families there. Because of that lack of affordable, quality housing, employers lose good workers, and suffer the high cost of hiring, replacing staff and constantly training a new workforce. That turnover is exacerbated by the seasonal nature of tourism, and the unstable yearly employment cycle – snow season and summer tourism, and the silent seasons between.

In Dillon, pop. 802, and Summit County, pop. 23,548, we discussed the issue of refugees working in the County and the special problems they pose to the community. Primarily single men, with little housing available, they double up dormitory-style in the little housing they can find. If they wish to bring their families with them there is virtually no housing available. They are valuable contributors to the economy, but their presence and their lack of decent accommodations places a burden on human service and charitable institutions in the County.

The high cost of the limited supply of private land, and relatively high infrastructure costs, translates into high rental and homeowner costs. Those costs are compounded by what the participants claim as the planning and building departments’ unsympathetic and non-supportive role in affordable housing development. They suggested regulatory reform to encourage affordable housing development. Trailer homes are seen as a “not good” solution from the community’s standpoint, but for many individuals it is their only available choice.

While the group generally conceded that “people who work there cannot afford to live there,” one of the participants stated, “anybody can find a place to live – but the choices are ‘so inhuman.’” He talked about existing housing that was overcrowded, without sanitary facilities and/or in a dilapidated weather- beaten condition.

This was a week for continuing west through and out of the mountains, from Copper Mountain over Vail pass, on a magnificent bike path into Vail and then downhill following Gore Creek, then along the Eagle River Valley past its confluence with the Colorado River to Glenwood Springs. This has been a wonderful and scenic segment.

Housing issues raised represent a wide spectrum of interests: the very wealthy (with their second homes); tourists and seasonal renters; providers of seasonal services and their workers: retail, municipal, and other year-round minimum-wage workers; and the elderly.

The competition for limited buildable private land has driven land values so high that worker families compete for the few local housing choices, or must endure long daily commutes. The primary local option available to most is an aging, energy-inefficient mobile home in one of the remaining mobile home parks. Many of these unkempt, posing an esthetic incongruity with the beauty of the natural environment. As communities phase out the parks to “clean up” their image, they lose much of the affordable housing upon which service workers depend. The loss of existing mobile home parks is a direct threat to the owners of mobile homes, and to the viability of the tourism economy which depends on those workers. For example, a single parent we met, who owns her mobile home, talked about juggling four part-time jobs to be able to afford her escalating mobile home park rent and the price of energy to heat it.

In Vail, Pop. 4531, and Eagle County, Pop.  41,659, we met with a group of community leaders and one of the county commissioners, who discussed the housing initiatives approved by the County. Eagle County supports their Housing Department with broad development authority. They are encouraging the private sector to create a supply of housing for workers using a carrot and a stick approach: inclusionary zoning,  coupled with tax-exempt below-market interest rate bonds and a cooperative and supportive regulatory environment. The County was directly involved in the preservation of two at-risk subsidized rental projects – a 72-unit HUD family Section 8 housing project and a 36 unit USDA-RD Section 515 Senior/Disabled  Rural Rental project.

We visited Miller Ranch, a public-private partnership 282-unit project being developed in phases. The County provided the land, for the project which incorporates “new urbanism” design principles offering a mix of housing types. One-third of the units will be condominiums, one-third in a townhouse configuration, and one third will provide a single-family/duplex mix. All are within walking distance of the Edwards’ Town Center. Each unit will be permanently deed-restricted to serve full-time resident-employees working in Eagle County, with the resale value tied to the wage rates in the County at the time of the sale. The County Housing Department is responsible for the monitoring and compliance with program guidelines. The Housing Department has secured funds to provide down-payment assistance, counseling and financial literacy training, and has secured a commitment for Mortgage Credit Certificates from the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) to help lower-income working families become homeowners.

The Housing Division is investigating a transitional housing program for special needs populations, including victims of domestic abuse. They are also creating a County Housing Authority that can secure and administer housing vouchers for many very-low income service and retail workers.

We drove to Steamboat Springs, Pop. 9,815, in Routt County, pop. 19,690, where we met with members of the community, including one city council member. To create new housing resources they are in the process of transferring the assets and structure of a local nonprofit group, Regional Assisted Living Foundation (RALF), into a multi-jurisdictional Housing Authority to serve the entire County. Steamboat Springs provides inclusionary zoning on community-developed properties within the town. The group discussed the need for additional regulatory reform and strengthened landlord-tenant laws to protect the rights of residents living in overcrowded or dilapidated, unsanitary and unsafe housing.

