Episodes

Food and shelter are two basic things all humans need to survive. But with the rising costs of both groceries and housing, a lot of Coloradans are finding it difficult to afford both. In this episode, we hear from organizations seeking to address food insecurity, including Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado, Longmont Housing Authority, and the Family and Intercultural Resource Center (FIRC) in Summit County. Each is unique in their strategy, but all share the conviction that one shou...

Colorado needs over 136,000 more affordable housing units for low-income earners. That means the state needs people to build that housing. From skilled tradespeople to developers and property managers, the industry needs all kinds of workers to tackle the state’s housing crisis. In Colorado Springs, Mat Lujan and Cliff Hunter head up Project Diakonia; a nonprofit that mentors at-risk youth with hands-on construction training, and partners with Habitat for Humanity to build affordable housing. P...

As people exit incarceration, they are 10 times more likely to slip into homelessness because they face higher barriers to obtaining steady employment, reliable healthcare, and affordable housing. Colorado is home to many organizations dedicated to helping folks find a home amid their reentry journeys. Julie Kiehl is the Executive Director of the Empowerment Program: an organization that primarily supports women leaving incarceration with affordable housing and wraparound services. Mandelyn Lew...

Colorado’s housing and economic development needs are as diverse as the state’s landscapes. From plains to mountains, and from cities to ski slopes, no two communities are the same. Each needs tailor-made solutions. Through a strategic initiative called Vision 2030, CHFA plans to channel $30 billion in statewide investment to fuel housing and economic development, working closely with stakeholders from Kit Carson to Grand Junction. To realize this vision, CHFA needs to collaborate with communit...

This season on The Buildout, a podcast from Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA), we’re looking at what it takes to prepare Colorado for the future. Join us for Season Three beginning August 27, 2026, available wherever you listen to podcasts. By accessing this podcast, I acknowledge that: views and opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) and that this podcast is for informational purposes only and not legal, ...

Silverton, Colorado, is tucked away in the mountains in the southwest part of the state and has about 731 residents. But they want to grow, and to do so, they need more housing. Contrary to what you might think, building even just a few units of affordable housing is complicated and expensive for small communities. They often don’t meet the criteria for the big federal housing programs, like Housing Tax Credits. That’s why CHFA launched Small-scale Housing Technical Assistance, which provides tr...

In Colorado, nearly 130,000 adults have an intellectual or developmental disability, or IDD. That’s an umbrella term for a group of conditions that includes Down syndrome, autism, and cerebral palsy. Nearly three-quarters of people with IDD live with their families, and many of those caregivers are over the age of 60. Those caregivers often fear what will happen to their adult children with IDD when they need care themselves. Jeans Mobley is Executive Director of Trailhead Community, a housing ...

Cleo Parker Robinson Dance (CPRD) is expanding its building for the first time in nearly 50 years. The arts institution has long uplifted Denver’s African American community and the Five Points neighborhood. Malik Robinson, CPRD’s President and CEO, is leading the expansion project, but it wouldn’t have been possible without a financing tool called New Markets Tax Credits. These credits, established by Congress in 2000, encourage private investors to put cash into specific communities – ones th...

Until 2025, where you lived in Colorado determined whether or not you could build an accessory dwelling unit or ADU. But a new law sponsored by Senator Judy Amabile has changed that. Now, it’s easier than ever to build a little granny flat out back. When it comes to bridging Colorado’s housing supply gap, each and every ADU adds up. In Denver, Renee Martinez-Stone with the Denver Housing Authority has helped homeowners to build ADUs through a partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denve...

The majority of people age 65 and older in the U.S. want to stay in their homes as long as possible, according to numerous AARP surveys over the last decade. It’s a phenomenon known as aging in place. However, like many Coloradans, older adults struggle with increased housing costs. But they face unique challenges, like chronic health conditions and fixed incomes. Organizations like Brothers Redevelopment and Silver Key Senior Services are working to address these challenges. Jeff Martinez, fou...

When the land across the street from The Colorado Health Foundation went up for sale, instead of watching a new luxury apartment tower go up, the Foundation decided to create a “health oasis.” They envisioned a community with health amenities built in, but there was just one problem: the Foundation isn’t a housing developer. Neither was Solid Rock Christian Center in Colorado Springs. But they had undeveloped land right next door to their church and a need for housing in their community. Both o...

