Yet another "solution" to providing "Affordable Housing" which demonstrates just how out-of-touch with reality policy makers are with the mismatch between what they think the words "affordable" and "housing" mean.

$2500/mo gets you 300 square feet of living space.  Let's examine this realistically.

You work as a CNA in a Boulder Assisted Living Home for Cripples and Old Folks. or a Barista at a Starbucks.  You make $15/hr, $600/week.  Your rent alone burns up tour whole paycheck and you haven't bought food, paid utilities or anything else.

For this unaffordable housing, you get 300 sq, which if it's well laid out can be a good space, but having visited the units that Alaska Housing has I can tell you it's NOT well laid out.

For such small space, really an Open Floor Plan 20'x15' Studio is best, sticking an 8'x8' bathroom in a corner, but they instead throw in a wall to make it a  "1 Bedroom".  This makes BOTH the Living Room & the Bedroom into claustrophobically small rooms, and shrinks the bathroom to 6'x6'.  The bedroom is just about big enough to squeeze a double bed into.  The "Kitchen" is on a wall separated from the Living Room by an Island, leaving just enough space for a small couch and your Entertainment Center.  Maybe you get 1 or 2 tiny closets.

If the unit at least has a porch or balcony it's somewhat livable, but the unit I looked at did not.  The building hallways were narrow also, and overall it felt like a Prison.  My current space is better laid out.

Besides the fact it sucks, the number of the units available is FAR short of the demand.  The Waing List for the Alaska Housing Units is 18 months and growing longer.  It's a total failure on all levels, and it sounds the same in Boulder.

https://www.denverpost.com/2024/09/15/affordable-housing-boulder-laughable-letters/

Letters: $2,500 a month "affordable" housing plan in Boulder is laughable

RE