Affordable housing remains one of the greatest challenges facing our region, from Aspen to Parachute, where communities share a workforce, economy, and housing market.
Earlier this year, Aspen Community Foundation (ACF) reached out to housing organizations, local governments, employers, funders, and community leaders to better understand the housing issue and the role ACF, as a community foundation, can play. Through this process, we learned that many capable organizations already address different parts of the housing challenge. We believe ACF can best support housing efforts by strengthening existing work rather than duplicating it. The unmet needs appear to be coordination and education.
Going forward, ACF plans to serve as a connector, educator, and trusted regional resource. ACF will support the Western Mountain Regional Housing Coalition, which helps coordinate housing efforts across the region, as well as partners such as Habitat for Humanity, Mountain Voices Project, and others advancing housing solutions.
Research and experience from other communities reinforce that housing requires distinct and coordinated roles:
- Government creates the conditions for housing through land use policy, permitting, public land, infrastructure, subsidies, and long-term affordability requirements. Federal, state, and local funding also provides much of the foundational capital that makes affordable housing possible.
- Businesses and employers can contribute land, capital, employee housing, down payment assistance, and other workforce housing benefits. They also bring an important economic perspective because housing availability directly affects recruitment, retention, and regional economic vitality. Their involvement is essential.
- Philanthropy can provide flexible and early-stage funding, support innovation, educate and convene partners, and help attract additional public and private investment. Philanthropic capital can add particular value by testing new ideas, building organizational capacity, or unlocking projects that traditional financing cannot support alone.
ACF sees a particular opportunity to host more donor education sessions focused on the region’s housing needs, how affordable housing is financed, and the many ways charitable giving and impact investing can contribute to solutions.
The central lesson is clear: government, businesses, nonprofits, and philanthropy cannot solve the housing challenge alone. It will take all hands on deck, with each sector contributing its unique expertise, tools, and resources. ACF will help make connections, strengthen understanding, and support the partnerships needed to make progress across the region.
If you have questions about ACF’s approach to housing or would like to learn more, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Erica Snow at erica@aspencommunityfoundation.org
