High home prices, lack of supply sever metro residents from communities

tender nally has a house to call his own.

“I almost feel guilty that I have it,” said Laney, 49.

Adams County celebrates health department Commissioners, health board notes opening of five locations, website

Adams County o cially opened the doors to its ve new health department o ces Jan. 3 but o cials celebrated the new department Jan. 24.

“Building a Health Department from the ground up is a monumental task, but with the dedication and hard work of our team, we were able to accomplish it in just nine months,” said County Manager Noel Bernal. “It required diligent planning, strong leadership, and a relentless focus on our collective goal: onboarding nearly 200 employees, launching ve locations, and investing in this new department through a $27 million budget. is herculean undertaking is a testament to our commitment and to providing quality public health services for our community.”

BY ROBERT TANN COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

When Chris Laney moved into his new three-bedroom home last summer, he felt like he’d won the lottery. After more than a decade of chasing the cheapest rent across the metro area, the Littleton bar-

Laney is one of a handful of residents who have secured housing through a subsidized program aimed at helping lower- and middle-income people live where they work. But as cities and towns contend with historically high home costs and a lack of supply, residents like Laney have struggled to live in their communities.

“I’ve always felt like I was just passing through instead of living somewhere, putting down roots,” said Laney. He has worked at Jake’s Brew Bar in Littleton since 2012.

“ is is where I want to be,” Laney said. “My friends and family are Jake’s.” e median price of a single- e new department is responsible for promoting and protecting the health of all residents in Adams County through a variety of programs.

In numerous counties, residents — spanning a range of employment from the service industry to teaching — have faced the brunt of what many o cials are calling a housing crisis.

Adams County Health debuted its new website at https://adamscountyhealthdepartment.org/ on Dec. 23 and o cially launched on Jan. 1, opening the doors to ve locations on Jan. 3.

“But we were focused on onboarding over 200 employees on Jan. 3 and delivering services and programs immediately,” Public Information O cer William Porter said. “We wanted to have this celebration