Michael Schoenbauer: The Many Faces of Jeffco’s Affordable Housing Crisis
The scarcity of affordable housing in Jefferson County affects a wide range of people in a variety of situations. Who are they? People who work service jobs, college students, retirees, people with disabilities, people who have left homelessness behind, people making Colorado or Denver minimum wage, and people who work in certain professions, like teaching, or are at earlier points in their careers. This blog series gives insight into how a range of individuals are experiencing Jeffco’s affordable housing crisis.
“It kind of still doesn’t feel real, to be honest,” Schoenbauer said. “This is what it should be. The people who need housing should be able to get it easily and it should be as nice as Vance Street.”
Michael Schoenbauer, a 21-year-old senior at Colorado School of Mines, looks weary as he describes the middle-of-the-night car alarms, the fistfights and the garbage outside, the broken air conditioner, and hidden fees he experienced while living at an apartment he could barely afford.
“It was very eye-opening and shocking how expensive the most basic-seeming apartments are,” he said. “And I feel like that’s something younger generations struggle with more and more as time goes on. Costs keep going up but the value of what you’re paying for stays the same or is deteriorating.”
Nearly 50 percent of renters in Jefferson County are cost-burdened, according to data the Bell Policy Center cited in its Colorado Housing Primer. That means they spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing costs. Households spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened. The report also says that statewide, the people most likely to be cost-burdened are “more often women, over 40, single parents, and/or without a postsecondary education.”
Schoenbauer, who is studying mechanical and aerospace engineering at Mines, is one of the faces that make up the statistics. He is scraping by to get through his last year of college with computer freelance work, earnings from an internship, and gig work delivering food. Schoenbauer, who is from Fort Collins, says he is thankful and very blessed for the support he has received from his parents, and is ready to enter the working world – as soon as he can finish school.
When he discovered he might qualify for an income-restricted apartment in Wheat Ridge, he says it gave him hope. He said the high quality of the apartment he toured and was able to move into at Vance Street Lofts, operated by Foothills Regional Housing, was not what he expected at all.
Like many others, he had vague perceptions that “affordable housing” would be more problematic and rougher than what he had already experienced while spending $1,800 a month in what he describes as a “very poor living situation.” The new place, in an income-restricted complex, is beautiful, well-appointed, quiet, and most importantly, at $1,650 a month including most utilities, affordable for him.
“It kind of still doesn’t feel real, to be honest,” Schoenbauer said. “This is what it should be. The people who need housing should be able to get it easily and it should be as nice as Vance Street.”
His favorite thing about the new place? It’s a toss-up between the in-unit washer and dryer, and the balcony that allows him to set up his telescope and look at the stars.
Schoenbauer’s advice for those struggling to find housing is to put aside any preconceived notions about subsidized housing and look into it if you think you might qualify. In addition, don’t be too put-off by the bank statements and income verification you’ll need to provide.
“It is achievable,” he said. “The process isn’t that bad.”
He adds: “If you’re struggling, apply.”
