When designing a process for their 2024 strategic plan, Habitat for Humanity Vail Valley staff knew that they wanted to create a bold vision for the future of housing in their community. After all, their last strategic plan in 2022, resulted in doubling their impact and provided 46 new affordable homes in Eagle County. Even amid such great success, residents of Eagle County continue to struggle to find housing in their community. Between 2019 and 2023, the median home price in Eagle County increased by 15.7% per year. Rental rates also skyrocketed, increasing by over 48% since 2019. Despite these increases, wages have remained relatively flat, and many residents in Eagle County are unable to pay for the cost of housing. Habitat receives more than 10 applications for each home that it builds in Vail Valley, many with heartbreaking stories.
“We could not renew our rental contract and moved in with my parents. However, the house is crowded. There are 12 of us. We are sleeping in the living room – 2 on the couch and 2 on the floor.” – 2024 applicant
“I live in a small place that has many issues. I am concerned this may affect my health, but I can’t afford to move.” – 2024 applicant
Yet these stories are often lacking from larger community conversations on housing in Eagle County.
Habitat wanted to ensure that its next strategic plan included the voices of community members affected by the current housing crisis and engaged the Civic Canopy to support the design and implementation of a strategic planning process that would include resident voices. “The Civic Canopy pushed us outside of our comfort zone and let us know that its ok to not have all of the answers,” said Director of Human Resources, Kalie Palmer.
Together, Habitat for Humanity and the Civic Canopy planned a community forum to bring diverse residents together to surface stories that illustrate the ways in which people experience housing needs in Eagle County and serve as a guide for the strategic planning process.
On May 16th, Habitat for Humanity gathered more than 50 residents in the Battle Mountain High School cafeteria to share a meal and discuss their unique experiences with housing in the valley. Participants met in small groups and told their own housing stories. Spanish-speaking immigrants spoke to business owners. Early childhood educators spoke to second homeowners. There was space and time for people from all walks of life to learn from each other’s experiences. Some residents shared that they had purchased their homes many years ago and would never be able to afford a home in the valley in today’s housing market. Other residents spoke about the mental health impacts of having to share an apartment with multiple roommates and family members just to be able to afford rent. Many shared stories of living in a constant state of limbo with landlords raising rents by 10-15% per year and the stress of having to move constantly. Or the long and seemingly impossible waitlists for rentals and affordable housing and the lack of emergency shelter to support families during transitions.
Forum participants also mentioned how the current housing crisis affects more than just housing. One business owner shared how he could not recruit or retain employees because they couldn’t find a place to live. A mother shared how her toddler had been waiting for more than 7 months for speech and language therapy because of a shortage of providers due to the inability to pay for housing in the valley. Others mentioned health concerns that arose from exposure to mold, smoke, and violence in employer sponsored housing. All shared concerns for how to build a stable, thriving, community when people move in and out of the valley so frequently.
When asked about solutions that might alleviate some of these problems, participants suggested many different strategies including many that fall outside of Habitat for Humanity’s current scope of work. These solutions included introducing legislation to prevent spikes in rental rates year over year and changing HOA restrictions to allow homeowners to add accessory dwelling units. Suggestions also included:
- Preserving starter homes with affordable prices
- Incentivizing sales to year-round residents
- Increasing requirements for developers to build more affordable homes.
- Increasing the availability of affordable housing programs to those who are at 120% or more AMI
- Building higher density homes
- Providing 0% interest mortgages to buyers
Staff from Habitat for Humanity synthesized these housing stories and solutions and brought them to the strategic planning retreat with the board in June. The goal was to create a bold plan rooted in both Habitat’s history and the current reality experienced by participants of the Community Forum. The Civic Canopy used the Stacey matrix to kick off the conversation around the complexity of possible housing solutions in Eagle County.
Board members and staff reflected on Habitat’s strong history of creating permanently affordable homes for people who demonstrate a need and earn up to 80% of the area median income for Eagle County. According to the Stacey Matrix, this type of approach is an example of applying known best practices and a high level of technical skill to solve a relatively simple problem.
However, simply doubling the number of homes built would not solve the complex housing issues faced by those at the Forum. To create solutions to these complex problems, Habitat would have to create a bold new plan, which would require them to take on a whole new role.
The Civic Canopy introduced the concept of collective impact to address the complex issue of housing in Eagle County. Instead of acting as an individual organization, Habitat for Humanity Vail Valley could utilize its trusted community connections to harness the power of community actors to maximize their efforts and work towards joint solutions to the current housing crisis.
In the months following the planning session, Habitat created a new program to explore the role of convening collective impact. “It’s scary to step out of our comfort zone and try something new, but it’s what’s needed for our community. We’re excited to continue partnering with Civic Canopy to further develop our toolbox and bring new and different housing solutions to Eagle Valley through collective impact,” said Kalie Palmer. They are currently in the process of meeting with community leaders, non-profit organizations, and government officials to create a collective group to develop policy solutions, increase the availability of affordable units and access to affordability programs, and build public will for affordable housing.