| Often forgotten in our community discussion about the lack of affordable workforce housing in Flagstaff is the role this plays in the lives of renters.
That’s why the work being done by representatives in the public and private sectors to address this challenge will ultimately affect almost all of our residents, not just those looking to purchase a home.
We have a large percentage of our population that wishes to transition from renting to owning a home but cannot because of costs. In fact, many have discussed leaving the area due to the cost constraints.
In the meantime, however, they stay in their rental situations. That, combined with a rapid increase in population (7 percent between 2010 and 2015, about twice the national average) has put pressure on the rental market and driven up prices.
How much? On average, rents are $200 to $400 a month more than what the federal government considers “fair market value.” For example, the average 2-bedroom apartment in the city costs about $1,427 a month.
As a result, six out of ten renter households in Flagstaff are “cost burdened,” meaning they are paying more than 30 percent of their incomes towards housing costs.
There are potential solutions to alleviate this situation, but they will require innovation and unparalleled cooperation between businesses, government, nonprofits and our local citizenry.
This is what the Workforce Housing Roundtable Group – which includes representatives from the city of Flagstaff,Coconino Community College, Coconino County, the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce, Housing Solutions of Northern Arizona, Joy Cone, Navajo Nation Gaming, Nestle Purina PetCare, Northern Arizona Healthcare, Northern Arizona University, and W.L. Gore & Associates – is working to achieve.
Earlier this year, ECoNA released a major report on the housing situation compiled by Werwath Associates. It comprehensively outlines the issue and also illustrates what other communities did when faced with the same problems.
If you have not had a chance to download the report, I encourage you to do so by clicking the button below. Finding a solution to the lack of workforce housing will have a tremendous positive impact on our residents, employers and the economic vitality of our entire region.
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