Letter: We’re in danger of losing those who are the foundation of our valley
There is much talk in our communities about the current housing crisis. As five nonprofits in the valley, we have grave concerns about the difficulties locals are facing as the cost of buying a home has risen beyond the reach of many, as rental units are taken off the market to be sold, and as rents have increased by 30% in the last few years.
Each week we receive at least a dozen applications from people who have lost their rental unit, can’t find a rental unit, or can’t afford one of the few units on the market. We see young couples, senior couples, families, singles of all ages, people in all professions forced to leave the valley because they can’t afford a place to live. Some families pay 80% of their income to own or rent.
Lower-income households face a choice between paying their rent or buying adequate food supplies. If an unforeseen crisis occurs, a medical situation, a car breaking down, bills go unpaid. Sadly, and perhaps most distressingly, we’ve seen residents given a week’s notice that their next month’s rent will go from $1,500 to $3,000, from $2,400 to $3,400.
Most of our applicants are doing the best they can to meet their financial responsibilities, but this is a burden they cannot continue to carry and still subsist in this valley. While much of what we see is beyond any one person’s or company’s control, we would make a plea to those who directly control rental housing prices and have options in pricing, to show compassion to those who seek a place to call home. What the market will bear often cannot be borne and because of it, we are in danger of losing the very people who are the foundation of our valley.
Pat Hamilton, Executive Director, Swift Eagle Charitable Foundation
Monica Villalobos-Russell, Center Director, The Salvation Army
Tsu Wolin Brown, Retired Center Coordinator, The Salvation Army
Marian McDonough, Regional Director, Catholic Charities, Western Slope
Fraser Horn, President, Eagle Valley Family Assistance Fund
