Steamboat For All, a recently formed local nonprofit, made a formal public introduction to elected officials earlier this week, establishing the organization as a place-based effort that works behind-the-scenes with entities throughout the Yampa Valley to make housing and childcare more financially feasible for the local workforce. 

Loryn Duke, hired as the organization’s first executive director in January, presented to the Steamboat Springs City Council at its Tuesday regular meeting, explaining that the nonprofit aims to combat the local affordability crisis through narrative storytelling and capacity-building. 

“A few years ago, a group of residents who each watched as critical workers in the valley struggled to afford living and working here gathered under the Yampa Valley Community Foundation to understand the problem and the path forward,” said Duke. 

“Andrew Wolk, a social entrepreneur and philanthropist who has partnered with over 200 foundations, nonprofits, school districts and agencies, turned those early conversations into Steamboat for All,” she continued, “funding and seeding it as a place-based initiative of finding a common purpose, which is working to support systemic change around affordability issues impacting our community.” 

Steamboat For All has two main priorities, said Duke: Increasing the number of workers in the town that pay less than 30% of their income on housing and less than 14% of their income on childcare, with the ultimate goal of both maintaining and maximizing the number of 25- to 45-year-olds living in Steamboat. 

Currently, she added, the average working household is paying nearly half of their income for housing and 24% for childcare. The federal benchmark for what families should be spending on childcare is 7%, Duke noted.

“Our workforce cannot afford to stay in Steamboat,” she said. “Rising costs threaten the community character and the economic vitality of our community. Housing livability — both the cost and the stability — is the number one barrier.”

The organization’s advisory board consists of local attorney Jason Lacy, Steamboat Springs City Councilor Bryan Swintek, community member Sarah Jones, local entrepreneur Collin Kelley and founding funder Andrew Wolk. 

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Despite the formal introduction, Steamboat For All has been partnered with the city for “quite some time,” said Principal Planner Brad Calvert prior to Duke’s presentation. Along with the city, the nonprofit is partnered with First Impressions of Routt County, the Yampa Valley Housing Authority and the Steamboat Springs Chamber. 

“Data defines the problem, but the stories help people understand what’s really at stake here,” said Duke. “We’re building a circle of storytelling ambassadors … workers of all ages, demographics, backgrounds and struggles, as well as community members who can afford to live here, but are impacted when workers can’t.”

“This ambassador model matters because affordability conversations very quickly become abstract. ‘They’ is a gray blob somewhere over there, and our goal is to shine a light on the ‘they,'” she continued. “‘They’ are our neighbors, our friends, our community members.”

Ambassadors will share personal stories with their friends and peers and be encouraged to write letters to the editor of the newspaper, speak at council and county commissioner meetings, and attend other public forums to highlight ways they’ve been impacted by cost-of-living barriers. 

The nonprofit — which commits to being nonpartisan, data-driven, partner-first and accountable — did an initial cohort in January and currently has 14 ambassadors, looking ahead to a new cohort in July that hopes to add 10 more, said Duke. 

Two ambassadors have already voiced interest in the city’s new Home Base Steamboat deed-restriction program, and two others have identified community members who would be eligible candidates. 

Duke said the organization is also working on an “art meets social issues” event later this year called “Dear Steamboat,” a free interactive art exhibit that invites the community to “learn, engage and act.”

In addition to the ambassador program, Steamboat For All has convened the Regional Housing Partnership, which Duke described as a group of local employers seeking collaborative efforts to help their employees find feasible housing. 

“With short-term and long-term goals, this group has the ability to bring together public-private partnerships, assets and ideas to move the needle,” said Duke.

The nonprofit, as well as data visualization company North Arrow, helped fund and create the city’s new Affordable Housing Dashboard, now live at Steamboat.North-Arrow.org/#Trail-Forward.

“This transparent accountability tool will be incredibly useful to keep us all moving in the same direction with the same goals, as well as providing the insights and information that our community has asked for,” said Duke, who clarified that the dashboard will be managed by city staff. 

Steamboat For All is working with First Impressions to create a similar dashboard for childcare, “helping bring the data to life to showcase our community’s specific needs around childcare supply” and the cost of family and educator wages, Duke added. The organization is also a funder and partner of First Impressions’ Thrive by Five initiative. 

The two organizations have also partnered to host a movie screening of “No Country for Mothers,” which delves into present-day motherhood in America, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 25 at Wildhorse Cinema. Admission is free, with advance registration required at Mobilize.us/MomsFirst/Event/944151/. 

Councilors applauded Duke for the nonprofit’s efforts, with Councilor Gail Garey noting that the public-facing storytelling nature of the ambassador program can help the community understand “perspectives and realities” that otherwise go unheard. 

“We recognize that there are so many incredible organizations in our community working on these issues. We are here to be a capacity builder,” said Duke at the close of the presentation. “We want to help them succeed and figure out where we can come in and fill the gaps that exist and that are preventing our community from succeeding.”