Families all across the United States are paying too high a price to cover the cost of home. Rent and homeownership costs are skyrocketing, while wages are not keeping pace. Far too often, the stability that home should bring remains out of reach for far too many families. ​

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What is Cost of Home?

To improve housing affordability broadly, policymakers at all levels need to support comprehensive packages that address the increasing cost of housing across the rental and homeownership spectrum. Without these policy changes, families across the nation must continue to make choices between housing and paying for food, bills, education, and other necessities. That's why Flatirons Habitat is joining hundreds of Habitat affiliates across the country to advocate for a lower cost of home.

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What Can You Do? 

• Contact your representative and tell them why affordable housing matters to you

  • Find your City Council member (Boulder)​

  • Find your City Council member (Broomfield)

  • Find your representative in the Colorado General Assembly

  • Contact your federal representative (House District 2)
     

• Sign up for our policy newsletter to stay on top of housing news in our area​

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Housing Issues in Our Service Area​

Flatirons Habitat serves the Boulder Valley School District and the City and County of Broomfield. Both are high-income, high cost-of-living areas where it is extremely difficult for middle- and low-income households to purchase or rent a home. Many of our community members are cost-burdened by housing. To afford a place to live, they make tradeoffs like living in less-safe neighborhoods or commuting lengthy distances to work. 

 

Boulder:

• In 2018, the average cost of a single-family home in the City of Boulder was $1.2 million - a 21 percent increase from the previous year. 

• Median cost of rent in Boulder is $1,550. 

• 54 percent of Boulder renters spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing. 32 percent spend more than half.  

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Broomfield: 

• The median sale price of a home in Broomfield is $450,000 (higher than surrounding areas except the City of Boulder). 

• Broomfield's most-recently reported median rent is $1,507. 

• 42 percent of Broomfield renters are spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing, and 25 percent spend more than half. 

• 9 percent of Broomfield homeowners spend more than 50 percent of their income on their mortgage.

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Our Policy Priorities

We encourage lawmakers at the state, local, and federal levels to support policy aimed at breaking down barriers to access to affordable housing, including: 

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• Regulatory issues - Development of affordable housing in Boulder and Broomfield often requires rezoning to higher densities. This requires public approval in addition to time and money. 
   

• Social issues - "NIMBY" ("Not in My Backyard") continues to be an issue. When planning affordable housing projects, neighbors often cite concerns including parking, traffic, and construction noise, even if these issues are actively addressed. NIMBY-ism often excludes families that are younger, middle-income, or single-parent households from housing opportunities. 
   

• Economic issues - Developers face high costs for land and construction across Colorado. Offering economic incentives for affordable housing development helps mitigate these concerns. 
   

• Physical constraints - Colorado, and especially the Denver-Boulder area, has seen an influx of new residents over the last decade. Land is hard to come by and extremely expensive, which makes securing sites for affordable housing projects more difficult.  

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