KRCC, July 16, 2019: Discrimination and rising costs — stories of struggling to find housing in Colorado Springs
Every few years the City of Colorado Springs completes a study on fair housing practices. There are federal funds on the line that the city can only access if it upholds those regulations. This year, as part of the study, the city gathered stories from residents at an event called Close to Home using first-person interviews. The stories will be submitted to supplement data gathered by the city in an effort to share experiences not captured by numbers and reports.
The project was focused on learning about the barriers people face when choosing where to live. A senior analyst for community development in Colorado Springs said the fear of being evicted or being denied a mortgage, not only limits an individual’s housing choices, but also makes it difficult to buy a house or rent an apartment. That’s because evictions show up on rental history background check and can also affect credit score, and without a mortgage, purchasing a home is nearly impossible.
