Taos Tackles Affordable Housing With a One-Of-A-Kind Agency

Nearly 60 percent of Taos residents are housing burdened, meaning they pay at least 30 percent (or more) of their income for rent or a mortgage, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And unfortunately, government entities like the Taos Housing Authority are limited in what they are able to do to meet the growing need for more affordable housing—and there’s currently no Taos nonprofit singularly focused on addressing the housing problem. It’s a problem that many community members vocalized at a recent meeting hosted by LOR. In those discussions, community members identified a potential solution: create a nonprofit housing agency focused on tackling affordable housing issues. With a grant from LOR, the Taos Community Foundation will hire a consultant to launch the Taos Housing Partnership (led by longtime local residents), which will select at least one development project to focus on in 2022. After the agency is established, an executive director will be hired and establish a pre-development fund for future housing initiatives.