Press Release

Governor Polis, DOLA and OEDIT Announce that Resiliency Roadmap Program Creates 842 Jobs and Almost $9.4M in Capital Across Rural Colorado

Today Governor Polis, the Department of Local Affairs Colorado Resiliency Office (DOLA CRO) and the Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) announced program outcomes after closing out their three and a half year Regional Resiliency and Recovery Roadmaps program, which resulted in the creation of 842 jobs and formation of $9,386,882 in capital across rural Colorado.

Department of Local Affairs’ Pre-Application Window for October Round of Rental Assistance Opens Monday

The Department of Local Affairs’ (DOLA) October round of rental assistance will open for pre-applications starting at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, October 28, 2024. Pre-applications will be open to the public until 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. The Department’s top priority is to serve as many Coloradans as possible equitably and efficiently. Emergency rental assistance funding is available for Coloradans who have fallen behind on their rent, meet income limits and other qualifying factors, and are at risk of eviction or displacement. Those facing eviction will continue to be prioritized.

DOLA Executive Director De Cambra Appoints Kate Watkins as Department of Local Affairs New State Demographer

The Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) is excited to announce the hiring of Kate Watkins as its new State Demographer. Watkins will join DOLA part time starting November 4, 2024 and will take over the role full-time starting Monday, December 2. Watkins comes to DOLA with nearly two decades of experience in applied economic and socioeconomic analysis, including serving as the Chief Economist for Colorado’s General Assembly, and most recently, as President and Chief Economist at Bright Fox Analytics.

DOLA hosts the 42nd Annual State Demography Office Summit on November 1, 2024

On November 1, the Department of Local Affairs’ (DOLA) State Demography Office (SDO) will host its 42nd Annual Summit. This year’s event will cover newly released population and employment estimates and forecasts, new methods being used for calculating municipal population estimates, the recently announced Census 2026 Test in Colorado Springs. Attendees will also learn about the newest tools and visualizations released by SDO.