Addressing Flagstaff's Housing Crisis

Taylor McCormick & James Patberg Feb. 19, 2023

Construction of a building for Elara at The Sawmill in Flagstaff persists months after the initial anticipated date it was supposed to be finished, Sept. 2. (Photo by Taylor McCormick)

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Flagstaff City Council approved the Housing Commission's 10-year housing plan Feb. 15, 2022, including the passing of Proposition 442 Nov. 8 that will try to remedy the housing crisis that has been increasing the cost of living in the city. 

In recent years, the city continues to face an increase in problems regarding the costs of living and the number of available housing units for its citizens. Flagstaff is an ever-growing city and with the location of Northern Arizona University in the middle of it all, there will always be more people moving in every year.

The 10-year housing plan is crucial to solving this issue. The plan was created with a prolonged process of refinement and community survey, which reached out to about 3,000 respondents. Most residents responded saying that owning a home was a priority, but the steep increase in prices for homes in the city was a barrier for them. The average cost of a home in Flagstaff in 2011 was $195,000 and has increased to $650,000 as of January. 

The plan goes over the current state of the city and details statistics about the prices of homes, income levels and the amount of people who are cost burdened. The main goal is to reduce the current affordable housing need by half in the next 10 years. The plan describes two main elements in its conclusion that will lead to this goal. The first element is to affect at least 6,000 low- or moderate-income city residents by using subsidies and creating more housing units. The second is for the city to create 7,976 new housing units by the year 2031, about 10% of them being affordable.  

On the topic of available housing units, Housing Analyst Jennifer Mikelson makes note of the land space available in Flagstaff, stating development will include duplexes, triplexes, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and other multifamily apartment-style buildings.

“If we facilitate the development of denser, smaller-scale housing units in lieu of large single family homes,” said Mikelson, “it will ultimately provide more options for residents in need of housing that they can afford.”

Mikelson notes that the down payment assistance program currently offers $15,000 in loans towards a house, with the commission planning to increase that amount using bond money from Prop 442. Although there are restrictions:

“It has to be people living within the Flagstaff metropolitan planning area and there is an income limit,” Mikelson said. “Households earning up to 125% of the area median income can qualify. Another eligibility requirement to get down payment assistance is you have to occupy the home like it has to be your primary residence.”

Caleb Alexander, the assistant director of the Flagstaff Housing Authority, is the first person to fill the role. Alexander manages three programs that are designed to help those who need aid keeping their residency as prices increase.

“So much of what we do is about keeping people housed, making sure that their rent levels or their subsidy levels are set accurately…” Alexander said.

Alexander and his team have a main goal of making sure that the community has a wide variety of tools they can use to communicate and address their housing needs. This type of community involvement is essential when trying to solve the housing crisis in the eyes of Alexander.

In addition, Adriana Fisher, the housing program manager for the Flagstaff Housing Commission, shares how she and her peers plan to educate the public on affordable housing opportunities.

“We’re working on a public outreach campaign,” Fisher said. “We’re going to cover a lot of the affordable housing topics that are important to know about, for example, what is housing cost burdened and what is considered affordable housing. Plus, we will be talking about support for affordable housing in our communities.”

During Housing America Month last October, an educational campaign took place to educate locals on the now passed Proposition 442, the bond that will provide $20 million for affordable housing in Flagstaff. 

Community involvement does not end with the government. Those not affiliated with the Housing Authority and Commission have taken steps to spread awareness about this issue. Committee Chair of Open Doors Art and Action Dan Dooley has dedicated his most recent exhibit to informing the public about the housing crisis. 

Panoramic view of the On the Verge Exhibit at the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany, organized by Committee Chair of Open Doors Art and Action, Dan Dooley.

Displayed at the Episcopal Church-Epiphany of Flagstaff, the exhibit is headed by a 10-foot-tall poster depicting homeless people from the city. In front of them are key statistics describing increased housing prices, increased homeless population and a paragraph explaining the ongoing crisis.  

“This is about creating awareness of the problems that we have and it’s also about the solutions.” Dooley said.

Fisher plans to speak at the On the Verge exhibit Mar. 3 to share the Housing Commission’s plans for the citizen-approved bond money. The commission hopes to begin to put the funds to use by summer to the end of this year, as it will be a slow and strategic process to ensure adequate spending.

“We have a little more flexibility with the bond money because it’s local money and has less limitations,” Fisher said. “But it is limited to what the pamphlet during the election is allowing us to do with it.”

The housing plan is composed of 58 strategies with the passing of Proposition 442 being the first completed. Two more strategies are in progress this year including the public outreach campaign which has begun but is not complete and the current one-time housing navigator position. The commission plans to request the position to be on-going by July as it is beneficial in aiding landlords and vulnerable populations such as the elderly and mentally ill through the affordable housing process. 

Seven other strategies are a work in progress for the next few years, totaling 10 out of 58 strategies anticipated to be completed, such as rehabilitation of already built properties and creation of an Affordable Housing Impact Statement. 

Mikelson recommends that residents that want to learn more go to the Housing Section on the City of Flagstaff’s website, where they can find information regarding types of housing such as emergency assistance, affordable leasing, affordable ownership with land trust and staff contact for other inquiries.