EAGLE COUNTY, Colo — In Colorado's mountain towns, school leaders say the high cost of housing is making it hard to hire and keep teachers. One superintendent even made a call out to property owners, asking if they could open up parts of their homes as rentals.
The cost to rent or buy in Eagle County is so high that the school district's superintendent, Philip Qualman, is calling it a crisis.
"I can't tell you how many offers [the district] has put out that are declined because people can't find a place to live," Qualman said.
In a board meeting last month, Qualman said 50 people were on a waiting list for the district's employee housing. He ended up sending a letter to thousands of property owners in the county, asking them for help.
"Our sense is there are many, many properties vacant in this county," he said.
It's hopefully a short-term solution as they wait for more affordable homes to be built next year. Eagle County School District has a partnership with Habitat for Humanity Vail Valley to help staff become homeowners in the area.
"Our workforce has been priced out of the homeownership market, so the solution Habitat provides is really the opportunity to put down roots and create stability," said Elyse Howard, development director for Habitat.
The organization plans to construct 12 homes just for employees at Eagle County schools next year. The project will be adjacent to Eagle Valley Middle School. Groundbreaking is expected to take place in the spring.
Howard said the median home price right now in the area is nearly $2 million. Educators will be able to buy the homes for around $300,000.
"Even with some pay raises that have come through, educators are really priced out of the market," Howard said.
A spokesperson for Eagle County School District said they saw a big response from Qualman's letter. They were able to share out about 100 listings on a page for staff.
"Not all would fall into the category of 'affordable' housing, however, which is an ongoing challenge that ECSD fights," the spokesperson said. "We were overwhelmed that the community reached out in such a big way and are confident that because of it, some of our staff that had been looking were able to secure long-term housing options."
Another project underway is The Edwards Housing Project, a 37-unit apartment complex. There will be one, two and three-bedroom rental units. The apartments will only be rented to educators and support staff.
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