LOCAL STORY CREDIT: GILES CLASEN WHAT COULD SOCIAL HOUSING LOOK LIKE IN DENVER? BY ROBERT DAVIS DENVER’S LACK OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING has inspired creative solutions, from Safe Outdoor Spaces for the unhoused to cohousing for renters. Now, some local leaders are floating the idea of creating a social housing program in Denver to, as they say, provide some permanent relief from rising housing costs. District 8 Councilmember Shontel Lewis introduced the idea during a Budget & Policy Committee meeting on August 7, when she proposed funding a study about creating a social housing program in Denver’s 2024 budget. She said the idea was one she heard consistently while on the campaign trail. “What I am trying to get to is that we are taking a more comprehensive approach to how we are addressing the issues of housing and homelessness at the same time,” Lewis said during the meeting. WHAT IS SOCIAL HOUSING? The term “social housing” can refer to many things, but New York University’s Center on International Cooperation defines it as a model that prioritizes the “social value of housing for communities over its ability to generate profits for a select few.” These models can be subsidized by the government or run by not-for-profit entities. Social housing and public housing are often talked about synonymously, but they serve different purposes. Social housing differs from public housing in that it can serve both middle and low-income households, whereas public housing is reserved for people earning the lowest incomes. Social housing units can be offered on the free market and frequently cap rents for tenants at 30% to 35% of their income. The economic blend of tenants in social housing development also allows for higher-income tenants to effectively subsidize rents for lower-income tenants. On the other hand, public housing operators often require vouchers to access and rely on government reimbursements to manage their cash flow. Social housing is common in European countries like The Netherlands, where social housing units make up 29% of the overall housing stock, according to data from Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. Austria, Denmark, and England also have robust social housing programs. Stateside, the idea is still relatively new. Seattle was one of the first U.S. cities to experiment with social housing when voters passed Initiative 135 in February. The initiative created a new development authority called the Seattle Social Housing Developer that is tasked with SHONTEL LEWIS. COURTESY OF DENVER.PRELIVE.OPENCITIES.COM 8 DENVER VOICE September 2023
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