Division of Housing

The Governor’s Office of Governor Jared Polis, alongside the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), will proclaim November 2022 as Homeless Youth Awareness and Action Month in Colorado.

After serving over 36,000 households, with over 70% of whom have 50% Area Median Income (AMI) or less, the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) will no longer accept emergency rental assistance applications after 11:59 p.m. on November 15, 2022.

Over the past year, the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) has awarded and allocated almost $130M through HB21-1329 and SB21-242, and almost $150M overall, for housing recovery and resiliency efforts across Colorado.

For the past 15 months, the State of Colorado has provided emergency rental assistance to more than 30,000 households. The goal of the program was to mitigate the economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on people who were at an increased risk of losing their housing due to challenges with paying rent, as many people found their jobs eliminated or paused.

“Keeping Coloradans housed is one of the ultimate goals of the Department of Local Affairs. The Emergency Rental Assistance program has been a direct, fundamental benefit to Colorado families by enabling them to afford stable housing. We recognize that the inability to afford housing is a key contributor to the increase in homelessness in today's society, which is why programs like these remain crucial,” said Rick Garcia, Executive Director.