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Howard: Critical housing policies

We recently kicked off our 30th anniversary, celebrating with Habitat for Humanity Vail Valley homeowners, donors, volunteers, staff and long-time supporters. I know the impact Habitat has on the community but speaking with so many people in one room from the past 30 years really brought home the fact that Habitat is more than a homebuilder: We work to build bridges, make connections and build and retain community while helping families create lives that would not be possible without an affordable mortgage.

I’m not one to get emotional but as I talked to homeowners, some of whom I have known since I started at Habitat almost 20 years ago (how does time go so fast?), I felt speechless — and I am not typically at a loss for words. I consider our Habitat homeowners friends and extended family — they are my gauge of our community.

It’s refreshing when I go to the grocery store and run into a family that I first met in the Habitat office almost 20 years ago. I get to hear their achievements, how their dreams became realities and how they are continuing to thrive at home and serve our community — in no small part because of a safe, stable, affordable home. I love catching up but the need to do more is pervasive. How do we offer affordable homeownership to more people?



It is critical to address issues of home affordability at scale. This is why housing policies are so vital. A critical path forward is to find policy solutions that create opportunities to build more affordable homeownership.

The Colorado legislative session kicked off Jan. 8 with Gov. Jared Polis’s “State of the State Address.” You may have heard about his Star Wars references on the news — but I was listening closely as he shared a goal to build more housing that Coloradans can afford.

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The first two bills that we are watching closely and lending our expertise to are:

  • SB25-002, championed by Sen. Jeff Bridges, seeks to reduce regulatory barriers in order to lower costs and increase speed to market on modular housing options. Modular-built housing is a critical tool to create more affordable housing for our communities. After successfully completing the modular development at Adam’s Way in Eagle last year, HFHVV is an expert in this space and has been working closely with stakeholders to share our on-the-ground experience.
  • SB25-006, championed by Sen. Dylan Roberts, seeks to unlock additional resources at below-market rates to create or finance affordable, for-sale housing. This bill recognizes the need for more for-sale housing especially for the lowest income borrowers, which is also at the core of Habitat’s work to create equitable access to homeownership.

With two of the first 10 bills introduced focused on increasing affordable housing for our state, we are off to the races to find ways to bring more affordable housing options to our community — housing supply is not the only sticking point. The high cost of insurance is another barrier to affordable homeownership.

The rising insurance costs are well known: How do we mitigate the risks posed by wildfire and other natural weather events/disasters to affordably insure what is typically a family’s largest asset? The cost of insurance is increasingly challenging and prohibitive. From homeowner insurance to construction defects, we need to work toward solutions that can help make building and owning more affordable.

We keep all of this in mind as we advocate. We work locally, statewide and in mid-February, I am heading to Washington D.C. as part of Habitat on the Hill, where we meet with representatives, strengthen relationships and talk about the importance of affordable housing. There is power in numbers, and I am excited to be a voice in action.

Nationwide, Habitat has successfully advocated for housing policy changes that will improve access to affordable homes for millions of people nationwide.


As one of Habitat homeowners said at our 30th anniversary celebration: “Productive citizens are being born into these Habitat homes. You see people in positions of government, bankers, doctors, lawyers, all these things that are a possibility now. It’s the bigger picture. And that’s what I love about Habitat. They give you that fighting chance to say, ‘Hey, you could do so much more.’ It’s them capturing potential they don’t even know about.”

Now more than ever, it’s time for us to come together and shine for our community.

Elyse Howard is the VP of Community Affairs and Philanthropy at Habitat Vail Valley, where she advocates for the housing continuum. Habitat Vail Valley celebrates 30 years this year and has plans to build to 200 homes by the end of 2028.


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