They expressed great concern over the potential loss of mobile home parks, several of which were built in the flood plain. Most are being considered for conversion to a “higher land use” as the limited supply of developable land continues to escalate in value. Displaced mobile home owners have few alternatives. Many of their homes are too old to meet current codes, and cannot be relocated to a new area, even if there were new areas available. Mobile homes appear to offer the independence and benefits of single family detached housing, but financial and legal constraints often restrict owners’ ability to receive those benefits.

We toured West End Village, a city-county developed and controlled seventy-lot, single-family homeownership subdivision. One half of the units are deed-restricted to house full-time resident employees of firms in Routt County. Habitat for Humanity has developed three of the lots and seven are being developed by RALF using USDA-RD’s Mutual Self-Help Housing program to serve very-low income families.

The County has secured a commitment for Mortgage Credit Certificates from CHFA, and is also implementing a down-payment assistance program to assist lower-income families achieve homeownership throughout Routt County.

In Dotsero, pop. 50, we met with the Eagle County Housing Director, a county commissioner candidate, and other interested area residents to discuss Two River Village, a privately funded, 138 acre, 433-unit subdivision adjacent to the Colorado River. The project is targeted to homeowners, with two-thirds of the units to be single family detached housing and one-third, condominiums. There are no rental units planned. The developer discussed making special concessions in move-in costs for school teachers, police and fire fighters who become residents. Buyers may also take advantage of Eagle County’s down-payment assistance or Mortgage Credit Certificates. The developer expressed concern about the lack of private lenders willing to make loans to potential residents in the subdivision.

In Glenwood Springs, Pop. 7,736, after a 3 kilometer community walk, we met with the Mayor pro-tem, city council members, a county commissioner candidate, and more than 40 interested citizens to discuss housing issues in the Roaring Fork Valley. During the barbeque and Forum, they raised the issue of inclusionary zoning that would assure families’ having some access to housing in the communities in which they work. They discussed the lack of available, buildable land on which to develop affordable housing. One person noted that “housing for people is the most important element of [a community’s] infrastructure, more important than roads, streets or utilities.”

The group discussed the impending displacement of families from two local mobile home parks (one with 30 spaces, one with 100 spaces). They discussed the need to enlist the support of more than just those housed there – of all those who would be affected by their displacement: employers, church members, friends, family and surrounding community residents. They discussed the need to organize, to prepare their testimony for a public hearing, to assure that speakers make the case consistently to save the housing – and/or to provide viable alternatives for the current residents. The future of all of the County’s other mobile home parks are in jeopardy as well.

This has been a week of great changes – geographical, economic and political -- as we moved from the mountains, ski resort economy and liberal politics of Aspen about 100 miles West to the deserts of the Grand Valley and the agricultural and conservative frontier public policies of Colorado’s Western Slope. In both of those areas the housing and community development response is driven largely by a growing tourism industry that provides primarily low-paying service and retail jobs. High land and housing development costs widen the disparity between the cost of producing housing and the incomes available to pay for it.

By the time that the Walk reached Grand Junction we completed more than 400 miles of our projected 800+-mile summer journey. We have participated in more than twenty community forums, exploring the local housing affordability issues, and the concerns of citizens, local politicians and housing providers.

In Aspen, pop. 5,914, and Pitkin County, pop. 14,872, we participated in the great annual 4^th of July Parade, invited by the Housing Task Force to follow their own Float. It was wonderful to witness the warm response that the Task Force’s efforts elicited from the 35,000 Parade spectators. They were applauded for their long-term efforts to assure housing for a diverse population of the service and support workers throughout the community. It was also a reminder that the community’s acceptance of a controversial real estate transfer tax is possible when citizens understand the community benefit of addressing the need for affordable housing. Supporting service sector working families means also embracing the taxes necessary to support their right to live in decent local housing.

In Palisade, pop. 2,579, we met with Child and Migrant Services providers. This team offers daily evening meals for migrant workers and their families. In doing so, they welcome families to the area, assisting them in acclimating to their new surroundings – to US culture, regulations and customs. They provide counseling and educational programs for workers and their families, such as English as a Second Language, an understanding of Colorado laws and driver education. They also offer a wide menu of social programs, including concerts, movies, soccer and other sports. 

We discussed housing issues with several of the migrant workers. They indicated a limited amount of housing is being provided by growers, primarily dormitories for single men. Families may live in a local homeless shelter for a limited period. Some workers are able to double up in apartments (a two-bedroom apartment for $500 may accommodate 6 workers) or in a rented mobile home (for a slightly higher cost) where they gain a greater sense of independence. They talked about the “severe shortage” of affordable or public housing for workers wishing to bring their families with them or for those who wish to become permanent residents. For those wanting permanent residence, they typically work the orchards during the growing (and preparation) season, and are employed in construction or other related work for the rest of the year.

