Access to stable and affordable housing supports educational success, economic opportunity, and strong, connected communities, all while driving Colorado’s economy forward.

We’re committed to creating a Colorado where everyone, regardless of income or background, has access to an affordable, safe, and stable home. Our work focuses on:

• Investing in Housing Programs: Advocating for public funding to support affordable housing development and maintenance.
• Addressing Systemic Inequities: Tackling the historical and structural barriers that have excluded communities of color from stable housing.
• Protecting Renters and Homeowners: Supporting policies that prevent evictions, foreclosures, and housing insecurity.
• Increasing Supply: Championing strategies to build more affordable housing and preserve existing options.

For too many Coloradans, finding a safe, affordable place to live has become increasingly out of reach. Rising housing costs, stagnant wages, and systemic inequities have deepened Colorado’s housing crisis, leaving families struggling to make ends meet. Colorado ranks eighth in the nation for most unaffordable housing costs, according to research from the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

According to studies published in the scientific journal Health Affairs, housing stability, quality, safety, and affordability all affect our health. Not only that, focusing policy solutions on housing can improve economic stability, education access and quality, health care access and quality, and community well-being.

Together, these are known as the social determinants of health. For these reasons, CFI has partnered with housing and health advocates across the state to support the creation of a statewide affordable housing trust fund to ensure we address the growing housing needs of Coloradans.

In 2019, CFI joined our partners at Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, Colorado Center on Law and Policy, and the Colorado Balance of State Continuum of Care to address housing as an upstream determinant of health in order to develop a policy that identifies and establishes a statewide, dedicated funding source to increase affordable housing stock.

Through the 3-year Health Disparities Grant (HDGP), administered by the Department of Public Health and Environment, we conducted statewide polling in years 1 and 3, delivered statewide community engagement meetings based on the results of year 1 polls, surveyed participants of each community meeting to gain a more nuanced understanding of the housing issues affecting their area, and created and disseminated educational materials.

Based on the learnings and findings from this grant, a presentation was held for state legislators in the summer of 2021. Below are a series of videos produced throughout the duration of the grant.