As Colorado’s housing crisis has deepened in recent years, families have increasingly turned to federal rental-assistance programs .

People spend years on waitlists or repeatedly enter lotteries, praying this will be their year to score a coveted Housing Choice, or Section 8, voucher . The longstanding program, funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and administered by local housing authorities, subsidizes rent in the private market for low-income families, elderly individuals, veterans and those with disabilities.

But even if you win the lottery and receive a voucher, it’s a coin flip as to whether you’ll be able to find a place to use it.

A study published this year by New York University’s Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy found just 57%

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