In Grand Junction, pop. 41,986, we held a community Walk and a Forum. It was a great day! Four of us began the trek into town three miles from our destination. Unknown to us, a local radio station was broadcasting our progress with frequent updates of our location as we headed toward Columbine Park. Surprisingly, along the way, groups of two or three people joined us every few blocks. People came along at their convenience or as their interest or ability to walk dictated, including several people on crutches and in wheelchairs. We had families with young children moving strollers into the stream of people, along with individuals of all ages. As we came within a quarter-mile of the Park, two musicians playing guitars serenaded us as they led all fifty of us into the Park singing “When The Saints Come Marching In.” It was a heart-filling experience to be part of the group. At the Park, the parade re-formed with an additional thirty walkers to view the Habitat for Humanity build site a half mile away. Then we all returned to the Park for a barbeque lunch and the Forum, attended by 128 persons.

First, the mayor and other local politicians spoke about the need for affordable housing to serve all community residents. We heard presentations about the needs of the homeless, including a broad range of options for service supports such as counseling, training, medical assistance and self-sufficiency education, with appropriate and affordable housing choices.

We learned about the creativity and resourcefulness of local groups in engaging private charitable funding sources to help carry out their work. Examples included Habitat’s “Thrift Store,” and the Parade of Homes sale of an upscale home to provide Habitat with land for development; then there was Catholic Outreach’s “Empty Bowls” that uses donated works from local potters, soup bowls for a charity “poverty meal” fund-raiser. Each year this event has been sold out.

The Housing Authority Director spoke eloquently about the need for more housing assistance. In this politically conservative community, a major part of the Housing Authority’s assistance has been in the form of housing vouchers for very-low income families – so that they might live in privately developed and owned housing. That commitment is now in jeopardy in light of HUD’s announced intention to reduce its commitment to preserving these vouchers. Affordable housing options are shrinking fast in the face of increased need.

Speakers indicated that all programs are falling behind the demand for decent affordable housing for farm workers, retail and service workers, for handicapped individuals and the elderly people who require, in addition, an affordable service-enriched environment.

This week we “turned the corner,” heading south to Delta and Montrose on the long return trip to Denver. The walk started with three days through the oven-hot desert valley that lies between and separates the Uncompahgre Plateau on the west and Grand Mesa on the east. We visited Paonia for a productive community session. From Delta, we took a slight detour to Olathe through “Pea Green,” away from the heavy traffic along Highway 50, through fertile irrigated fields with a magnificent panorama from Grand Mesa to the north to the ragged outline of the San Juan peaks to the south. From Olathe we walked along Highway 50 into Montrose. We made a side visit to Durango then returned to Montrose for a community Walk and Forum.

We completed the week with 484 miles, or 60% of the projected total 800+-mile distance.

During our meeting in Paonia, Pop.1,497, Delta County, Pop. 27,834, the group expressed concern about the need for affordable and sustainable housing that could serve the working poor and the elderly. One person indicated that, ”people at near-minimum wage jobs spend a lot of their time on the road.” They would like to see a program of community-building, through mixed-income housing developed close to jobs – bringing neighborhoods closer together. They also indicated there is a need for assisted living, with a continuum of housing with health care and supportive services for the elderly.

Several expressed their interest in living in an “intentional community.” It would allow flexible lifestyles and a creative building development climate, supporting sustainable development, allowing innovative building styles and materials, and experimenting with incremental building to keep starter homes affordable.

In Delta, Pop. 6,400, the group discussed the persistence of low wages vs. the escalating cost of land and housing. The working poor seem to be losing in the economic competition for the limited supply of affordable rental or homeownership units. Young people have few rental opportunities: many must continue living with their parents. There is very little housing available for larger families, or to accommodate extended or doubled-up families where that is necessary to make the housing affordable.

They expressed concern, as well, about the quality and upkeep of the current housing stock.  There are no existing programs to help maintain or preserve the quality of older homes. They raised the issue of the lack of housing choices for the Mexican migrant labor population: specifically, the concentration of poor housing where conditions are creating barrios of trailer homes or poverty-stricken neighborhoods of aging conventional housing.

They would like to build more housing to expand the number of higher-wage jobs, also giving potential buyers better access to more creative and flexible mortgage banking.

