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This week, a grassroots movement led by Boulder residents will kick off the Bedrooms Are For People campaign to pass fair housing laws via a November 2021 ballot measure. The organization has set an initial goal to raise $7,050 by August 17—$2 for every signature that volunteers collected from voters who signed the 2021 petition to expand access to housing in Boulder.
The City of Boulder officially certified the Bedrooms Are For People Act petition in June, and the City Council will hold a public hearing on August 17 to place the measure on the November ballot. After decades of inaction by their elected representatives, Boulder voters will become the first in the country to have the opportunity to reform their city’s home occupancy laws via a citizen-led ballot measure.
The City of Boulder’s exclusionary zoning laws currently prohibit more than three unrelated people from living together in most homes within the city, no matter how large the house is, how old the residents are, or even if the owner lives in the home. Thousands of people who are struggling to remain or become part of the Boulder community live illegally or are forced out because outdated zoning laws arbitrarily restrict housing based on peoples’ relationship status.
The proposed Bedrooms Are For People Act would change these archaic and discriminatory laws, expanding access to housing by allowing all housing units to be occupied by a number of people equal to the number of bedrooms, plus one additional person per home.
Bedrooms Are For People’s fall 2021 campaign will involve more than 200 volunteers knocking on doors to discuss the ballot measure with their neighbors, continuing to earn strong community endorsements, and expanding their fast-growing network of donors and supporters.
Volunteers are also forming a related organization—Boulder Is For People—to endorse and support pro-people, pro-housing candidates for City Council.
Bedrooms Are For People’s broad community support builds on the more than 5,200 certified signatures that campaign volunteers previously gathered on paper petitions in 2020. Boulder City Council changed the city’s election laws to prevent voters from making their own decision about the measure last November. Then in January 2021, the council majority decided they would not address occupancy limits until after the 2021 election.
“Sometimes, when our representatives don’t have the political will to do what is right, progress must be led by the people,” said campaign co-lead Chelsea Castellano.
Voters who want to learn more, donate and support the Bedrooms Are For People Act on the November 2021 Boulder ballot should visit bedroomsareforpeople.com.
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MEDIA CONTACTS
- Eric Budd | Campaign Co-Chair, Bedrooms Are For People | 720-295-1122 | ericbudd@gmail.com - Chelsea Castellano | Campaign Co-Chair, Bedrooms Are For People | 732-977-7746 | chelseacastellano@gmail.com
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