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Rousing ballot box win with Just Housing!
While our affiliate group Western Colorado Alliance in Mesa County was engaged in Deep Listening work, we knew we couldn’t wait to get to work on Affordable Housing, a topic that was coming up over and over in conversations at the doors, and also community-wide. As a result, we started the Just Housing Committee, a campaign team within Mesa County in order to respond to the housing injustices occurring within our community. Not only did we see more outside developers coming into Mesa County, but the stories of people becoming homeless, not able to afford their homes, and the lack of progress from those in power motivated the Just Housing team into action.
This team has not only achieved its goal of bringing more awareness of the lack of affordable housing in Grand Junction but has also brought awareness of Western Colorado Alliance of Mesa County’s presence in the community! 2023 brought some great wins for Just Housing; not only did we connect to more people, but we gained a friendly face in our city council that has offered much-needed hope. We have also been recognized and approached by organizations like the statewide coalition group Colorado Homes for All, and elected city council members to help run campaigns on affordable housing issues.
Leading the effort on the November 2023 ballot
In the months leading up to the election, our campaign team in Mesa County was approached by local and state leaders, asking us to help champion West Slope wins on the ballot for affordable housing.
Senator Dylan Roberts asked us for support in spreading the word about the purpose and details of the statewide measure Proposition HH, a measure that would have addressed the urgent issue of rising property taxes, and brought down or stabilized costs for homeowners and renters alike. We partnered with several organizations to bring this measure to folks’ doors; unfortunately, the messaging was muddled, the bill was complex, and the money was pouring in for the opposition, making a statewide win virtually unattainable. It failed easily on election night, prompting Governor Jared Polis to call a special legislative session and pass temporary pieces of the measure in individual bills through the legislature.
On the other hand, we helped secure a sweeping local win for Mesa County. GJ City Councilmember Randall Reitz approached the Just Housing campaign committee for help with local measure 2B. 2B was the third iteration of an attempt to pass a local measure that would update a city charter amendment allowing the city to extend the lease of land for private building projects from 25 years to 99 years, specifically for the purpose of bringing in more affordable housing development projects to the Grand Valley. Similar to years past, there was a small group, but no grassroots team behind the measure that could help reach the community on the ground, so we developed the campaign.
Our tactics included:
- Holding an informational Open House which educated the community and brought out people to help support the issue.
- Sending out postcards.
- Going door-to-door in support of the measure, making sure we were reaching people where they were at so that when the ballot arrived, they knew exactly what the city was asking.
With a narrow win of 114 votes in favor, we believe that had it not been for all of the Just Housing team’s work, the amendment would not have passed. We ended 2023 in celebration and planning for the next year!
Of course, the issue of affordable housing is still clearly prevalent, but we hope to continue our momentum in the new year, to bring on new members, and continue to shed light on the issue. Western Colorado Alliance in Mesa County, through the Just Housing team, will continue to shed light on the issue of affordable housing. We invite you to join us in meeting our goals for the year ahead. Just Housing’s vision is to bring affordable, sustainable, equitable, and safe housing to Mesa County!
María Luiza Peréz Chavéz (who sometimes goes by Mary) works closely with the Western Colorado Alliance of Mesa County affiliate group. María is fluent in both English and Spanish and sometimes works as a skilled interpreter. But her love for language goes beyond just English and Spanish; currently, she is also studying French and Japanese! One day, she hopes to attend law school as an avenue to help those in need. Even with her busy schedule, María’s priority is her family. As the eldest of seven children, she has always felt the need to support her parents in any way she can. And somehow, she still finds time to read, swim, listen to music, watch movies, draw, play video games, and hang out with friends!