COPERR

Southeastern 科罗拉多州 community colleges get a $5 million boost from Attorney General’s 办公室振兴农村住房，支持贸易项目

 Communities in southeast 科罗拉多州 have long faced challenges with 破旧的房屋 以及可用住房短缺. 这种住房短缺很大程度上是由于 the age of houses and the lack of appropriately trained labor in the area to remediate 破旧的房屋. 许多这样的房子是在1939年之前建造的 其中许多都含有石棉，修复起来很昂贵. 因为成本 to remediate, repair, or renovate the houses often exceeds their resale value, many commercial homebuilders will not develop in the area and potentially viable housing 反而变成了麻烦.

To address this housing challenge, Attorney General Phil Weiser on August 26, 2020 announced a new grant 程序 in the Office of Community Engagement designed to both revitalize rural housing and support construction training 程序s at community colleges 在科罗拉多州东南部. 科罗拉多州总检察长办公室，作为其新 科罗拉多州 Partnership for Education and Rural Revitalization (COPERR), will grant up to $5 million to og体育, Lamar Community College, and Otero Junior College to develop skilled trades 程序s that will address labor shortages and increase the availability of viable and affordable housing in Otero, Prowers, Las Animas, Crowley, 基奥瓦县，本特县和巴卡县. 该项目的资金来自州政府收到的资金 from the national mortgage settlement, a settlement reached in 2012 after 49 states 在2008年金融危机后起诉抵押贷款服务商. 在这个发布之前 程序, none of the funds obtained in this 2012 settlement were used in Southeastern 科罗拉多州.

“During my visits to Southeastern 科罗拉多州, leaders and residents have consistently 提出了那个地区住房短缺的问题. 通过带来的过程 together leaders from local government and the community colleges, we were able to build a partnership that will address workforce and housing shortages and contribute 这些社区的振兴，”韦泽说. “农村社区是一个 vital part of 科罗拉多州’s cultural and economic fabric, and I am proud to support 程序s that will provide opportunities for students while addressing this important housing 需要.”

社区大学是培养劳动力、发展经济的关键
Community colleges provide essential trades 程序s and other opportunities for students 来追求他们的目标，尤其是在科罗拉多州的农村地区. 作为许多国家的经济支柱 areas of our state, these schools also have the infrastructure and expertise to build trades 程序s so students can help revitalize housing in their own communities.

“We applaud the Attorney General and his staff for their vision and partnership with several of our colleges to support trade and construction training 程序s in areas of the state that 需要 it most,” said Joe Garcia, chancellor of the 科罗拉多州 Community 学院系统. “The COPERR 程序 will no doubt have a positive impact in revitalizing 我们的农村社区. 我很欣赏这个项目对东南地区的关注 科罗拉多，它经常被忽视.”

Workforce training 程序s will have in-class 学习 and experiential 学习, during which students will complete remodels and new construction of blighted properties that the community colleges have acquired or purchased via COPERR funds. “特立尼达 State很高兴能成为COPERR的合作伙伴. 的总裁朗达·埃珀 og体育. “这项投资正是我们需要帮助培训更多员工的动力 construction workers while addressing 破旧的房屋 in Trinidad and surrounding 拉斯阿尼玛斯县的社区.”

The students will pay tuition for the workforce training courses, but they will also receive a stipend upon completion of their work for the experiential 学习 component, allowing the homes to be remodeled or rebuilt for a lower, but still fair, cost.

“This 程序 will be a game-changer for Southeast 科罗拉多州,” said Dr. 蒂姆•阿尔瓦雷斯 奥特罗专科学院院长. “优质经济适用房和解决我们的问题 region’s shortage of trades professionals are two major components to revitalizing 我们的农村社区.”

Communities and their colleges will utilize and expand upon resources already available
Representatives from the cities of Lamar, La Junta, and Trinidad have participated in stakeholder meetings since March 2020 and have developed a working inventory of 他们社区内需要修复的财产. 尽管社会 colleges will start with renovations in these communities, they will expand their 程序s to address 破旧的房屋—with a goal of remediation—in each of the seven southeastern-most 科罗拉多州 counties and work to maximize the reach and impact of the 程序.

The three community colleges will also be working with local governments in Southeast 科罗拉多州, in conjunction with state and federal government entities, to ensure proper 处置由COPERR产生的废物. 曾经的社区大学 complete the remediation of a property, they will sell it back to the community and 将收益再投资到COPERR.

“We are ready to get to work with our community partners to solve this critical Southeast 科罗拉多州 需要, and we are thrilled to offer students a new hands-on, relevant workforce 这些经验将极大地造福我们的社区。. 琳达·卢扬，总裁 拉马尔社区学院的教授.

og体育 and Lamar Community College will deploy construction 程序s as early as fall of 2020, while Otero Junior College will conduct a 需要s assessment in 2020 and deploy its construction and historic preservation 程序 in the fall of 2021.

“I am inspired by the commitment of these community colleges and local government 重新振兴他们的社区，”韦泽说. “我对我们所能做的感到兴奋 do working together to build a stronger future for this important part of our state. We are working together to build a future for residents 在科罗拉多州东南部 that 包括合理的、负担得起的住房和工作机会.”

了解更多og体育COPERR和监控学校的进展 coag.gov / coperr.