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Sweet Hope
A New Chapter
A letter from our CEO
Dear Friends,
There is something uniquely invigorating about the start of something new. Beginning a new project. Starting a new job. Stepping through the doorway of a new home for the very first time.
Habitat Metro Denver gets a front row seat to milestones like these. We witness the moving moments when homeowners receive the keys to their new homes, or see the home repairs that will keep them safe and dry. We hear about children in Habitat homes doing better in school, and adults furthering their education. We watch families start new dreams and accomplish big goals because of their improved financial health.
Thanks to your partnership over the past year – through generous gifts, volunteerism, and steadfast support – we partnered with 254 families to build, repair and renovate homes in Metro Denver. Thank you!
As we begin a new year, and reflect on the past one, it is my honor to join this team and continue the incredible legacy Habitat Metro Denver has forged in its 44-year history – one of innovation, partnership, and deep commitment to building a community where everyone has a decent place to call home. I was fortunate to be a partner and witness to this work as I served on the Habitat Metro Denver board of directors from 2012-2017. Now, it is my honor to continue in this work alongside each of you as CEO.
Thank you for playing a vital role in Habitat Metro Denver’s work. Your partnership gives me hope that our foundation is strong, and the future is bright – for our team, our communities, and the people we serve.
When we believe that new beginnings are possible, there is nothing we can’t build together.
In grateful partnership,
Jaime G. Gomez, CEO
HOMEOWNER STORIES
Same home, new chapter
Habitat helped this longtime Park Hill resident stay in the neighborhood she loves.
Patsy has lived in her home in Denver’s Park Hill neighborhood for 23 years. Recently, she noticed changes both inside and around her home. “My neighborhood has been gentrifying and I couldn’t keep up with repairs,” Patsy shares.
“The house was leaning where the bricks were cracked. I’d been so worried about the house because I could only afford ‘Band-Aid’ repairs on my own.”
Thanks to Habitat Metro Denver’s Home Repair program, Patsy’s home received critical updates that will allow her to remain in her home – and in her beloved neighborhood – for years to come.
Habitat’s Home Repair program engages Habitat staff and volunteers to make critical repairs that improve homeowners’ comfort, safety, and security. Homeowners pay around 10% of the cost of repairs.
HOMEOWNER STORIES
A fresh start, for home and health
Thanks to Habitat’s support, one longtime homeowner and her daughter can more easily and safely connect with their neighbors.
Priscilla, 83, bought her four-bedroom home in Green Valley Ranch 25 years ago – making her one of the original homeowners in her cul-de-sac. But in recent years, due to health challenges, she has felt unsafe walking down her front steps to greet her neighbors.
Thanks to Habitat’s CAPABLE program, Priscilla received home modification updates and at-home health care that have helped her feel more independent and secure in her own space – and connect with her community again.
“Now, she feels much safer going down the front stairs to take a walk,” says her daughter Latanya, who moved in with her mother 10 years ago when she retired. “Mom loves greeting the neighbors. She is always waving and asking the neighbors about their families.”
Habitat’s Community Aging in Place – Advancing Better Living for Elders (CAPABLE) program is a partnership between Habitat Metro Denver and the Colorado Visiting Nurse Association that provides occupational therapy, nursing and home repairs to improve comfort and mobility for low-income homeowners.
HOMEOWNER STORIES
A new home…and a new family member
With a new baby and a new house, the future feels hopeful for Jesse’s family
Jesse and his family never could have predicted how timely their home purchase with Habitat Metro Denver would be. Their application was accepted in the same month as two big pieces of news – Jesse’s wife, Isabel, found out she was pregnant with their first child, and sadly Isabel’s mom was diagnosed with breast cancer
“A lot happened at once. But at least we had hope that things were going to get better, and we knew we would soon have a house to come home to,” said Jesse, who purchased at Aria Homes, Habitat’s 28-home development in Northwest Denver. The family had been renting a house in Lakewood that needed constant repairs and felt increasingly cramped.
Jesse and Isabel were thrilled to welcome their baby daughter, Rebecca, this spring, and Isabel’s mom is also doing well and moving into the family’s new home.
“Habitat staff and volunteers knew our story, and they checked in,” Jesse said. “It feels great. I built a new home and built great relationships.”
Donate today to help more families achieve homeownership
Habitat’s homeownership program sells homes to families with affordable, 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages, helping first-time homeowners enter the market and build equity.
By the numbers
This year, Habitat Metro Denver served:
54
families through our new construction and renovated home programs
24
families with affordable home repairs
77
seniors with home repairs and health support through the CAPABLE program
254
families total, in Metro Denver and around the world
This year, Habitat volunteers gave a total of
95,809
hours to support our mission!
