A Durango retiree is saying that the Volunteers of America will not accept his application for housing at the Miremonte Senior Affordable Complex in the Three Springs area because he does not make enough money.
Roy Simpson, 65, says the organization, which advertises affordable housing solutions for older people, won’t accept his rental application because he only makes roughly $930 per month instead of $1,800 per month.
Simpson said he followed all of the correct steps to filling out an application and filed it about a year and a half ago. That put him on a wait list where he was No. 34 out of 43.
Recently, Simpson's number was called but when it came time, he was told by the organization that he didn’t make enough money to qualify for the unit he applied for.
Simpson says he was told by the organization that he needed to make at least $1,800 per month to qualify for the housing at the Miremonte building. Simpson’s main sources of income are Social Security and disability for a combination of a severe spinal disease and two forms of scoliosis, which forced him to retire.
“If I had $1,800, I wouldn't need affordable housing for seniors,” Simpson said. “And I found that very degrading, and doesn't make sense to me why I need double the income to afford a 500-and-something dollar apartment.”
Simpson said he is in a bind because the home he is currently renting is being remodeled beginning in 2025, leaving him without an option. He has attempted to contact Volunteers of American management multiple times trying to understand why he needs a higher income but says the organization has not responded.
In an email Thursday to The Durango Herald, VOA Vice President of Affordable Housing Torey Dixon said if an applicant does not make two times the rental amount of an available unit, that person does not qualify for housing at one of their properties.
Simpson says the cost of the unit he would be renting would be in the $500 range making him short of VOA’s income requirement. He questions how the complex can be considered affordable if he isn’t eligible for a unit despite having enough monthly income to pay rent.
Dixon said if an applicant doesn’t make a monthly income of twice the rent, they are at risk of becoming rent-burdened. This is when rent takes up 30% or more of a person’s yearly income.
The concern then becomes if the renter has enough money for food, utilities and other necessities.
“Our records indicate that this particular applicant provided us with his monthly income amount and was told of the units available based on that income,” Dixon said. “We also advised him of our other communities which provide subsidies to individuals in his income range. In Durango, making $1,800 a month is still not sufficient income to afford some of the local rental properties.”
Region 9 Economic Development District of Southwest Colorado’s 2022 Livable Wage report shows the average cost of a one-bedroom apartment in Durango is just over $1,400 per month. However, that cost could be even higher with recent housing trends.
Dixon followed by saying that VOA is always trying solutions for people who reach for help and would happily welcome Simpson to apply to the subsidized communities as they are based on 30% of his adjusted monthly income.
Simpson disputes that he was advised to apply at other subsidized housing locations. Instead, he says he was told by VOA employees that they could try to find him a cheaper unit at the Miremonte building but there weren’t cheaper units currently available.
“I tried to get a hold of somebody else and didn’t receive a call back,” Simpson said. “So I just got fed up and said, ‘forget it.’”
tbrown@durangoherald.com
