Colorado housing officials greeted Gov. Jared Polis’ recent plan to balance a significant part of the state’s budget deficit on the back of an affordable housing program with grim acceptance.

So long as another raid of housing money — amid deep affordability gaps in Colorado — doesn’t happen again anytime soon.

“Everyone has to eat their vegetables in this austerity restaurant,” said Peter LiFari, the executive director of Maiker Housing Partners , the housing authority in Adams County. “… Extreme times require extreme measures, so here we are.”

To cope with the budget hole created by this summer’s federal tax bill, Polis last week proposed taking $105 million next year from Proposition 123 , the housing program approved by voters in 2022 , and repurposing it for other state fun

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