In Durango, Pop. 13,922, La Plata County, Pop. 43,941, we met with members of the Affordable Housing Task Force, to discuss issues. They asked, “Is the housing problem a symptom?....or is it a natural consequence of the structure of the economy?” Someone commented, “we always believed the US was a place where if you worked hard you could get ahead. Yet, it doesn’t seem to be working for the working poor.”

Participants indicated there is a need for housing rehabilitation, which may be the most cost-effective way to maintain a stock of affordable housing. Unfortunately, however, they feel there is a lack of money and too many regulations to make it work easily and effectively. The cost for rehabilitation is increasing, yet the funding available for housing rehab is not.

They expressed concern that the current pressure to create homeownership programs is contributing to failure by new homeowners. To succeed as new homeowners, families must  have access to buyer education, counseling, and the development of financial and budgetary skills. However, the funding is not always available to provide that support.

They raised the question about the high incidence of domestic violence in the area – and the need for a continuum of supports for shelter, transitional housing and long-term housing. That housing must be affordable to the working sector, specifically those with earnings at retail, service and clerk salary levels. Yet most “workforce housing,“ is being developed at costs only affordable to starting professionals, such as teachers, police and fire fighters.

In Montrose, Pop. 12,344, Montrose County, Pop. 33,432, the discussion of area issues focused on the homeless, and the Continuum of Care needs – housing with appropriate services and supports, including a full spectrum of housing choices. There is no homeless shelter, no short-term transitional and no low income housing, except for a migrant housing project (which serves as an emergency shelter during the winter) and a small senior housing project, both located in Olathe (10 miles away).

Because of the lack of housing options, almost all women and their children in domestic violence situations end up homeless. That is compounded by a 6-8 month waiting list for affordable housing (made affordable to them by Section 8 vouchers) for crisis situations. That wait will likely be longer if HUD implements its new regulations that would cut the supply of vouchers for Montrose.

There is, moreover, no rehabilitation program for existing housing, so both affordable homeowner and rental housing stock is deteriorating and much of it is in distress. For example, Habitat for Humanity in Montrose conducts three application orientation sessions each year. Approximately 25 applicants submit applications to be included for each session. Habitat produces a total of two units per year. Out of the 75 qualified families they generally choose the family living in the most dilapidated and unsafe housing. The structures that Habitat has inspected of the families selected don’t meet any reasonable standard of housing decency.  They feel that most of those houses have deteriorated so badly that the city should call for them to be condemned. The lack of a decent housing alternative keeps these buildings in such great demand that they are quickly rented to other poor families. In this environment the housing stock does not improve.

On Monday we began walking uphill toward Gunnison and Monarch Pass – and very welcome cooler temperatures. – a quiet and relatively easy Walk week from Montrose to Gunnison, over two beautiful passes, Cerro Summit and Blue Mesa Summit. We left the Uncompahgre Valley, passing up into the cool greenery of the Gunnison Valley then traced along the perimeter of Blue Mesa Reservoir. There has been much more wildlife: lots of deer and the number and variety of mountain birds has been a delight. The days started cool with clear sunny skies, ideal walking weather. Since the walks each day have been shorter, we have been able to finish before the afternoon heat and thunderstorms develop. We have also had fewer Forums, giving us more time to reflect on some of the issues we have heard and conditions we have seen.

We have traveled more than 550 miles, nearly two-thirds of the Walk, accompanied from time to time by one or two of a total of 25 “long walkers” who have shared with us their commitment, vision and interest. During the 27 Forums that we have participated in so far, we have considered ways to achieve a broader range of housing choices for all our communities.

In Ridgway, pop. 713, Ouray County, pop. 3742, we met with a group of concerned citizens who had heard about our Walk from the TV coverage of our Community Walk and Forum in Grand Junction. In that interview, we had expressed a willingness to visit any community that wanted to hear more about the Housing Trust Fund, and wished to register their concerns.

A spontaneous group of 20 local residents gathered to discuss housing topics over a pot-luck dinner in the City Park in Ridgway. Present were a County Commissioner and one of the competing candidates, three City Council members and a group of other citizens wishing to express their opinions about the lack of access to affordable housing in Ouray County, and specifically in and around the town of Ridgway.

They discussed escalating real estate prices resulting from second home developments and spill over from the Telluride Ski Area, and their effect on lower-income working families’ access to decent housing. The situation in Ridgway is especially acute since this town once served as a haven for many of the area’s lower-income and disabled residents. They talked about the domino effect, when local families have been displaced by higher income workers who themselves have been priced out of housing in Telluride.