Our ReStores:
Received over
26,500
donations
Sorted and recycled
$29,559
worth of metals at our ReStores
Generated almost
$1 million
for our affordable homeownership programs
FY23 PROJECTS
New beginnings at Aria Homes
28 families join mixed-use, collaborative community
In June, we celebrated the completion of Aria Homes alongside 28 homeowner families. These homes sit next to affordable rentals and market rate for-sale homes to form Aria Denver, a 17.5-acre, mixed-use community imagined by the master developer Urban Ventures.
Aria Denver serves as an example of smart density, where a mix of housing can welcome residents at varied income levels, and all community members can build connections and share resources. Aria Homes is the first Habitat Metro Denver development to be added to the Colorado Community Land Trust (CCLT), providing long-term affordability and benefits to homeowners.
FY23 PROJECTS
Exciting progress at Miller Homes
Eight families will purchase these affordable homes in Wheat Ridge
This summer, Habitat Metro Denver staff and volunteers made great progress on Miller Homes, a group of eight, three- and four- bedroom homes in Wheat Ridge. The units will include outdoor green space and are close to schools, businesses, and transit. If you volunteered with us at Miller Homes this year, thank you! Your support will ensure eight families – like the Gonzales family, at left – can purchase these homes with affordable mortgages and put down roots.
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
Core volunteers tap new talents
Dave, Construction Core Volunteer
“It is such a privilege to be part of Habitat,” said Dave Arnett, a construction Core Volunteer with Habitat Metro Denver since he retired in 2016. “Habitat homes have incredible attention to detail, great quality, and are built to be energy efficient.”
Dave helps our new construction teams with building tasks and supporting volunteers, and he has been impressed at the way Habitat’s architects make each home unique and suited to its surroundings.
“It’s not cookie cutter,” he says. “It’s always changing, so there’s always more to learn, and that keeps it interesting for us as Core Volunteers. I’m having a ball, quite honestly.”
Linda, ReStore Core Volunteer
Linda remembers first volunteering for the ReStores for a community service day, and after just one shift, “I was hooked!” she says.
Now, she has accrued over six years of volunteer time as a ReStore Core Volunteer – stocking shelves, moving inventory, checking out customers, and assisting Spanish-speaking patrons. Linda doesn’t consider her time at the ReStores “work” – instead, “it feeds your soul,” she says. And she gained a new community of friends and customers.
“I love seeing the regulars come into the store,” Linda said. “That’s what is special about being a Core Volunteer – you get to know customers, and they look for you when they come in.”
RESTORE SPOTLIGHT
Old is made new at the ReStores
Your donations and purchases help Habitat impact more people
At our ReStores in Denver, Littleton, Aurora and Arvada, you can find great deals on new and gently-used furniture, appliances, home décor and building materials. And your donation or purchase with the ReStores has purpose! Proceeds from our ReStores go directly toward building and repairing homes
Recycle with the ReStores
This Earth Day, we worked with Metro Denver crafters to take items from the ReStores and give them new life! One of our partners, Macy, turned an old side table into a planter for her front porch.
You can follow their lead and shop the ReStores for sustainability! Purchasing used home goods prevents waste, and 4,604 tons of material was diverted from landfills this year thanks to ReStore donations.
Volunteers also comb through donated products for metals that can be recycled and re-sold to benefit our mission. This year, $29,559 was generated from our ReStore metals recycling program!
RECOGNITION
Thank you to our generous supporters!
Support from a variety of dedicated partners allows us to impact more families each year.
Aria Sponsor Spotlight – Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo has been a committed partner to Habitat Metro Denver since 1998. In over two decades of service, they have contributed $2M and over 10,000 volunteer hours in support of our mission, including a total gift of $210,000 over the last two years at Aria Homes! Thank you, Wells Fargo, for your past contributions, current support, and future commitment to better communities through safe, affordable homes!
Miller Sponsor Spotlight – Christ Church UMC
Christ Church UMC is a valued partner of Habitat Metro Denver, contributing both volunteer days and financial support to our projects across the metro area. The congregation has made a three-year commitment of $50,000 per year to our mission. This year their support will be directed to Miller Homes, ensuring several Wheat Ridge families will be able to purchase their homes with affordable mortgages. Thank you, Christ Church!
Miller Sponsor Spotlight – United Properties
United Properties has been supporting Habitat Metro Denver for several years, giving a total of $250,000 since 2018 in support of our construction projects at Swansea Homes, Aria Homes and Miller Homes. United Properties is also a generous supporter of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity. Thank you, United Properties, for your support of affordable homeownership!
