During a recent government meeting, discussions centered on the escalating crisis of affordable housing across the United States, with a particular focus on Colorado. A former superintendent of schools in Denver highlighted the alarming trend where essential workers, including teachers, can no longer afford to live in the communities they serve. The speaker noted that the house price to income ratio in Denver has surged from 3.2 in 1980 to an unprecedented 7.1 in 2022, reflecting a broader national issue where housing affordability has deteriorated significantly.

The meeting underscored the urgent need for solutions to the housing supply crisis, with a call for improvements to the current private activity bond scheme, which has emerged as a key financing tool for affordable rental housing. The speaker proposed lowering the technical finance test required to combine productivity bonds with low-income tax credits, suggesting that reducing this threshold from 50% to 25% could significantly enhance the capacity to finance residential rental housing.

Additionally, the discussion touched on the challenges faced in rural and suburban areas, where utilizing private activity bonds for housing projects is often not financially viable. A proposed basis boost provision in the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act aims to address these disparities, potentially facilitating more housing development in underserved regions.

The meeting concluded with a consensus on the necessity of immediate action to tackle the housing crisis, emphasizing that without affordable housing, communities risk losing their essential workforce, which is vital for their growth and sustainability.