We were told further that the disabled on fixed incomes no longer can afford to live in Ridgway. A once active enabling network of 60 families has been reduced to only two families; gone are the support systems. One person added, “no one on a fixed income can afford to live here anymore.” “We are losing our community,” another declared.

One developer complained that new subdivision regulations and infrastructure requirements raise the cost of developing housing, costs that must be passed on to buyers, blocking affordable housing development. Council members questioned how to reconcile escalating land values and economic development while maintaining affordability so that working people can continue to live there.

In Gunnison, pop. 5,409, Gunnison County, pop. 13,956, the group discussed the impact of second home development in Crested Butte on housing availability in Gunnison. They gave figures that show the average single family house in Gunnison in 2003 cost $200,000, while in Crested Butte, 38 miles away, the average home cost more than $500,000. Many residents of Gunnison are being priced out of housing as commuting workers from Crested Butte compete with them for available properties. Large-lot second homes are being sited on the limited private developable land needed by the community to house its working families. In addition, families in Gunnison must compete with Western State College students at the same time that skiers and ski workers are vying for the available housing. Students and ski workers double up to make their own housing affordable, a practice that working families cannot adopt.

As we proceed toward Denver, more people have requested to participate. Some said they have chosen not to walk with us because they don’t think they can walk our average 15 mile day. We have changed our Walk regimen so it should be a little easier to take part. Here is the current Walk format:

§         Two to six people have been walking each day. We can accommodate up to 10.

§         A support team provides water, snacks and a mobile port-o-let for us on a regular basis, generally four times each day (at about four-mile segments or intervals). We are in contact via cell phones for emergencies.

§         We have been meeting at 7:00AM for breakfast, and are generally on the road at 7:30AM. We walk along the edges of highways, our pace averaging 3 to 3.5 miles per hour. We’re generally finished between 1:00PM and 2:00PM, depending on the route, the speed of the walkers and the terrain.

§         Some of our walkers have decided to walk for one or two segments on a given day and then assist the support team. At the end of the day, they may participate in Forums and pot lucks if they are scheduled..

This has been a memorable week – we re-crossed the Continental Divide at Monarch Pass (elevation 11,312 ft) and have started back downhill into Colorado’s Front Range.

We completed this week having walked 632 miles, more than three-fourths of our 800+-mile Walk around the State. Church groups, community groups, city and county officials, and affordable housing providers have met with us to discuss the housing needs in their communities. All have expressed dismay at the lack of public attention to housing, the failure to create a coherent public policy to secure “a decent home and a suitable living environment for every American family[2],” and the lack of resources available to bridge the gap between what working people are paid, what they can afford, and what it costs to develop decent housing in their own communities.

We are preparing for our final walk into Denver and the State Capitol’s West Steps on August 21. We will bring the message that the housing crisis is a statewide issue – it is no less severe in the rural communities on the Eastern Plains and on the Western Slope than it is in Denver and the High Country Ski communities. We invite your comments on issues and concerns as we begin to assimilate the perceptions of the hundreds of individuals with whom we have visited, individually and in Community Forums.

In Salida, pop. 5,504, Chaffee County, pop. 16,242, following a community walk with a dozen walkers from Poncha Springs, when asked about the availability of affordable housing, the group agreed, “it’s not here.” The school district HR staff reported they have lost good prospective teacher and principal candidates who, upon learning of the housing situation, have refused jobs because they can’t afford to live here. We learned that the prison in Buena Vista has trouble retaining good trained prison guards because of the lack of decent housing.

Yet, families are moving into the County because they perceive it as a place to get away from the stress of urban life and the city. “It is an irony. Salida is seen as a safe place, a place of sanctuary for many of those who have moved here,” stated one of the participants, “yet there are no jobs for them at wages that allow them to rent or buy the available housing….They bring their hopes and dreams, only to find there is no place for them here.” People, including families, are living in tents, in tepees or under bridges even in winter.

One local official added, “slavery isn’t dead – it is just been renamed ‘service-sector workers’….We need a livable wage.” Another added, “The community leadership finds excuses instead of taking action….The people charged to help and protect the community do not recognize affordable housing as a public responsibility.” They agreed on the need for a program of public awareness, identifying the people (like teachers, policemen, health care practitioners and other low-income wage-earners) who can’t find decent housing, and to pursue specific development solutions to meet their need.

In Buena Vista, pop.2,195, at the northern end of Chaffee County, after a community walk through the downtown, the group discussed the disparity of income among residents, noting diverse groups of citizens: the rich and the poor; those who work here and try to make ends meet and those who have second homes and a secure income. They discussed the different perceptions of “housing affordability” between those who purchased homes a decade or more ago (before land and real estate values began to escalate) and those who struggle to find decent housing now.

