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Denver considers hiring contractor amid opposition to build tiny home shelters for the unhoused
Denver is considering whether to pay a subsidiary of Clayton Properties Group, a Maryville, Tennessee-based contractor, up to $6 million to build about 300 tiny home shelters for some of the city’s homeless population. The contract, also known as a master purchase order, is with Oakwood Homes, a local subsidiary of Clayton Properties Group. It […]
Colorado River officials to expand troubled water conservation program in 2024
Colorado River officials plan to expand a conservation program next year that pays farmers and ranchers to use less water. But questions remain about some of the proposed ideas and the program’s overall efficacy. The state initially launched the System Conservation Pilot Program in 2015 as a part of a multistate effort to conserve water […]
With federal funding, Colorado works to shore up its affordable internet program
This story originally appeared in Capital & Main. Teaching middle school social studies remotely during the coronavirus pandemic was one of the most challenging times of Steven Panchenko’s life. There were times when his bilingual students at Global Village Academy in Northglenn would freeze up on screen and miss five to 10 minutes of class. […]
Colorado looks to close incarceration-to-homelessness pipeline
Moving into Denver’s Project: Elevate campus was one of the toughest days of Michelle Savage’s life. While she would gain a stable home at the community corrections facility, Savage also left her husband behind to live on Denver’s streets by himself. Savage, 51, and her husband, Bill, moved to Denver in 2018 to be closer […]
Why is it so difficult to turn a hotel into supportive housing?
Hotel conversions have become a popular idea to increase Colorado’s supply of supportive housing for people exiting homelessness, but there is an open question regarding this strategy’s long-term viability. The idea to convert unused hotels into housing isn’t new, but it’s getting more attention at a time when Colorado’s housing becomes increasingly unaffordable for workers […]
Where have all of Colorado’s most affordable rental units gone?
The most recent multifamily market report from a leading commercial real estate firm found that the Denver metro area could add up to 12,000 new apartments by the end of the year, which would represent the largest unit count on record. This activity comes after RentCafe ranked Denver in the top 11 best markets for […]
As the Rodeway Inn prepares to close, residents share what could be left behind
Denver plans to close the Rodeway Inn, the city’s only non-congregate shelter option for transgender and other LGBTQ+ individuals who are unhoused. The Rodeway, on Federal Boulevard in Denver’s Berkeley neighborhood, has been leased since August 2020 when the Denver Housing Authority purchased the property using one of Denver’s affordable housing funds, CPR reported. Residents were […]
How diverging police tactics shape homelessness policies in Colorado’s largest cities
Colorado’s two largest cities are moving in opposite directions when it comes to how their police departments interact with unhoused people on their streets, the authors of a new study on policing and homelessness found. The study by researchers at Cornell University and Community Solutions, a nonprofit housing advocacy organization, assessed the outsized influence that police […]
Immigrants report dehumanizing treatment at Aurora ICE facility
Mateo Lozano was eight years old when his older brother Jaime was deported back to Colombia in 2012. Neither Lozano, 28, nor his mom could visit Jaime while he was at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Aurora, because they were both undocumented at the time. Instead, Lozano told Colorado Newsline, they would go […]
Immigrant advocates in Colorado call on lawmakers to update registry laws
DENVER, Colo. — Edna Chavez’s journey to the U.S. began almost 1,200 miles away in Guatemala. Fearing for her life after she was nearly forced into prostitution at 17 years old, Chavez said her family told her to leave the country. So, she set her sights on the U.S. because she said the country represented […]
Homeowners insurance rate may force some families out of Colorado
Craig Plazure and his wife, Morgan, describe themselves as two of the “lucky ones” who were able to buy a home in Colorado in August 2021. But after settling down and having two children, the family is wondering how long they’ll be able to stay in Colorado because of their rising homeowners insurance premiums. The […]
One year later, what has ‘functional zero’ veteran homelessness meant in Fremont County?
In February 2021, Fremont County became the 12th community in the country to achieve “functional zero” for veteran homelessness, meaning that there are fewer veterans experiencing homelessness than Fremont County can house in a month. A year later, members of the county’s homeless service provider say the designation helped them expand their services and offers […]