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Dear Boulder residents,
On Wednesday, June 24, the nonprofit Emergency Family Assistance Association (EFAA) formally endorsed our 2020 ballot initiative campaign, Bedrooms Are For People. This endorsement came after our volunteer team gave a thorough presentation to EFAA’s Strategic Education Committee and answered tough questions from their members, just as any organization should do to earn an official endorsement. After consideration, the committee voted to approve the endorsement. They then presented their decision to the EFAA Board of Directors, who agreed that our cause was worth supporting on behalf of their clients—vulnerable families in Boulder County. We are incredibly proud to have the support of an organization like EFAA which works hard to keep families in Boulder housed and deeply understands the challenges that the current occupancy limit presents for housing insecure families in Boulder.
In their formal endorsement statement, EFAA declares:
“EFAA endorses Bedrooms Are For People, an effort to amend Boulder's occupancy limits on non-familial residency. We feel this initiative aligns with EFAA's support for housing stability and prevention of family homelessness. In fact, the most common thing for families to do when they lose housing is to "double up" with another family — which is often illegal under Boulder's current laws. Loosening these limits is key to preventing family homelessness.”
Thanks to outstanding civic journalism by Shay Castle at the Boulder Beat, we were saddened to learn that at least one City Council person has tried to use their position as an elected official to question EFAA's support for a cause that they know would help their clients: families who are vulnerable to homelessness. We also learned that other donors in the Boulder community have threatened revoking their donations because EFAA supports a cause that will help their clients stay housed.
We understand that a few people only want to support Boulder’s most vulnerable families from a distance, and are not interested in having them as neighbors, but that does not reflect the majority of our community. We believe that most people in Boulder want to lift everyone up, side by side.
For those who have threatened to cancel their donations to EFAA because they endorsed a measure that would help their vulnerable clients, we ask that you first consider the families that would otherwise have received that financial support.
EFAA is a community nonprofit made up of extremely hardworking and intelligent people—and for a City Council member to question their well-informed decision-making is completely unacceptable and a clear abuse of power.
EFAA understands the challenges that their clients experience better than anyone else, and they proudly support Bedrooms Are For People because our initiative, if passed by Boulder voters in November, will help alleviate that pain by increasing housing security. This measure would expand housing options for families who are struggling to make ends meet and remain part of our community . Please read this story by Cat Walters, an EFAA client and mother of two young children who has experienced homelessness and would have been better positioned to stay housed if our city’s occupancy limits were reformed.
When any family lives in fear of homelessness, we all suffer. We cannot solve our societal problems if we don't work together. We must collectively support the nonprofit organizations that help those in need.
That is why our volunteers at Bedrooms Are For People are pledging to halt our own fundraising efforts for five days and instead redirect all of our donation requests to the Emergency Family Assistance Association (EFAA). We know the Boulder community will step up to demonstrate the good in this world. Our goal is to raise at least $3,000 for EFAA by July 18. To help make a difference for families and children in need this week, please donate to EFAA here:
Sincerely,