Lieutenant Governor Primavera, Legislators Share Plans to Save Coloradans Money and Improve Lives with Recommendations from the Affordable Housing & Behavioral Health Interim Committees

DENVER - Today, Lieutenant Governor Dianne Primavera joined legislators, cabinet members, members of Colorado’s federal delegation to announce details of the policy recommendations released by the Affordable Housing and Behavioral Health Task Forces. On Friday, these committees released their official reports with recommendations to the General Assembly and the Governor on policies to create transformative change in the areas of housing and behavioral health using federal coronavirus recovery money.

“From day one of our administration, Governor Polis and I have worked to make Colorado a state where everyone has the opportunity to thrive - having a safe and affordable place to live, and easy access to high quality mental and behavioral healthcare are key to that vision,” said Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera. “In the coming months, we will work with our partners in the legislature to implement the policy recommendations included in the Task Force reports, and bring urgent assistance to the Coloradans who need it the most.” 

“Even before the pandemic, I heard from Coloradans across our state about rising housing costs and mental and behavioral health care challenges,” said Senator Michael Bennet. “I'm grateful Governor Polis and the state legislature plan to use funds from the American Rescue Plan to urgently address these challenges.”

“Colorado is using American Rescue Plan funding to address affordable housing and mental health, two priorities that were exacerbated by the pandemic. We need to build our behavioral health workforce, help our kids get back on track, and make Colorado more affordable,” said Senator John Hickenlooper.

“Too many Coloradans are being squeezed right now – with hundreds of thousands now paying more than half of their income toward their housing, and too many folks being dragged down by the mental health crisis. I’m proud to have helped secure a $400 million investment in affordable housing and a $450 million investment in mental and behavioral health with my vote for the American Rescue Plan Act,” said Congressman Jason Crow. “This funding, coupled with the smart policies recommended by our state task forces, will deliver relief for Coloradans. These investments will shore up our systems, meet the needs of hardworking people, and ensure every person has the opportunity to thrive in the beautiful state of Colorado.”

 “Too many people across our state are struggling to find a safe, affordable place to live. We have to do more to lower the cost of housing for those who are struggling to make ends meet; and make more affordable housing available for those who need it. I appreciate all the work the committee has done in putting forth these recommendations on how best to use this additional federal funding to address this crisis. And I look forward to continuing to work closely with the governor and the Legislature to make sure we’re doing everything possible to address this incredibly important issue,” said Congresswoman Diana DeGette.

“With American Rescue Plan funding, help is here. Through this historic law, Congress delivering urgently-needed rescue money to support Colorado families, communities, and businesses,”  said Congressman Joe Neguse. “I’m grateful to see Governor Polis and Lt. Gov Primavera outlining a vision today to use these resources to address the affordable housing and mental health crisis’-- urgent priorities for our state which have been exacerbated by the pandemic.”'

“Colorado is using American Rescue Plan funding to address affordable housing and mental health, two priorities that were exacerbated by the pandemic. We need to build our behavioral health workforce, help our kids get back on track, and make Colorado more affordable,” said Congressman Ed Perlmutter.

“Far too many families like mine know firsthand how difficult getting treatment for behavioral health care can be here in Colorado,” said Sen. Brittany Pettersen, D-Lakewood, Chair of the Behavioral Health Transformational Task Force. “That’s why the Behavioral Health Transformational Task Force has been working tirelessly to improve access to vital services and create an accessible and equitable behavioral health care system that supports effective, data-driven and evidence-based treatment methods. I’m proud of the work this Task Force has done, and I look forward to helping more Coloradans get the care and support they deserve."

“Building healthier, safer communities through greater access to behavioral health services will give more Coloradans the support they so desperately need right now,” said Rep. Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, D-Denver, Vice Chair of the Behavioral Health Transformational Task Force. “We know the pressures of the pandemic have exacerbated the behavioral health crisis in Colorado. These task force recommendations and historic investments will significantly improve access to mental health and substance use treatment in every community across Colorado. Importantly, improving access to these services is a powerful step toward our goal of preventing crime before it happens and making our communities safer and healthier.”

“Making housing more affordable will be a main focus of our work this year at the Capitol, and with these recommendations, Colorado has the opportunity to create transformational change on affordable housing,” said Rep. Dylan Roberts, D-Avon, Chair of the Affordable Housing Transformational Task Force. “From more affordable and attainable workforce housing across the state to new factory-built homes and the jobs that come with them, and much more, our investments will mean many more Coloradans have access to an affordable home to own or rent. I am immensely proud of the hundreds of hours of work our task force and subpanel members put in to craft these transformational recommendations that will drive down the cost of housing in our state and look forward to moving these proposals through the legislature so we can start helping Coloradans as soon as possible.”

“The lack of affordable housing here in Colorado is nothing short of a crisis, and our Task Force has been working tirelessly to find solutions so that more Coloradans have a safe, affordable place to live,” said Sen. Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, Vice Chair of the Affordable Housing Transformational Task Force. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to address the root causes of our affordable housing issues. It’s going to take time, but I am proud of the work we are doing to forge a future where every Colorado family has a place to call home.”

Affordable Housing Transformational Task Force Recommendations include:

• Establishing a revolving loan fund that will improve Colorado’s ability to build and develop new housing, help preserve and rehabilitate existing affordable housing, incentivize property conversion and increase non-traditional housing capacity such as supportive and transitional housing;

• Providing grant funding to nonprofits and local governments that are doing the work on the ground to add more units of affordable  housing by changing zoning laws and developing supportive, rental and for-sale housing;

• Directing grants or low-interest loans to support and maintain affordable housing and future development opportunities through land-banking, land trusts and community-owned land opportunities. This would also make investments in resident-owned community infrastructure to help residents purchase property such as mobile home parks; and

• Directing funding to support construction of prefabricated, modular, manufactured and other sources of factory-built housing

• Increasing funding for the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority’s Middle-Income Access program to invest in missing middle, workforce housing. MIAP serves middle income families and individuals (often referred to as the “missing middle”) with incomes too high for LIHTC units but who are often overburdened by market rents.

Behavioral Health Transformational Task Force Recommendations include:

• Investing in increased adult residential care and improving access to residential care, community services and school-based care for children, youth and families;

• Addressing the behavioral health needs of Colorado’s Native American Tribes;

• Integrating primary care with behavioral health care and investing in better care coordination to help ensure people are connected to the services they need;

• Funding for emergency, life-saving interventions like purchasing bulk opioid antagonists and increasing support for survivors of domestic violence;

• Providing grants to local governments and community-based organizations to help fill regional gaps in the continuum of care;

• Diverting Coloradans with behavioral health needs away from the criminal justice system and into appropriate community treatment programs; and

• Expanding and supporting Colorado’s behavioral health care workforce.