1A Remaking America: The U.S. doesn't have enough places to call home

WAMU 88.5 | By Anna Casey

Published October 17, 2023 at 6:37 PM CDT

1A and KUNC host a live show about housing availability and affordability at The Lincoln Center in Fort Collins, Colorado

The U.S. doesn’t have enough housing. And the shortage is hitting residents of Fort Collins, Colorado, especially hard.

The city,nestled on the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains, is home to Colorado State University. Its college-town charm, craft beer scene, and outdoor beauty have made it a popular place to live.But housing availability in Fort Collins, like many places, has not kept pace with population growth.

Larimer County, where Fort Collins is located, grew by more than 20 percent since 2010. The city is projected to grow by 70,000 more residents in the next 20 years, according to a 2019 city plan. But Fort Collins is already short thousands of needed housing units. Nationally, there’s a shortage of about 3.8 million places to rent or own according to federal home loan mortgage corporation Freddie Mac.

We traveled to Fort Collins as part of our Remaking America collaboration with six partner stations across the country, including KUNC in Northern Colorado. Remaking America looks at how our democracy is, or is not, working for all of us. 

We hosted a live conversation in Fort Collins to hear from residents about how the city’s housing issues are part of a nationwide problem, and if the solutions working there could work in other parts of the country.

This show is part of 1A’s Remaking America collaboration with six partner stations around the country. Remaking America is funded in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. 