Domingo Garza, housing compliance manager for the Boulder County Housing Authority, told commissioners on Aug. 26 that Casa de Esperanza has moved from low occupancy to full occupancy after the housing authority received a one-year diminished-needs waiver from USDA Rural Development (RD) in August 2024.
The 2024 waiver permitted the property to lease to non-farm laborers while giving preference to farmworker households; under the waiver the authority expanded outreach to farms and surrounding-county employers, ran radio and magazine interviews and other outreach. Garza said two units remained out of service previously for rehabilitation but the property is now fully leased and "a vibrant community."
Garza said BCHA submitted a diminished-needs waiver application on Aug. 6, 2025, and RD staff indicated the waiver should be made permanent under managed needs criteria, although RD also noted stipulations that BCHA must meet. Garza said BCHA will continue outreach and will provide documentation to support future federal advocacy on rule changes.
Commissioners praised staff for the leasing success and noted the property's prior vacancy and compliance challenges; Garza explained the household composition issue that limited farmworker eligibility: households with multiple adult farmworkers can exceed USDA income standards when combined adult incomes are counted, while non-farm households often include one adult and children and therefore qualify more readily. Garza and commissioners said a congressional or regulatory fix is still needed to change program rules nationally.
No formal county action was required; the item was an operational update from housing authority staff.