They raised the concern that incoming retirees are driving up housing costs for all, displacing many long-time residents. They expressed discomfort with the emergence of two classes of residents.

They hope to address that disparity by expanding economic development to encourage more and better jobs that pay higher incomes. In addition, they would like to pursue the potential for employer assistance to encourage business leaders to assist in making homes affordable to their employees.

They indicated they believe there is a need to achieve “compassionate understanding” between the groups – rebuilding the sense of community that, for most of them, was their reason for coming to Buena Vista.

In Alamosa, pop. 7960, Alamosa County, pop.14,966, we walked and discussed community housing issues while touring several project sites. We visited several projects that local nonprofit groups have under development to house Alamosa’s lowest-income working families.

The San Luis Valley Housing Coalition (SLVHC) was formed to generate support for meeting a wide range of housing needs. They are working directly to create new resources and solutions to address special housing challenges throughout the San Luis Valley. They are identifying funding sources that can provide service supports for the homeless and provide assistance to victims of domestic abuse. They offer education and training programs to build personal skills such as job readiness, financial literacy and budgeting training to families struggling to cope with low wages. They sponsor classes in English as a second language and provide counseling and information about American culture and laws for migrant families

They have developed a rehabilitation program for existing homeowners. The rehab may include changes for handicapped accessibility, weatherization, energy conservation and general home repairs to assist lower-income families and the elderly remain in their homes. These improvements enhance residents’ comfort, lower their energy operating costs, and upgrade their neighborhoods.

SLVHC works closely with Habitat for Humanity, coordinating volunteer labor and materials, and collaborates with Colorado Rural Housing Development Corporation’s Mutual Self Help housing program. Both programs combine owner-provided sweat equity and lower-interest loans to make homeownership affordable to very-low income working families.

This has been another transitional week – moving from the relative cool of the mountains with daily afternoon thundershowers, out to the Eastern Plains with rising afternoon temperatures. We began the week walking down Highway 50 along the Arkansas River as it passes through the spectacular Big Horn Sheep Canyon. The Arkansas is a “blue-ribbon” trout stream, cut deeply into red rock slopes with a steady flow of kayaks and rafters, and an occasional fly fishermen along the banks, at the northern end of the Sangre de Cristos Mountains. Highway 50 carries heavy RV and truck traffic this time of year. It is a narrow winding road with narrow shoulders which offers precious little walking space. Throughout the Walk, oncoming drivers have been remarkably friendly and accommodating to us, waving and smiling as they pass. In this canyon, often with little forward visibility around sharp curves and even less leeway for us to get off the pavement, we tried the drivers’ patience and threatened our own security. Toward the end of the week as we walked out of the Canyon into the foothills and beyond to the plains, the highway shoulders widened and the drivers resumed their friendly welcoming reaction to our presence beside them.

By the end of the week we reached Pueblo, having traveled 715 miles. We began to think ahead, preparing for the last segment of our tour around the state, and heading north for our final walk back into Denver.

In Canon City we attended a workshop presented by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka entitled “Rural Technical Assistance Program: Building Foundations for Housing Development.” Groups from eight rural Colorado communities attended, including community leaders, city and county officials, and bankers, to learn the basics of developing affordable housing. The groups were broken into teams, with role playing as they walked through each of the steps in the development process. The training broke the process into discrete steps, with opportunities to celebrate ongoing successes, building trust among the team and confidence within the community. The training focused on the importance of organization-building: collaboration, creating working partnerships to accomplish each community’s housing goals. The lesson was clear: long-term commitments are necessary to build community understanding and support.

In Trinidad, pop. 9,078, we met with city officials, citizens and the South Central Council of Governments (SCCOG) staff, Las Animas County, pop. 15,207, Huerfano County, pop. 7,862, to discuss their housing concerns. They included:

• the lack of appropriate housing for the elderly in which to “age in place,” and the need for appropriate safety, maintenance and accessibility upgrades, preferably in their current homes,
• expanding rehabilitation programs for existing housing, preserving the affordability for both homeownership and rental housing for their citizens, through weatherization and energy efficiency improvements,
• assisting families to achieve homeownership by encouraging new development of affordable housing, using community incentives, financial literacy training and down payment assistance,
• removing the stigma of “affordable housing,” assuring that new affordable housing doesn’t look like “projects” and using housing improvements (rehabilitation and new developments) to improve existing housing and the community’s image.

