Collective Wellbeing
We believe that collective wellbeing is achieved when all our neighbors have consistent access to nutritious food and attainable housing. This impact area supports stable, accessible and affordable living conditions to build a promising future for all.
Food Security
Our commitment is to improve access to local, healthy and culturally relevant food for Jeffco residents, which promotes overall wellbeing.
Why It Matters
Many people in Jefferson County face significant challenges getting the food they need. Public assistance programs often miss people who are eligible, particularly people of color and older adults. By ensuring access to nutritious, affordable and culturally relevant food, we enhance our community’s collective wellbeing.
What We’re Learning
- Access to locally produced, nutritious food provides long-term food security for communities. It’s important that local food producers, small food retailers and emergency food distribution networks are connected to each other and systems are effectively and efficiently linked.
- Access to federal food assistance programs, such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Women Infant and Children (WIC), can help alleviate hunger and augment food budgets for low-income families.
- In Jeffco, these programs are underutilized by families because of barriers that make it difficult for them to enroll (and re-enroll), receive or use the programs.
- Many people make too much money to qualify for public benefits, but not enough to afford sufficient food for themselves of their families.
Our Approach
We will leverage all our philanthropic tools, including grantmaking, across the following tactics:
- Support organizations increasing SNAP, WIC and other public assistance program enrollment, navigation and utilization.
- Support efforts that increase food availability through enrollment, expand programs like Double Up Food Bucks that increase purchasing power and pilot new concepts in Jeffco.
- Bring together local food producers and pantries to develop a systematic approach to increasing access to local, culturally relevant and nutritious food.
- Support advocacy in local, regional and statewide public policy to increase food access in Jeffco.
Housing
Our efforts are focused on improving access to stable and affordable housing in Jefferson County. Having a safe and comfortable place to live offers long-term stability, enhancing overall wellbeing and fostering a more connected community.
Why It Matters
Many people in Jeffco struggle to afford housing, spending more than 30% of their income on rent or on a mortgage, which makes it difficult to afford food, child care and saving for the future. Lack of affordable housing is particularly significant for Hispanic and Black residents and older adults. Addressing housing costs in Jeffco is vital to enhancing community wellbeing and ensuring economic stability.
What We’re Learning
- Homeowners are also feeling the strain, with one in five spending almost one-third of their income on mortgage payments.
- There aren’t enough affordable housing options available, leaving families struggling to find housing to meet their needs.
- Addressing high rental costs and mortgage costs reduces the risk for homelessness and housing insecurity which frees up money for other health and social areas.
Our Approach
We will leverage all our philanthropic tools, including grantmaking, across the following tactics:
- Support efforts to increase public awareness and education around the impact of the lack of affordable housing on our community and on opportunities to increase housing options that are affordable such as the Housing Advocacy Steering Committee and the Jeffco Advocacy Network.
- Support advocacy and local, regional and statewide public policy to reduce the cost burden of renting or homeownership.
- Support navigation efforts and resources to house residents in short term housing or shelters.
- Support efforts to increase or preserve housing options in Jeffco that are affordable for middle-income households earning between $52,000 to $150,000 depending on household size (60% to 120% Area Median Income (AMI)) through impact investments such as the Bring it Home Fund.
New property alert!
We are excited to have made our first Bring it Home investment in an innovative collaboration providing housing that is affordable for essential community members like teachers, fire fighters and office workers. Colorado Gives Foundation provided a $500,000 low, 3%-interest loan to Foothills Regional Housing to help complete the $7.5 million purchase facilitated by Weave Social Finance’s Colorado Housing Accelerator Initiative (CHAI) Fund .The loan aligns with the Foundation’s new Bring it Home Fund’s mission to create and maintain affordable housing in Jeffco.
View the Jeffco Housing Webinar Series, presented in partnership with Bell Policy Center and Colorado Gives Foundation.
The housing crisis is a hot topic of conversation throughout the state. But what does the problem look like in Jefferson County, and what can be done about it? This webinar lays a basic foundation for understanding current housing challenges in Jeffco and what it means for our teachers, police officers, firefighters and others, exploring common housing myths, and sharing information about current community-based efforts to address the crisis and how you can join efforts to develop and advance solutions.
Watch the ReplayThis session explores some of the tangible systemic impacts of housing challenges across Jeffco’s communities, including effects on childcare, health, education, and the workforce. Local experts share perspectives on these impacts across issues and the need for sustainable solutions.
Watch the ReplayHousing concerns have increasingly become a pressing issue, affecting not just our daily lives but also the broader community and economy. This session aims to shed light on the benefits to our community when we come together with solutions. Hear from community members and policy experts about the positive economic and personal impact of housing on everyone and discover some of the efforts currently underway working to shape the future of Jefferson County.
Watch the ReplayHousing promises to be a major topic for the 2024 legislative session. Policy experts provide insights on some of the major housing-related policy proposals making their way through the state legislature and the solutions they propose for addressing affordable housing in the state. These experts will also explore the potential impacts of these state-level policies on local policy solutions in Jefferson County, and the potential for leveraging both state and local efforts to address the housing crisis.
Watch the ReplayWhat do housing policy solutions mean to our community? What might they look like in practice? This learning session looks at some past, present, and possible future housing policy solutions from a layperson’s perspective, looking at what they set out to do, their impact, and lessons learned, and opportunities and barriers to implementation.
Watch ReplayHow have the policies of the past shaped our communities today? Join us as we discuss upcoming research from the Bell Policy Center on the impact of historical housing policies on Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC) and other marginalized communities in Jefferson County, as well as the continuing effects of these policies as experienced today.
Watch the ReplayThis session looks at the multiple efforts in progress to address the housing crisis in Jefferson County, including the Housing Advocacy Steering Committee, the Bring It Home Fund, legislative policy, and local implementation of policies such as Proposition 123. What have we learned? What wins can we build on? What were the missed opportunities? Local leaders reflect on these questions, offer a roadmap forward, and share toolkits and resources for continued work.
Watch the Replay