Affordable housing in Grand Junction

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) - Affordable housing seems to be nonexistent throughout the nation, and Grand Junction is no exception.

Mayor Anna Stout says the city council is proactively working to make affordable housing more accessible. Part of her solution is working with housing partners to revise zoning and development codes and allocating money.

“We have no doubt that we have a problem with housing in this community,” said Stout.

Chairman of Grand Junction Area Realtor Association, Tyler Harris, says the problem stems from supply and demand, “We were at an all-time low supply for housing inventory in 2020. Through right now, it is just now starting to creep up.”

According to the 2020 Census, Colorado is 225,000 units short.

“So the supply and demand for housing it’s still in high demand, so prices will continue to climb,” added Harris.

So what is the city doing to address the housing issue? The mayor says the city council is working on developing strategies.

“The city is proactively working on the housing situation we have here in this community,” described Stout. “We have money allocated in the 2022 budget. We are working with our housing partners like the Housing Authority, Housing Resources of Western Colorado, and Habit for Humanity.”

The ultimate goal is to try to increase the stock of homes in the valley and increase the number of rentals available to people.

“To narrow the gap between the number of homes needed and the number of homes that exist,” added Stout.

When talking about affordable housing, Stout explains the city wants people to spend no more than a third of their income on housing.

But most will tell the average income here makes that tough.

“Once we are spending more than that on housing, it obviously decreases the amount of money people have for their other needs, their basic needs,” said Stout. “But also the ability to enjoy life and have a high quality of life.”