housing crisis

An organization in Moab helps build affordable and efficient housing with grants from the USDA's Mutual Self Help Program. Along the way they’re educating builders and providing more space for future homeowners. Justin Higginbottom reports for KZMU.

Boulder, Colorado has had a tight housing market for decades, and the pandemic has only further limited affordability and availability. But in a city with strict growth limits, many are looking to add housing in their own backyards — often quite literally. For KGNU and Rocky Mountain Community Radio, Lucy Haggard looks into accessory dwelling units as one way to solve the dual crises of cost and stock.

Lining homes with solar panels is not usually what comes to mind when creating affordable housing projects in rural mountain communities. Yet, designing homes that can produce their own power is one way to keep utility bills close to zero. KVNF’s Stephanie Maltarich visited Basalt, Colorado to learn how one community collaboration created the first net-zero affordable housing project in the state.

A committee helping Colorado lawmakers decide how to spend four hundred million dollars of federal coronavirus relief money on affordable housing programs has released a draft of its recommendations; Students in the Montezuma-Cortez RE-1 School District will once again be allowed to participate in off-campus extracurricular activities after in-person classes and extracurriculars were cancelled earlier in the week.

When a trailer park housing low-income residents went up for sale in downtown Moab, Utah, local elected officials worried it would get bulldozed for a new hotel. So, the city bought it. For Rocky Mountain Community Radio, Molly Marcello reports on Moab’s ongoing plans to safeguard workforce housing and develop affordable apartments on the site.

In the small resort community of Big Sky, Montana, 78 percent of workers commute from outside the area, according to U.S. Census Data. For KHOL and Rocky Mountain Community Radio, Will Walkey reports on a new program that’s trying to reverse that trend by paying property owners to rent to locals.

The Jackson Hole real estate market reported more than $1.8 billion dollars in sales in the first half of 2021. It’s a record-breaking rise in activity similar to the experience of many other mountain towns across the West. For KHOL and Rocky Mountain Community Radio, Will Walkey reports on a new program that’s trying to capitalize on that money flowing through the valley with the goal of investing it back into affordable housing projects.

Imagine turning 18 and finding yourself aged out of the foster care system. You don’t have the resources to support yourself and now face homelessness. There’s a program in Montrose aimed at helping youth in this situation. As Laura Palmisano reports for KVNF and Rocky Mountain Community Radio, the program provides affordable housing along with support and guidance.

In 2017, Vancouver, Canada, became the first North American city to enact a tax on residential properties sitting vacant for more than half the year. The goal is to return vacant homes to the local rental market and raise revenue for affordable housing projects. Kyle Mackie of KHOL Jackson reports on how some Western mountain towns are now eyeing early signs of Vancouver’s success. This story is part of a collaboration between Rocky Mountain Community Radio and the Solutions Journalism Network highlighting affordable housing solutions across the Mountain West.

How do you solve America’s affordable housing crisis? Most people want to build their way out of the problem, but there are other ways to make homes more affordable. One of them is energy upgrades for homes, otherwise known as weatherization. And government weatherization efforts may have benefits beyond just housing. Advocates say they boost quality of life, promote climate resilience and save on the cost of housing. So why isn’t everyone doing it? KBUT’s Christopher Biddle has more.