Letter: Finding solutions to Vail Valley’s housing crunch
A safe home. Nutritious food. Health care. Reliable transportation. Which would you choose?
One in six U.S. families is forced to make this decision every day, often paying more than half of their income on rent or a mortgage. In Eagle County, we face a scarcity in the supply of affordable for sale and rental homes for our workforce. Today there is a shortage of 2,780 units, and by 2025 that deficit will grow to 5,900 units. This is unacceptable.
At Habitat for Humanity Vail Valley we know that when the cost of home is any family’s future, that’s something none of us can afford. That’s why we’re committed to mobilizing our partners, volunteers and community members to find solutions and help create policies that will increase access to affordable housing for local residents as part of a new campaign launching this week: Cost of Home.
Nationwide, the campaign’s goal is to improve housing affordability for 10 million people over the course of five years through policy and system changes at the local, state and federal levels. Locally, we’re helping to reach that goal by increasing the supply of affordable, for-sale homes through the construction of 36 new homes by 2025. We will also advocate for policy and systems both at the state and local level that will improve home affordability and increased access to credit for our local workforce. Plus, we will focus our efforts on policy and partnerships that help to directly increase the supply of affordable housing in our community.
Everyone deserves to build the foundation for a strong, healthy future for themselves and their families, no matter how much money they earn. We hope you’ll join us as we strive to make this a reality.
Support Local Journalism
Elyse Howard
Development Director, Habitat for Humanity Vail Valley
