The Affordable Housing Toolkit for Local Officials offers technical assistance to communities working to make progress on local housing goals. This resource is flexible, fully customized to local needs and provides access to experts from the Colorado Division of Housing, Enterprise Community Partners, Community Builders and other organizations.

There are two technical assistance offerings, depending on your need, described below. Note that *in order to be eligible to submit either type of request, you must be a local elected official or local government employee (including housing authorities and other similar entities) or be working on a project or initiative in close partnership with a local government.

Housing Help Desk

This resource provides on-demand advisory support from expert consultants to address requests that can be handled through a handful of phone calls and desk research. Examples of suitable requests for this resource include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Follow-up questions or support related to Affordable Housing Toolkit for Local Officials trainings you've attended

  • Advice, analysis or recommendations related to an existing or proposed housing policy

  • Request for information such as case studies or examples for a policy, practice or program you are creating

  • Support on messaging or case-making related to housing affordability

  • Identifying partners to engage as part of a proposed affordable housing development

Submit a Help Desk Request

To submit a Housing Help Desk request, please fill out this webform.
Requests are reviewed on an ongoing basis (i.e., there is no submission deadline or application period) and you can expect a response within 10 to 15 business days.

Substantial Technical Assistance

Overview

Under the Housing Toolkit program, technical assistance will be provided to local governments to promote the development of innovative affordable housing strategies. This assistance will enable local governments to achieve an understanding of the housing needs of their communities, including the equity impacts of their land use policies and regulations, take steps to engage their entire communities in this process, make changes to their land use codes and related processes that provide incentives and reduce barriers to the development of affordable housing, obtain and support viable sites in their communities for the development of affordable housing, and attract developers committed to making such investments in their communities.

Eligibility

Local Governments: County, Municipality, City and County, Tribal Government, Special District organized under Title 32, School District, District, Housing Authority, Council of Governments, Regional Planning Commission organized under Title 30, or any other political subdivision of the State.

Availability

If additional assistance is available after round one, future rounds of applications will be opened.

Selection Criteria

Participants will be selected according to the following criteria:
  1. Level of support and involvement from local officials.
  2. Communities that have not been awarded Innovative Affordable Housing Strategies Program Planning (IHOP) or Incentives (IHOI) grants will be prioritized for technical assistance.
  3. Feasibility of the work proposed.
  4. Impact on housing need.
  5. Commitment: Participants must demonstrate readiness and capacity to work closely with the technical assistance provider.

Application Process

  1. Download an application for technical assistance and submit to dola_1271toolkit@state.co.us. Applications for the next round of technical assistance are due June 7, 2024.
  2. Selected applicants will be invited to meet with the technical assistance provider and DOH to discuss the nature and scope of technical assistance proposed, including deliverables and estimated level of effort for both technical assistance provider and applicant.
  3. Participants will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with DOLA.