The Housing Dilemma of the SLV
The Problem
Housing has always been a sensitive topic in the San Luis Valley. The Valley has something defined as a “housing dearth” meaning there are more people/ a higher demand for housing than there are housing options available. (Collin’s Dictionary) This creates tension between income and housing. Many people are left waiting for years before they are able to obtain housing(CHFA). The Colorado Housing and Finance Association’s (CHFA) mission is to provide affordable housing and continue community development for everyone regardless of income. They provide loans, help people explore all of their options, and work with the different cities and towns to create housing growth. Although the Valley is sparsely populated- of the six counties that make up the San Luis Valley (Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande, and Saguache) the population size is about 46,000 people (Monte Vista Journal) over 8000 square miles- many of the towns in the Valley do not have enough housing options for the demand.
This means that families struggle to find affordable housing and units that are available for purchase or rent have had their prices hiked. This allows renters to be more selective of tenants and contributes to the problem of homelessness within the SLV. There are programs like the SLVHC (San Luis Valley Housing Coalition) a 501(c)3 non-profit and others who are working actively to find solutions and provide more affordable housing options for the community.
Solutions
There are a variety of ways they are accomplishing this: they are studying and implementing solutions for housing. They have found that three factors make up the problem of housing dearth. 1) Lack of housing options 2) High housing costs 3) Low-income wages. This means those who rent/sell can be increasingly stingy with who they sell/rent to and can hike prices because the demand for housing is high. This leaves families with limited options and often they are left struggling to maintain housing.
Effects of COVID-19
COVID-19 has created setbacks in the housing market, but prior to this pandemic, jobs and wages had grown steadily since 2010 (Alamosa News). However, housing prices have increased faster than wages so many households are facing increased burdens as rental and mortgage payments have increased. According to Alamosa News, more than a third of owners pay more than 30% of their income on housing. Not only are rental and homeowner’s payments trending upwards, there is simply not enough available and safe housing in the Valley. Rental units are often snatched up within days of becoming available and while homes for sale may sit vacant for months, it is not due to a low volume of applicants but rather the community members not being able to afford the listing price. In addition to this, affording upkeep and repairs on homes have also increased so many homes are left to slowly disintegrate and become unsafe or completely uninhabitable.
Alamosa News interviewed our very own Brett Phillips. Read below for the quote:
According to Brett Phillips, La Puentes director of street services, there are currently 143 active clients who qualify as homeless in Alamosa. Among those 143, 30 people are living on the streets, 35 are living in a vehicle, 42 are living in a shelter and 36 are living in St. Benedict’s Encampment. But there are also hundreds of households — individuals and families — that have lost their housing and are living with friends or family members, sometimes moving from one location to another while they wait for a housing opportunity to open. Alamosa Housing Authority currently has more than 150 families waiting for housing and SLV Housing Coalition has 73. That’s a total of about 225 families, which can range in size from a single individual to a family of six people or more. And, according to Melgares, that waiting period is expected to be two to three years long. Alamosa News
And this is only within the city of Alamosa… which is arguably the largest town in the SLV. There are many towns within the Valley that are not equipped to handle the housing crisis. In addition, the land is affordable but often it does not come with full water rights and may be 2-3 hours away from the nearest city (pieceofnowhere blog). Because the land comes with nothing, it can be very expensive to ekk out a living. If there is an emergency, there can be severe consequences and people can lose their homes and wind up homeless in an instant.
Why La Puente Matters
This is why organizations like La Puente are so necessary. Our Crisis Prevention department seeks to keep families housed. While programs like Adelante work to help the community regain and maintain steady housing.
What the City Is Doing
The city is also aware of this problem and is working to provide solutions; however, it is a slow process. This impacts the community and increases hardship for those struggling to maintain housing. People are left floundering.
One of the ways that the city has begun working towards increased housing is by allowing unused or abandoned buildings to be renovated into new housing units. They have also begun building more units inside the town limits. The SLVHC (San Luis Valley Housing Coalition) has partnered with the city to turn the retired elementary school, Boyd School, into new housing units. The existing building will become 14-18 housing units based on preexisting classrooms while they will build 10-14 entirely new 2-story buildings consisting of 2, 3, and 4-bedroom units for families and people with ADA accessibility needs will have priority on the first-floor units (SLVHC Boyd Rehabilitation Project).
Not only are they completely repurposing an entire abandoned block, but they are working with the community to assess their specific needs. Instead of simply having a plan and executing it, they are bringing the community along through every step of the process by hosting community engagement sessions. La Puente’s Boyd Garden has also been at this site for over 30 years. The neighborhood has been adamant about keeping the garden as is and/or expanding it. This is encouraging to our VEGI staff and La Puente as a whole because the garden has created a positive impact on the community and they are invested in its wellbeing.
Hope
These projects and resources are only the beginning. It will be a long process to create and maintain stable housing for the entire SLV greater community, but it is an achievable goal. It is not just La Puente that believes in sustainable and affordable housing and it is encouraging to see the city, other organizations, and the community come together to create a solution.
Works Cited
http://pieceofnowhere.blogspot.com/2012/05/about-san-luis-valley.html