Unhoused

Over the last few years technology giants have announced major pledges to affordable housing efforts in the cities where they office. While these pledges are welcome in major tech centers in Washington state and California's Bay Area, the companies are simultaneously expanding in cities across the country. When a tech company decides to office in any […] The post (un)affordable: Big tech and affordable housing appeared first on Boulder Weekly.

Around the country, the lack of affordable commercial space is challenging for small, local, and underserved businesses and business owners who either want to stay open or get a foothold in the first place. As is the case with housing, many people find it difficult to start, maintain or grow a business in their own […] The post (un)affordable: Commercial affordability appeared first on Boulder Weekly.

Seen as the largest reserve of unsubsidized affordable housing in the country, preserving manufactured home communities is a priority for state and local leaders grappling with unaffordability across the region. Increasingly, local park owners are retiring, making way for investors and corporate owners that institute new policies, even restrictions, and often raise lot rents to […] The post (un)affordable: Manufactured housing appeared first on Boulder Weekly.

As cities and local governments increasingly focus on affordable housing around the state (and country, for that matter), homeownership units are often a part of neighborhoods and developments within Homeowner Associations, or HOAs. These come with monthly dues to cover community costs like building maintenance, landscaping, perhaps upkeep of shared amenities like pools, laundry facilities, […] The post (un)affordable: HOA pressure points appeared first on Boulder Weekly.

What constitutes great affordable housing design has changed over the decades. Where hulking concrete structures—Cabrini-Green in Chicago, Pruitt-Igoe in St. Louis—were once seen as economic answers to the affordability crisis, time has proven such designs do little in the way of elevating the lives of residents. There's mounting evidence that the buildings we live in […] The post (un)affordable: Beautiful by design appeared first on Boulder Weekly.

While affordable housing has been a policy priority, at least in theory, across Boulder County for years, need still far outweighs current supply, leaving room for myriad solutions from legislators, nonprofits, city planners, regulators, housing advocates and others. Unsurprisingly, discussions about affordable housing can be confusing, with numerous programs, funding sources and strategies involved. The […] The post (un)affordable: Affordability 101 appeared first on Boulder Weekly.

Welcome to unaffordable — a podcast about affordability solutions in Boulder County brought to you by Boulder Weekly and KGNU. In each episode, we'll present an interview with someone involved in affordability solutions from design to homeowner's association costs to transportation access and more. This is just one person's opinion on one aspect covered in […] The post (un)affordable trailer appeared first on Boulder Weekly.

Traditionally, during winter months, additional shelter beds are made available to account for the added dangers that snow and freezing temperatures bring to people experiencing homelessness. Recent changes to the severe weather sheltering program, however, test Boulder County's homelessness solutions strategy, as there are fewer shelter beds in the system this winter than there have […] The post Unhoused: Managing Scarcity appeared first on Boulder Weekly.

Tiny home communities across several American cities like Detroit, Los Angeles and Portland have helped alleviate homelessness, but the idea has been slow to catch on in Colorado. The Veterans Community Project (VCP) has successfully housed and served homeless veterans in Kansas City, Missouri, by designing and building tiny home villages which partner with existing […] The post Unhoused: A tiny house, a big step appeared first on Boulder Weekly.

The increased visibility of street homelessness as a result of the coronavirus pandemic has motivated a wave of new conversations about the feasibility of sanctioned encampments in Boulder and elsewhere. The idea of a sanctioned campground for the unhoused is one that's been loudly and routinely rejected by the larger Boulder community for decades. Concentrated […] The post Unhoused: Recognizing realities appeared first on Boulder Weekly.

With an eviction crisis still on the horizon, sanctioned overnight parking lots are being used nationwide to provide temporary relief for people living in vehicles — a common occurrence for those experiencing homelessness for the first time. In Boulder County this summer, the nonprofit Homeless Outreach Providing Encouragement (HOPE) created SafeLot, a program providing an […] The post Unhoused: Gaining traction appeared first on Boulder Weekly.

Stemming evictions is the first step to preventing homelessness, but in light of the pandemic, will it be enough? When an eviction moratorium expired in August and the government's pandemic-aid spigot closed, Colorado nonprofits and public agencies, including those in Boulder County, mounted a coordinated response to address a looming homelessness crisis. A gusher of […] The post Unhoused: On the brink appeared first on Boulder Weekly.

Homelessness is not a new experience in Boulder County or across the country, and the coronavirus pandemic has only made the situation worse for many. Before we get into alternative or new solutions, we first need to look at the system as it stands today. In Boulder County, local housing authorities and nonprofits teamed up […] The post Unhoused: Status Quo appeared first on Boulder Weekly.

In light of the coronavirus pandemic, communities already struggling to provide services to the unhoused are seeking to end an enduring problem with new solutions: preventing evictions and exploring opportunities for safe lots, urban campgrounds and tiny homes in addition to the national Housing First strategy. Whether you live in Boulder or not, join host […] The post Podcast: Unhoused trailer appeared first on Boulder Weekly.