Please join us for special event tonight

Maxed Out takes unique look at affordable housing issues

One of the biggest topics in the nation right now is affordable housing. In January, the Pew Research Center released a study on the issue, and found that half of Americans (49%) say the availability of affordable housing in their local community is a major problem, driven in part by surging prices and a plummeting supply.

Yuma County is no exception to this – nor is Arizona.

The Yuma Sun partnered with the Arizona Republic, the Arizona Community Foundation of Yuma, Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy, NexGen Yuma and KAWC to dig deeper into the issue.

Those partnerships led to a series of stories this week examining the challenges of affordable housing both in Yuma County and in Arizona, featuring reporting by both the Yuma Sun and the Arizona Republic.

But at the same time, we had the opportunity to do something unique.

Tonight, we’re excited to bring a special event to Yuma: Maxed Out: The Story of Affordable Housing in Yuma.

Three Yumans will take the stage, sharing their perspectives in an intimate storyteller fashion, including:

• Bruce Gwynn, with A Tale of Two Houses, looking at Yuma’s past

• Edgar Olvera, with the Trials and Tribulations of a First Time Homebuyer

• Chris Wheeler, with From the Big House to Brew House

We’ll also have two experts from the Morrison Institute:

• Andrea Whitsett, sharing the history of housing challenges in Yuma County

• Alison Cook-Davis, examining the current state of housing statewide

The evening will also include a conversation moderated by Julie Engel, CEO and president of the Greater Yuma Economic Development Corp., discussing housing challenges in Yuma County with Tony Reyes of Comite de Bien Estar, Fernie Quiroz of the Arizona Housing Development Corp., and GYEDC’s Greg LaVann.

The evening will conclude with a reception at the Yuma Art Center next door, where audience members can chat with participants as well as local nonprofit organizations that specialize in housing needs.

Affordable housing impacts everyone. We cannot grow as a community if people can’t afford to live here or simply can’t find housing.

Please join us tonight at the Historic Yuma Theatre on Main Street. This free event begins at 6 p.m. We’ll share these inspirational stories, hear from Yuma County experts and hopefully, begin a larger community conversation on affordable housing!

Unsigned editorials represent the viewpoint of this newspaper rather than an individual. Columns and letters to the editor represent the viewpoints of the persons writing them and do not necessarily represent the views of the Yuma Sun.