Housing, a warm and safe place to sleep at night, a place to call home. Shelter is a basic need and one that is increasingly hard to find for many people in our communities. The affordable housing challenge is part of a growing regional and national crisis, which has worsened during the pandemic. Our Community Foundation is deeply committed to funding projects which meet current needs. We convene partners working in the field to identify gaps in services, needs, and possible solutions. Affordable housing and services for the homeless are expensive and require complex financing, but we can provide “seed funding” to get new projects started and positioned for additional financing and partnerships.
From Aspen Daily News:
The need for homes
At Habitat for Humanity of the Roaring Fork Valley, we are thankful for all of you throughout our communities who have continued to support our mission in this year of challenges. During a time when the need for affordable housing has never been greater, together, we have rolled up our sleeves and gotten to work. In 2021, we completed 13 homes at Basalt Vista with four more to be finished early in 2022 for teachers and essential workforce families. Meanwhile, we have also been planning a new Habitat community and will break ground on 20 new homes at Wapiti Commons in Rifle. At the ReStore, our dedicated team welcomed over 16,000 loyal guests and supported the 3,600 donors who contributed gently used goods to repurpose in the community.
None of this success would have been possible without the unwavering support of our communities and we would like to especially thank the Alpine Bank, Bighorn Toyota, City of Rifle, C-Con, Connect One Design, Department of Corrections, Expert Electric, Harrison Painting, Holy Cross Energy, Miles Rippy Excavating, Sunsense Solar, Western Colorado Community Foundation and many others for their support. Read the full story here.
From The Daily Sentinel:
Technical College of the Rockies receives $195K grant
The Technical College of the Rockies (TCR) received a $195,628 grant for the Delta-Montrose Building Affordable Homes and a Skilled Workforce program. This program also received $50,000 to help its launch from the Western Colorado Community Foundation. The program will offer new construction trades certification courses, as well as an opportunity for students to receive hands-on experience at Habitat for Humanity affordable housing build sites. Fully story in the Daily Sentinel here.
Learn more about projects our Community Foundation is supporting to address the issue of affordable housing in western Colorado in our December e-news.