Alex had her daughter, Tiara, when she was 17. Like many new parents, she struggled to balance child care with all of her other responsibilities, but she also didn’t have a car, and she was too young to sign a lease. Things changed when she found Florence Crittenton Services of Colorado, a high school with child care onsite. Desta Taye-Channell is president and CEO of Florence Crittenton, and she says the model meets the needs of two generations at once. More organizations are catching on to th...

The Buildout is back for a second season to explore more stories of people and innovative ideas driving affordable housing and community development in Colorado! We know that the cost of housing has increased dramatically in Colorado, but why? To kick off our new season, we’re diving deep into all the various factors that affect the cost of housing, with help from CHFA’s new Executive Director and CEO, Thomas Bryan, and Colorado State Demographer Kate Watkins. The state’s housing crisis has a r...

When it comes to housing, Coloradans have been feeling a crunch for a while. The reasons are many, and the challenges are not the same everywhere. But whether it's Kit Carson, Colorado Springs, or Frisco, housing doesn't exist in a void. Safe, affordable, and accessible housing is just one piece of a greater community. The other pieces that complete the puzzle are education, jobs, access to food, and healthcare. But when housing becomes too expensive, those other essentials also become harder t...

To address the shortage of affordable housing, Colorado must do more than build new units. That’s why this episode is focused on increased efforts to preserve the affordable housing that’s already standing. There are two kinds of affordable housing that the state is at risk of losing: housing that is built with government subsidies, and privately owned apartments that happen to have below market rents – often referred to as naturally occurring affordable housing. When it comes to the privately ...

More and more people in Colorado’s resort and rural towns fall into what’s called “the missing middle.” People who have good jobs, earning decent wages, but who are nonetheless struggling to afford housing where they live. They often earn too much to qualify for federal affordable rental housing programs, which limit eligibility to those whose incomes fall under a certain threshold. On the flip side, they are cost burdened by increasingly expensive and scarce housing. Colorado is leading the ch...

In greater Denver, American Indians and Alaska Natives experience disparities in all forms of housing, according to a 2022 assessment. On average, they are four times more likely to experience homelessness and face high rates of rental housing discrimination. That, on top of centuries of forced migration and harmful federal policies, has led to immense housing inequities. This is why groups like Native American Housing Circle are so essential. The Native-led grassroots coalition of provider org...

The Fair Housing Act, passed in 1968, outlawed housing discrimination. However, more than 50 years later, the homeownership rate between white and Black Americans remains nearly unchanged. On top of that, communities that faced discriminatory policies in the past still feel the impacts today. According to research from the University of California, Berkeley, people living in historically redlined neighborhoods are highly vulnerable to air, water, and noise pollutants as well as other health pro...

On our second episode focused on responses to homelessness, we hit the highway, away from Colorado’s densely populated cities and downtowns to rural communities in the southwestern part of the state. The affordable housing crisis is just as dire in cities like Durango or Cortez, but in many cases, they face greater challenges when it comes to increasing the supply of affordable housing. When it comes to reaching people, rural housing insecurity tends to be more hidden away; it’s not uncommon fo...

Housing insecurity is on the rise in the U.S. According to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), more than 770,000 Americans were experiencing homelessness in January 2024—the largest number ever recorded since HUD began gathering data in 2007. The main factor driving housing instability in this country is the shortage of affordable housing. Like everywhere else in the nation, Coloradans are feeling the effects of this housing shortage, but what t...

The state’s Affordable Housing Task Force says that Colorado has a housing shortage of about 325,000 units. That deficit has contributed to rapidly rising housing costs over the last decade plus. And the demand only continues to grow. How can the state keep up with that demand, while also keeping up with the cost of building and the time it takes? Innovation. From 3D-printed units to panelized housing to shipping container construction and tiny homes, Colorado has established funding sources to...

For the last 50 years, CHFA, Colorado Housing and Finance Authority, has worked alongside partners and communities in pursuit of the vision that everyone in Colorado will have the opportunity for housing stability and economic prosperity. In this first episode of The Buildout, we chat with Cris White, outgoing executive director, about his more than 30-year career at the organization and all of the changes and growth he’s seen. Cris takes us back to CHFA’s first partnership after the 1976 Big Th...

Introducing The Buildout, a new podcast from CHFA, Colorado Housing and Finance Authority. For 50 years, CHFA has worked alongside partners and communities in pursuit of the vision that everyone in Colorado will have the opportunity for housing stability and economic prosperity. Now, we’re uplifting the stories of those partners: people and organizations tackling some of the toughest housing challenges in the Centennial State. Over the course of eight episodes this season, The Buildout will take...