SOUTHERN COLORADO — Housing costs continue to rise across Colorado making affordable housing pretty scarce in places like Colorado Springs and even Pueblo.
However, a new company is trying to change this. indieDwell, an affordable housing manufacturer, will be opening a new factory in Pueblo in the next few months to make homes built out of shipping containers.
Pete Gombert, co-founder and executive chairman of indieDwell, told News 5 that Colorado comes up short when it comes to affordable housing. He said, "We're about 115,000, 120,000 units short."
He said the need increases every month as more people move to the state and the majority of income goes to housing costs.
"You're really putting a burden on the family to go live in a healthy way...you're put in a more vulnerable position."
It's why the Idaho-based company is now expanding to Colorado to try and fight the affordable housing crisis. Come December - indieDwell will be moving into a former warehouse, located on Elizabeth and 2nd Street in Pueblo, and renovating it into a factory to build homes.
"They range from 320 square feet up to 960 square feet so that's a one bedroom at the low end of the scale...all the way up to what can be configured as a four bedroom."
As far as the price for one of these shipping container homes Gombert said, "Our homes range from $55,000...all the way up to $122,000."
Those numbers - a welcome change compared to the almost $180,000 to $300,000 home prices in Pueblo and Colorado Springs.
Gombert said indieDwell will be working with developers and cities across Colorado to determine where these affordable housing neighborhoods will be. Production at the Pueblo factory will start in spring of 2020 and hiring will start in February. Gombert said the company will employ about 200 people.