Because they believe the problem will not get better without governmental assistance, they see it as a public responsibility to respect community values in the housing being made available. They have created a community housing development corporation (CHDO), a nonprofit that will focus on solutions to meet affordable housing needs. Housing will be addressed as a way to build neighborhoods and re-build communities within SCCOG’s two-county region. They are undertaking a comprehensive housing assessment to establish the basis for further actions to meet the full range of their affordable housing issues.

In Pueblo, pop. 102,121, Pueblo County, pop. 141,472, we toured several housing developments and discussed the affordable housing challenges the community faces. We heard that in the latest “point in time” survey of the homeless, they counted 2040 homeless persons in Pueblo. We were told that many of the elderly and disabled are forced to live in nursing homes (at $3000 to $4000/ month) because there is a lack of accessible affordable housing. At the shelter housing victims of domestic abuse, we learned that because of the lack of affordable housing for victims of domestic abuse, most women and their children feel they have no choice but to go back to their abusers. Women cycle in and out an average of 12-15 times before they are able to find an alternative to their abusive homes.

The Pueblo Housing Authority is working closely with other community organizations to provide a continuum of housing and services to low-income families. Pueblo’s housing authority has a distinguished history of using federal, state and local funding creatively to develop housing for a broad range of housing constituencies – for the elderly, for families, and an innovative rent-to-own program for homeowners. In addition, they have formed a strong alliance with the city to preserve and maintain historic buildings in the downtown core. In the Vail, a converted historic hotel, they have transformed it into senior housing that preserves a landmark site, while providing valuable housing, improving the downtown, providing dignity to the residents and supporting community values. They have partnered with the city to preserve older downtown buildings, re-populating and re-energizing the city core.

The partnerships of Pueblo’s nonprofit housing providers are transforming once dilapidated housing, getting rid of crack dealers, mending neighborhoods, and improving the economy. They have, through their actions, demonstrated that affordable housing can add value to neighborhoods, and that affordable housing providers can be important partners in strengthening and maintaining the community’s’ economic vitality. They exemplify the value of community-based decision-making. They would do even more if they had additional resources.

This has been a relatively short week, from Pueblo to Colorado Springs – only 48 walking miles logged mostly on a farm road east of I-25 (pedestrians are not allowed to walk on Interstate highways). Low-hanging clouds have protected us from the sun and helped keep the temperatures down – but have obscured our view of Pike’s Peak looking down on us from the west. It has been a great week for walking.

With fewer Community Forums, we have had more time to reflect on the messages from the thirty-six cities and towns visited so far. We wonder, as we wind down, what did we learn and how can we pass it on?  We have more questions than answers. We’re more motivated than ever to seek appropriate responses – going beyond band-aids to systemic change. For example, in our growing economy, what additional public resources would be necessary to engage the creativity and resourcefulness of entrepreneurial housing developers to “raise all boats” by providing decent housing for all? It could also raise our hope and expectations for a more just society.

In La Junta, pop. 7,568, Otero County, pop. 20,311, the group discussed their concern about the deteriorating condition of the existing housing and its effect on the economy. We learned that more than 80% of homes are older than 40 years. Though rents and housing costs are comparatively low by Colorado standards, the affordable housing that is available has not been maintained. Even housing with historic value is being neglected. Some has been described as in “terrible condition.” One person stated, “If a family can get into an existing house, they face a lifetime of repairs.” A family that struggles to purchase an existing home finds they may have to “choose between eating and fixing the roof.” No public authority or other entity enforces a housing code for existing housing, nor does any protect tenants’ rights to fair treatment in securing such housing.

Because low-income residential properties in the area have not appreciated at the same rate as in other parts of the State, some owners are “trapped” in their homes in a market with limited resale potential.

They expressed concern that HUD is proposing to do away with some of the Section 8 housing vouchers. They said there are too few vouchers now to meet the demand for families and the elderly in finding decent housing. The proposed cutbacks will put even more families in jeopardy.

They indicated there is a severe lack of housing for single-parent families, the retired elderly on fixed incomes and migrant farm-workers. All are faced with housing choices that are neither affordable nor comply with reasonable health and safety quality standards.

We heard once again of the inability of local businesses to pay a living wage. They want industry/job wages that provide incomes at which families can afford to rent or purchase decent homes. They wish for an advocacy program that allows families to learn about the public and private programs that are available. They have engaged a marketing/needs assessment firm to conduct a housing needs assessment to quantify and prioritize housing activities throughout the tri-county area.

