Overview of This Effort
This effort is increasing the accessibility and availability of affordable and income-aligned housing throughout the region and improving educational and workforce outcomes for community members living in affordable housing.
The Opportunity
*RMP uses the McKinney-Vento definition of homelessness when discussing the housing situations of youth because it provides a more holistic picture of housing instability.
Source: McKinney-Vento Education and Children Youth Program, Colorado Department of Education. Data currently is limited to school districts in Adams County – data will be updated to include other regional school districts in the near future.
“I think a lot of people are suffering [because of COVID-19]. I also think a lot of people are going to need to seek out homeless shelters. There is going to be a lot of poverty. It’s sad to say, but I think it’s going to happen. I think food access will be okay – there are a lot of resources in the community you can count on. But, housing – no. You can’t count on it. It’s not guaranteed.” “
Source: Source: Adams County Resident, Adams County Community Needs Assessment
In addition, over a half of renter households and a quarter of owner households in the RMP region are experiencing cost-burden when it comes to housing, meaning they spend more than a third of their monthly income on housing costs. When we dive deeper into this data, there are clear equity that exist:
- A significantly higher proportion of renters (54%) are spending more than a third of their monthly income on housing cost compared to owners (25%)
- While we have limited data regarding the demographic makeup of who is experiencing cost-burden, data generally indicates that people of color are more likely to be renters and owners
- The lower a community member’s income, the more likely they are to experience cost-burden when it comes to housing
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table DP04 Selected Housing Characteristics. RMP Region data includes Adams County & the City and County of Broomfield. Owners include both community members who have a mortgage and those who do not.
Research demonstrates that an individual’s housing stability during childhood directly affects their educational experiences and future economic well-being as an adult. This effort is working to close equity gaps by addressing housing related barriers impacting youth and their families along their educational journeys.
What Will Be Accomplished By the End of 2022
- Complete Regional Youth Impact Assessment to help RMP gain a clear understanding of how housing related policy, public funding, and public services are impacting youth and their families along their educational journeys
- Develop Strategic Financing Plan and Youth Informed 2023 Policy Agenda to meet critical community needs around housing
- Shared strategies underway between three school districts and housing providers to address opportunities identified through a Readiness Assessment conducted by Enterprise Community Partners
- Build upon efforts already underway with navigators/case managers
and support service providers to improve their coordination in delivering services youth and families - Increase the co-location of services to be more easily accessible to families, including bringing services closer to affordable housing properties
- Increase service providers’ capacity to deliver services to youth and families
- Build upon efforts already underway with navigators/case managers
- Reduce regulatory barriers that limit the market’s ability to build small, lower-cost homes on expensive land at the local government level
More About The Effort
RMP is receiving coaching and technical assistance from several reputable, national entities to accelerate and advance this effort. This includes a national pilot through StriveTogether (Shifting Public Accountability and Resources to Support Children and Youth). Children’s Funding Project, Kids Impact, and Bridges are supporting the network to shift policies, practices, resources and power structures.
Learn more about this effort, including how we measure impact, our action underway in 2022 and beyond, and who’s involved, by clicking on the links in the left sidebar.
Join This Effort
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Contact Matt Horn, RMP Director of Collaborative Action, at MattHorn@RMPBackbone.org to learn more about or get involved in this effort. |