Facilitating community focus groups to understand diverse perspectives on affordable housing
Like many Colorado communities, Chaffee Housing Authority (CHA) recognized the need to make housing more attainable for low- and moderate-income households in a way that is just and equitable for all. IBE worked with the CHA team to design, coordinate, and facilitate a series of community focus groups aimed to create broad-based collaborations around affordable housing. Stakeholders included community members, local and regional governments, housing developers, and community-based organizations.
IBE convened focus groups with three unique stakeholder groups across five sessions, one of which IBE facilitated in Spanish. The stakeholder groups included tenants, short-term rental owners, and long-term rental owners. IBE synthesized the information gathered in the focus groups and provided a summary report with recommendations for the next steps CHA should take to address housing affordability issues in the County and to foster a community-wide approach that meets the needs of all community members.
Project Goals
- Understand the diverse perspectives of community members regarding the issue of affordable housing in Chaffee County
- Synthesize information gathered in listening sessions and provide informed recommendations for future work
Deliverables
- Agenda design, facilitation, and documentation for five focus groups / listening sessions
- Written report of each sector’s focus groups, including prioritized recommendations and next steps
- Oral presentation of focus group learnings and recommendations