As DOLA works towards its mission to strengthen Colorado communities, and alongside that, the CRO moves further along its mission to help communities build stronger, safer, and more resilient systems, I had the opportunity to dive deeper into the intersection of resiliency and housing at the Ready and Resilient: Strategies for Climate-Ready Affordable Housing Workshop at the University of Denver earlier this month.

I presented on CRO’s and statewide efforts to build resilient communities, including housing that is not only more affordable, but can withstand ever-increasing threats from climate related natural hazards. I touched on the many tools available to assess various climate risks to communities and different segments of communities, the resources developed by CRO, including the Planning for Hazards website, the Community Readiness & Resilience Toolkit, the Post-Disaster Recovery Toolkit, Resilience Case Studies, and many more available statewide, and DOLA’s role in recovery when the worst does happen. 

Housing is just one sector we consider as we continue to develop the 2025 Colorado Resiliency Framework, but our work constantly reaffirms for us how interconnected everything is and how central housing is to a healthy, thriving community. A resilient community is one where every person has a safe place to call home. 

Be well,

Anne Miller and the CRO team

Over 170 people statewide have contributed their expertise and ideas to the Framework update during the first two Resiliency Summits. We would still love your help to refine our strategies and identify targeted, specific actions to include in the CRF:

Take CRF Input Survey

The CRF Input survey is open to representatives of all sectors (public, private, and nonprofit) in Colorado and to Colorado-based individuals interested in creating a more resilient future. We are interested in as many perspectives as possible to identify common themes, develop innovative strategies, and inspire future State agency initiatives to build resilience.

This 15-minute survey is open through October 24, 2025. 

Final CRF Engagement Resiliency Summit - November 13, 2025

Join us for the third Resiliency Summit on November 13, 2025, 1:00-3:00 p.m. OR 5:30-7:00 p.m. (register for the session that is best for you). This final CRF engagement summit will be an opportunity for you to review and provide feedback on the draft CRF strategies and actions. Follow-up materials from the first two summits are available on our Framework Update website.

Critical Facilities Identification and Prioritization Pilot Process - Openings Available

The Colorado Resiliency Office (CRO) and Colorado Energy Office (CEO) are looking for additional communities that are interested in improving their energy resilience to participate in a pilot of a "Community-led Critical Infrastructure and Facility Prioritization" process. Utilities are a required component of this process, but local government or other key local representatives would be the lead facilitator for this.

By going through the process, community partners will build consensus around which infrastructure and facilities projects to prioritize for energy resilience investments, such as microgrids, grid hardening, or advanced grid monitoring. 

The selected pilot communities will receive between 4-12 hours of individualized support from the CRO and CEO including:

• Support for the lead facilitator in going through the "Community-led Critical Infrastructure & Facilities Prioritization" process,
• Facilitation support during an in-person workshop, and
• Technical assistance and guidance during and after the prioritization process to support the community in pursuing appropriate energy resilience resources.

See the Community-Led Critical Infrastructure & Facility Prioritization Overview to find out more about this process. Please email Julia Masters for more information and to express interest.

Colorado Agrivoltaic Learning Center: Workshop for Colorado Counties

The Colorado Agrivoltaic Learning Center is hosting an Agrivoltaics Workshop for Colorado counties, taking place October 9–10, 2025, at Jack’s Solar Garden in Longmont, Colorado.

This free, 1.5-day, hands-on workshop is designed specifically for Colorado county officials and staff to gain firsthand experience and insights into the emerging field of agrivoltaics—where agriculture and solar energy production coexist to support Colorado’s agricultural, energy, and conservation goals. 

Note: If travel to Longmont for the workshop presents a challenge, please contact allison@coagrivoltaic.org to inquire about available travel or lodging assistance.