Yes on Prop 123 affordable housing campaign rallies local leaders, supporters

The Yes on Prop 123 affordable housing campaign on Tuesday issued the following press release following a campaign event at Battle Mountain High School in Edwards

EAGLE COUNTY  – Yes on Prop 123 today joined Eagle County leaders in education and healthcare at a press conference to discuss the ballot measure’s potential impact on local residents. Speakers included Mike Johnston, President and CEO of Gary Ventures; Chris Romer, President and CEO of Vail Valley Partnership; Philip Qualman, Superintendent of Eagle County School District; Will Cook, CEO of Vail Health; Carrie Rogers, Gypsum Elementary 3rd – 5th grade special education teacher. 

“I have seen firsthand how Colorado and Eagle County have shifted from a place of opportunity for small business owners to a place where ordinary working folks struggle to afford housing,” said Chris Romer, President and CEO of Vail Valley Partnership. “The high cost of housing is a driving force behind some of our biggest challenges, and we need to do something about it. I’m proud to support Proposition 123 because it’s a solution that addresses the lack of affordable housing for our entire state and requires local communities to be active partners.”

Without raising taxes, Proposition 123 will make housing more affordable for working people by providing down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers, lowering rent, and building more affordable housing across Colorado. Prop 123 would do this by requiring a small portion of the state budget be set aside to help fix Colorado’s housing crisis.  

“I have lived in this community for more than 30 years, and I’ve never seen a housing crisis like this before,” said Philip Qualman, Superintendent of Eagle County School District. “When I got into the education field, I did not expect that one of the biggest challenges I could address would be the lack of affordable housing for teachers, but this year I had to ask our families in Eagle County to help our school district by opening up their homes to our teachers. This is not sustainable. We need to address the affordable housing crisis now, which is why I’m glad to support Prop 123 because it gives us the right mix of tools to increase affordable housing over time.” 

The median single-family home sale price in Eagle County in August was $1.5 million. The average was $2.4 million. Affordable rentals are equally out of reach for hardworking Coloradans with median rent in Eagle County over $2,300/month and a less than 1% vacancy rate, leaving effectively no rental units available in Eagle County this spring. 

“As a former teacher and Vail native, I have seen firsthand how the effects of the affordable housing crisis have harmed our communities,” said Mike Johnston, President and CEO of Gary Ventures. “Our housing market is not correcting itself fast enough to make any sort of meaningful difference for generations of Coloradans. If the current trends continue, Coloradans will need an annual income of $400,000 to afford the median home in Colorado, and if rent prices continue to rise as they have in the last five years, Coloradans will need to make more than $100,000 a year to afford the average rental. This is not sustainable. Voting yes on Prop 123 is the right solution for Colorado because it directly addresses the root cause of our housing crisis.” 

Yes on Prop 123 is endorsed by more than 100 community leaders and organizations, including Bohemian Companies, Caring for Colorado, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Civitas Resources, Colorado Association of Realtors, Colorado Bankers Association, Colorado Hospital Association, Community Investment Alliance, Colorado Municipal League, Colorado Nurses Association, Community First Foundation, Habitat for Humanity of Colorado, Housing Colorado, Mercy Housing, NAACP-Colorado, Progressive 15, Urban Land Conservancy and Vail Valley Partnerships. Visit yeson123co.com to learn more.