Undercurrent of housing in Broomfield: Thousands of households on verge of instability
- Sydney McDonald
- Apr 6, 2023
- 4 min read
Five thousand.
That’s the estimated number of households in Broomfield that are considered “cost-burden” and vulnerable to housing instability.
If a household spends between 30 to 50% of its monthly income on housing it is referred to as moderately cost-burden, while spending more than 50% is considered severely cost-burdened and at extreme risk of homelessness.
“There is this undercurrent to housing issues that’s not always apparent to us,” Marrton Dormish, minister at The Refuge in Broomfield, said.
Dormish wrote in his report on housing in Broomfield, “The Sweep Report 2.0,” that approximately 200 people at any time are experiencing homelessness in Broomfield, but the housing crisis runs much deeper than those who we can visibly see as “unhoused.”
“Our 200-plus unhoused residents represent only 0.27% of our total population, but it’s an especially significant quarter-percent, because it embodies the visible tip of our proverbial iceberg of housing instability,” Dormish wrote in his report.
Those 5,000 households categorized as cost-burden are on the verge of becoming unhoused or housing insecure, Dormish said.
“The reality is that the cost of homes — both for sale and rent — have skyrocketed while the wages people receive have either remained stagnant or haven’t been able to keep up with the costs of living,” Sharon Tessier, Broomfield Housing Program Manager, said. “There are a multitude of factors that come into play when it comes to housing security. One of the key issues is that we have a system that was not built with every socio-economic status in mind. When we have a family resource center and food bank that is serving over 12,000 residents per year, there is a large gap.”
In June 2021, Broomfield City Council began a series of discussions regarding housing in Broomfield and came up with immediate and long-term approaches to a “comprehensive housing strategy.”
Most recently, the conversation has focused on trying to increase the number of affordable housing units available. Earlier this month, City Council discussed changes to the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance in hopes to incentivize developers to create affordable units in new developments.
“There are numerous efforts in the Broomfield community to address and respond to the lack of income aligned housing, to assist the middle income earners, as well as those who may not have had the safe and healthy upbringing that left them experiencing housing insecurity, along with other comorbidities that prevent stability in life,” Tessier said.
According to The Sweep Report 2.0, there is estimated to be a shortage of 2,500 to 3,000 affordable and attainable units in Broomfield, which Dormish says is not an immediate solution to the underlying issues within the city and county.
“Affordable housing is definitely a part of the solution, but we have to be done with the piecemeal approach,” Dormish said. “Part of the piecemeal nature is the people who are making decisions on funding and projects tend to be housing stable and aren’t experiencing the day to day desperation of those who are housing insecure. We will never get where we need to be just on affordable housing construction. It takes too long and too much money.”
Dormish has multiple calls to action in his report, the biggest being what he calls “1 for 100.”
Dormish writes that if all Broomfield stakeholders combined to donate 1% of their annual income or revenue to the housing crisis the city would reach 100% housing stability.
The strategy implies that each of the estimated 28,000 households in Broomfield donate 1%, which Dormish estimates would raise $28 million, nonprofit stakeholders contributions would equal $700,000, for-profit stakeholders would contribute $19 million, and civic stakeholders contributions would equal $4.5 million.
This would equal $52.2 million, “without one penny of federal or state money,” according to the report. Dormish believes that this $50 million could be used to eradicate the housing crisis in Broomfield within one to two years.
“As a community we have to be willing to put our money where our mouth is,” Dormish said. “I know it seems somewhat unrealistic, but it is doable and I think it is a solution. No one else is proposing solutions that are going to help in the short term and that’s a piece that needs to be included to move us towards full housing stability. Money is only a part of it, but it is what is going to fuel infrastructure.”
Tessier said that housing is a coss-cutting issue that no one entity can be expected to solve alone.
“The reality is that it takes a lot of blood, sweat, tears, elbow grease, and funding to achieve the ultimate goal of housing stability for all of Broomfield residents,” Tessier said. “We appreciate Marrty’s Sweep Report overall. The amount of work and dedication he shows for his community is awe-inspiring. Spreading the word about housing instability and how the community as a whole can address housing from an upstream approach and prevent displacement and homelessness is spot on. The issue is large, but not too large that Broomfield will give up or become complacent. With regard to the 1 for 100 goal, it is an audacious goal, but real change rarely happens without those types of goals.”
While pushing towards his goal for 1 for 100, Dormish said he will continue to work to educate and inform the community and city officials about steps to achieve the ultimate goal of housing stability. Comparing his situation to a parable about a “persistent widow” who continuously fought for justice for her husband’s death until her persistence was eventually rewarded, Dormish said his role is to be consistent in his goals.
“This is a ‘every household in Broomfield’ issue,” Dormish said. “Our parents and our kids are going to be a part of this unstable network soon. We are not asking for a lot, but we are asking for something. If we want Broomfield to be a special place we have to show it.”
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