Press Release

Durante los últimos 15 meses, el Estado de Colorado ha proporcionado ayuda de emergencia para la renta a más de 30,000 hogares. El programa fue creado para mitigar el impacto económico de la pandemia del Covid-19, pues muchos coloradenses perdieron sus empleos, o fueron obligados a pausar sus trabajos temporalmente.

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.

The Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), through the Division of Local Government (DLG), recently awarded more than $18M in funding across 13 counties in Colorado. These 14 Innovative Housing Opportunities Incentive (IHOI) grants will provide 1,872 additional housing units, providing housing for approximately 4,867 people.

“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.

The Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), through the Division of Housing (DOH), has contracted with multiple community partners to bring more affordable housing options to Coloradans across the state.

The U.S. Census Bureau released their county-level vintage 2021 population estimates, and they report that more than 73% (2,297) of U.S. counties experienced natural decrease in 2021 - up from 45.5% in 2019 and 55.5% in 2020. In Colorado, 35 of the 64 counties (55%) experienced natural decrease. Natural decrease occurs when there are more deaths than births in a population over a given period. Aging in the U.S. and Colorado, as well as increased mortality due to COVID and fewer births, contributed to this rise in natural decrease.

On March 17th, the Census Bureau released the 2016-2020 American Community Survey. This dataset contains population characteristics for smaller geographies up to state levels.

The Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) through the Division of Local Government (DLG) manages the Energy and Mineral Impact Fund (EIAF), which grants money to help areas socially or economically affected by the development, processing, or energy conversion of minerals and mineral fuels.

The Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) through the Division of Local Government (DLG) recently awarded $5.6 million for 36 Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI) grants for a wide range of projects across the state.

The Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) Division of Housing (DOH) as of September has paid over $168M in pandemic-related emergency rental assistance, and this summer issued a $50M notice of funding available for the acquisition of land and buildings for affordable housing in addition to approving $29.5M in developments and rehabilitation.