In Security / Fountain, pop. 15,197, El Paso County, pop. 516,929, the group expressed concern at the disparity between the low wages being offered and the high cost and low quality of the existing lower priced housing stock available. Much of the housing was built in the 50’s to accommodate low-ranking military and their families. That housing was built to minimum standards and much of it has not been adequately maintained. The cost to operate the housing – high energy and utility costs – is beyond what most of the new service/retail sector jobs pay. Low-rent projects have not been well maintained or managed and are now described as “bad neighborhoods, more like slums.”

The Colorado Springs’ growing economy with rising housing and real estate prices is placing increasing pressure on lower-income families. The competition for the existing housing is displacing long-time residents. Senior citizens, the disabled and service workers are being priced out of the available decent housing. The prevalence of minimum-wage jobs is leaving a segment of low-middle income families who “used to be able to buy houses” out of the current housing market.  They noted the challenge of developing a stable community when its economic future is tied to military bases, with uncertainties about base expansions or closures.

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In Colorado Springs, pop. 360,890, we participated in a discussion of what the group described as the “band-aid syndrome.” If you have an ‘owee’, you put a band-aid on it and do nothing about the cause of the problem. In the case of the lack of decent affordable housing, “we need more than that.” They said we must begin to deal with the homeless, and with the whole range of neighborhood / community problems that result from the lack of affordable housing.

We discussed the consequences of the growing income / housing-cost disparity. For a low-wage family living from paycheck to paycheck, it is difficult to save for up-front rental security deposits or for a homeownership down payment. Families who find themselves with credit card debt become a poor credit risk, entering a downward spiral of debt and economic insecurity. This situation is exacerbated by high housing costs, child care and medical bills. The group denounced the rhetoric proclaiming support for “family values” by people who fail to take action to demonstrate they value families. They talked about the need for a broader understanding of personal responsibility, financial literacy, governmental and economic systems – through personal counseling and support programs.

They raised the issue of rising incidence of homelessness – directly and indirectly affected by the high cost of housing. “Families looking for permanence” are threatened by the high percentage of their wages that must go to find decent housing in which to raise their families. They find themselves, “one paycheck away” from homelessness.

They discussed the “211” system, a telephone number that connects the caller access to a spectrum of services that address housing and social service needs. It is being implemented in Colorado Springs.

They declared, “the minimum wage must be raised – with benefits:” health insurance, sick leave, and child care. The high cost of employee turnover that results from low wages; search, orientation, training, should be transformed into higher wages and a benefits plan. “It is untenable that we provide jobs without benefits” stated one participant. “Take small steps, build supports that demonstrate that one values the workforce, and mend system gaps” They cited specifically the lack of housing for single women-headed households and undocumented migrant families, and with supports for released prisoners and their families, the chronically mentally ill and substance abusers.

This week marked the completion of the Walk as we continued north from Colorado Springs to Denver. It has been a week of reflection – both on what we have heard to date, and of what is next. The Walk has been about more than just a stroll around the State – it has also (primarily) been about listening, but then the question is: what can or what should we do about what we’ve heard?

In Monument, pop. 1971, we met with a group who discussed the “outrageous” cost of housing, with no housing available to single wage-earner families at a entering professional (school teachers, firemen, police/deputy sheriff) level. Workers earning the minimum wage in the service sector (retail, grocery, filling station, McDonalds) have virtually no options. They spoke of Hispanic laborers who have to sleep in their cars or live doubled-up (or quadrupled-up or more) in aging mobile homes. They can’t squeeze enough people into a small condo apartment to share costs to make it affordable.

They indicated there was no senior transportation is available to seniors who may wish to remain in the community – placing an additional cost burden, such as maintaining an automobile on already inadequate budgets. For some of those aging seniors, diminished driving skills becomes a further barrier to them -- and their neighbors. 

In Aurora, pop. 276,393, we took a four mile walk in misty rain showers, visiting important community venues: Latin Cinema, schools, library, a residential motel serving homeless individuals and families, newly created multifamily residences serving diverse ethnic and economic families, and new homeownership housing being provided for low-income families. At the dinner following we heard about the community efforts directed at meeting the needs of working families.

Preston Prince, director of the Aurora Housing Authority told us that 40 percent of renters and 25 percent of homeowners pay more than 30% of thir income for housing; with 16 percent of renters and 7 percent of homeowners paying more than 50 percent for housing costs. He said that Aurora is forecast to add 64,000 jobs with 68 percent of those jobs in retail and low-wage service positions, most of whom will need community assistance to be able to afford to live there.

Coming into Denver, pop. 554,636, a large group assembled at the SW edge of City Park, and more than 200 walked together down Colfax Avenue to the State Capitol. There was a brief but touching ceremony signaling the completion