Denver has an affordable housing crisis.
Rents and housing costs have skyrocketed. Nearly half of all Denverites can no longer afford to live here. We need to vote yes on the Affordable Denver plan to provide more affordable housing for people in our community.
Denver is facing a critical shortage of affordable housing.
Nurses, firefighters, teachers, restaurant workers, senior citizens on fixed incomes and many other people are struggling to stay in Denver. Working families are being priced out. Low- and middle-income earners simply can't afford to rent an apartment or buy a home. Employees are being forced to live far from their jobs. And the high cost of housing is a leading cause of homelessness.
We need to vote yes on this ballot question to provide more affordable housing so that families can continue to afford to live in Denver.
Vote YES on 2R.
Get the Facts
$100 million a year to expand affordable housing for working families
It would increase Denver's sales tax by 0.5%, which is 5 cents on a $10 purchase, to raise $100 million a year to expand affordable housing.
One-third of sales tax is paid by non-Denver residents
One-third of all sales taxes collected in Denver are paid by outsiders -- the tourists and others who visit our city every day -- so the cost to a typical Denver consumer would only be $2 per week. And essential items like food, fuel, medical supplies and personal hygiene products are exempted from the sales tax.
Over the next 10 years, Denver needs 44,000 more affordable apartments and homes for our children, parents, grandparents and everyone who makes up the heart of our city.
Housing costs have increased at twice the rate of income over the past 20 years. But we have a solution. Affordable Denver will help tens of thousands of people like nurses, teachers, firefighters and senior citizens stay in Denver so we can remain a diverse, thriving city by:
- Preserving existing affordable apartments and homes
- Constructing new ones
- Investing in accessory dwelling units
- Providing rental subsidies and vouchers
- Offering down-payment assistance and mortgage support
- Making equity investments to establish mixed-income developments
Look who's supporting Affordable Denver
Community leaders
Dominique Acevedo
Milford Adams
Cathy Alderman
Milroy Roy Alexander
Jon Alvino
Auon’tai Anderson
Kwon Atlas
Hon. Polly Baca
State Rep. Jennifer Bacon
Ed Bagwell
John Bailey
Shannon Cox Baker
U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet
Makisha Boothe
Ed Briscoe
Former Denver City Council President Albus Brooks
Robb Brown
Dana Bryson
Denise Burgess
Javonni Butler
Denver Council President Pro Tem Diana Romero Campbell
Mark Cantrell
Jonathan Cappelli
Christina Carlson
Former Colorado House Speaker Terrance Carroll
Carl Clark
Dr. Angelic Cole
State Sen. James Coleman
Haroun Cowans
Frank Coyne
Melanie Lewis Dickerson
Pat Duncan
Nick Emenhiser
Denver Public School Board Member Scott Esserman
Stefka Czarnecki Fanchi
Chris Ferguson
Former State Sen. and Councilwoman Joyce Foster
Alex Gano
Jim Garcia
Kourtny Garrett
Denver Public School Board Member Xochitl “Sochi” Gaytan
State Rep.-elect Lindsay Gilchrist
Charles Gilford
Velveta Golightly-Howell
Nita Gonzales
Ismael Guerrero
Khalil Halim
Pat Hamill
Norman Harris
Rich Harris
Former Denver City Council President Allegra “Happy” Haynes
Anna Jo Haynes
U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper
Mariana del Hierro
Rev. Terri Hobart
Terri Jackson
Vennita Jenkins
Jeff Johnson
Barbara Groves Jones
Denver Councilman Paul Kashmann
Tom Kiler
Charles Knight
Eric Lazzari
Denver Councilwoman Shontel Lewis
State Rep. Javier Mabrey
Kevin Marchman
Mark Marshall
Monica Martinez
Dr. T.S. Mayes
Denver District Attorney Beth McCann
Katie McKenna
Elizabeth Munoz
Gloria Neal
Rev. Dr. Eric Nelson
Lisa Nguyen
Jesse Ogas
Denver Public Schools Board Chair Dr. Carrie Olson
Denver Councilwoman Sarah Parady
Former Denver Mayor Federico Peña
Nate Peterson
Charlene Porter
Denver Public Schools Board Member Michelle Quattlebaum
Lisa Zuniga Ramirez
Patricia Barela Rivera
Former Denver City Council President Rosemary Rodriguez
Denver Public Schools Board Member Marlene de la Rosa
Denver Council President Amanda Sandoval
Amy Schwartz
Jeff Shanahan
Willie Shepherd
Dedrick Sims
George Thorn
Jamie Van Leeuwen
Denver District Attorney-Elect John Walsh
David Warren
Denver Councilman Darrell Watson
Ken Weil
Maya Wheeler
Roxane White
Denver Public Schools Board Member John Youngquist
David Zucker
Organizations