The Boulder Area Realtor Association (BARA) & our NON-PROFIT CARHOF Committee (Colorado Association of Realtors Housing Opportunity Foundation) in partnership with the City of Boulder, The Affordable Housing Alliance (AHA) and Wells Fargo bank are in the process of actually building 2 "affordable" duplexes for 4 families who meet the City's income & asset criteria for the Affordable Housing Programs. This project, dubbed "Southern Lights" was initiated by BARA in 2005.

The fundraising started with the hand-building of a Victorian Children's Playhouse constructed solely by BARA members, then exhibited & raffled off over 2 consecutive summers to raise the approx $25k seed money for the project. After a continuous and lengthy process of creating partnerships and alliances, the project has broken ground, the families have been selected, the units contracted for, and construction is well underway.

The project calls for the continued relationship between BARA and it's partners as we have not only participated in the financing and planning processes but in the building as well. BARA is providing a minumum of 100 volunteers to work a total minimum of 800 hours throughout the course of construction.

BARA's CARHOF Committee has had a long-standing relationship with the City of Boulder and other local for-profit and non-profit housing organizations. Since 1990, we have contributed over $200,000 towards various housing initiatives.

The Mayor via the City's Department of Housing and Human Services has been actively participating the the selection of the families for the Southern Lights project. They have been screening & processing the income certifications and educational series of classes that each approved applicant must attend. They have been providing the "approval" and "income certification" for each family.

If awarded the $1,000, BARA would be able to use the funds in 1 of 3 ways:

1.) To help in the completion of the project which is currently under construction

2.)Aid in thefinancing costs for the 4 families who will be purchasing the units.

3.) Aid inreplenishing the CARHOF funds for the next grant cycle of housing initiative applicants.

BARA has utilized many of it's resources for the Southern Lights endeavor. While we have worked diligently and are very enthusiastic about making actual homeownership available to 4 families who would otherwise be renters, we have been unable to run our regualr grant cycles for other housing initiatives. These funds will aid in our being able to contribute in the Spring CARHOF grant cycle.