10/05/2026
Thirty Percent of your gross income.
That's the line between housing you can afford and housing that takes over the rest of your budget. In Fort Collins and Greeley, 58% of renters are past that line.
Buying does not solve it. At today's rates, a household earning the Northern Colorado median and buying a median-priced home lands near or above 40% of gross income.
Based on median income, a single earner can comfortably afford a home around $150,000. A two-earner household, around $350,000. The median home in Northern Colorado runs closer to $500,000.
This market is built on the assumption of two earners. And yet...
▫️Single people.
▫️Single parents.
▫️Widowed seniors.
▫️Young professionals starting out.
Much of the service and care workforce that keeps Northern Colorado running. Many sit outside the ownership market entirely.
There's no single cause or single fix. Every city and county is working with different land, water, and zoning realities. What moves the needle in Fort Collins is not what moves it in Greeley, Windsor, or Ault.
What gives us hope is how many people see it clearly and are already doing something about it.
As architects, few things bring the purpose of design into focus like seeing a community pitch in. Habitat for Humanity shows how much can happen when design, volunteers, funding, and community partnerships all pull in the same direction.
Housing Catalyst, Elevation Community Land Trust, Loveland Housing Authority, The Weld Trust, and Neighbor to Neighbor each work this issue from a different angle. Land trusts, land banking, new construction methods, direct assistance. Further south, the Southeast Colorado Regional Housing Authority (SECRHA) is bringing new homes to six rural counties.
Collab is proud to contribute where we can and eager to do more.
October 5 is World Architecture Day. This year's theme is Housing is a Human Right. Build It.
It will take architects, builders, lenders, municipalities, nonprofits, and neighbors all at the same table. We would rather be in that conversation than on the sidelines of it.
Let's figure out how to build it. Together.
