Governor Polis Visits Electric School Bus Fleet & Housing Developments in Boulder

BOULDER — Today, Governor Jared Polis, state and local officials visited Boulder Valley School District’s (BSVD) electric bus fleet and housing developments. Gov. Polis’s budget proposal includes funding for the electrification of school buses and housing that’s affordable.

This afternoon, Governor Jared Polis and local officials visited the BVSD bus barn to discuss the Governor’s budget proposal which includes funding for investing in electric school buses. 

This investment will position Colorado as a national leader in the electrification of our school bus fleet and will save Colorado’s education system money in the long run on both expensive fuel and maintenance costs. The recently passed Bipartisan Federal Infrastructure bill adds an estimated $45 million over the next 5 years for Colorado to continue leading the charge on clean air initiatives.

“It was an exciting afternoon in Boulder visiting Boulder Valley School District’s electric bus fleet, seeing programs to solve homelessness related to supportive housing that’s affordable in action today,” said Governor Polis. “These sites are all providing services that will help Coloradans thrive and I look forward to seeing similar investments replicated across our state.”

Gov. Polis was joined today by State Rep. Edie Hooton, Councilwoman Rachel Friend, Councilman-Elect Matt Benjamin, Superintendent Dr. Rob Anderson, State Rep. Tracey Bernett, Boulder Mayor Sam Weaver and additional local officials. 

Governor Jared Polis, state and local officials then visited Boulder Housing Partners’ 30Pearl affordable apartments and supportive housing community which offers a continuum of community-based services to benefit its residents. With 120 affordable housing units, 30Pearl includes 20 units for a neuro-inclusive independent living program, retail space with vocational training opportunities, as well as  10 units of permanent supportive housing for those experiencing homelessness. Supportive housing residents have access to wrap-around supports focused on housing retention and long-term stability. The development opened in September of 2021 and is supported with a $700,000 grant and project-based rental assistance from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, Division of Housing (DOH). 

Then, Governor Jared Polis and local officials also visited TGTHR’s Attention Homes Apartments, a 40 unit supportive housing community and social enterprise site as part of National Homeless Youth Awareness Month. The building, supported with project-based rental assistance and a $400,000 grant from DOH, serves young adults experiencing homelessness, providing affordable housing and access to wrap-around supports including case management, substance use and mental health counseling, employment training, and other on-site social group activities. November is Homeless Youth Awareness Month in Colorado. Gov. Polis presented a proclamation about the challenges Colorado children and youth experiencing homelessness encounter and collaborative efforts to address youth homelessness. 

Through the Affordable Housing Transformational Task Force process, Colorado has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help address these challenges and create stability for all Coloradans, by allocating $400 million that can be leveraged by two times or more toward increasing access to affordable and workforce housing. Read more about Gov. Polis’s key budget priorities on housing that’s affordable.