Silverton, Colorado, is tucked away in the mountains in the southwest part of the state and has about 731 residents. But they want to grow, and to do so, they need more housing. Contrary to what you might think, building even just a few units of affordable housing is complicated and expensive for small communities. They often don’t meet the criteria for the big federal housing programs, like Housing Tax Credits. That’s why CHFA launched Small-scale Housing Technical Assistance, which provides training to communities like Silverton to overcome obstacles to building affordable housing. Ann Chase, director of the Silverton Housing Authority, explains how the program turned things around for the town. They are now adding nine townhomes of affordable housing, which will increase Silverton’s housing stock by 10 percent in just one building season. Mary Coddington, founder of Twelve Inc., is a consultant who helps communities like Silverton as part of the technical assistance program. Small towns face an uphill battle to build affordable housing, and Coddington says funding is the biggest challenge. She discusses how CHFA is creating new avenues for financing small-scale developments throughout the state in towns like Hayden and Dolores. Then, we’ll visit Mancos, just a few hours away, where Tami Graham and a team of passionate citizens banded together to save a historic printing press and the building it resides in. In the process, they took advantage of Small-scale Housing Technical Assistance, adding three units of affordable housing to Mancos’ downtown. Graham says she hopes to see more developments like this in Mancos. Resources from this episode: CHFA Small-scale Housing Technical Assistance Silverton Housing Authority Mancos Common Press By accessing this podcast, I acknowledge that: views and opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) and that this podcast is for informational purposes only and not legal, financial or other advice. CHFA does not warrant or represent the accuracy, currency, or suitability of the information provided and reference to any specific product or entity does not necessarily constitute CHFA’s endorsement or recommendation of it. The podcast may not be reproduced or redistributed without CHFA’s prior written consent and may be subject to the respective terms and policies of CHFA and the podcast hosting provider(s). CHFA is an Equal Opportunity Lender. We encourage and support an affirmative advertising and marketing program in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. For more information about CHFA, nondiscrimination, and other legal notices please visit chfainfo.com. Copyright ©2025 Colorado Housing and Finance Authority. All rights reserved.
