Habitat Metro Denver
Annual Report
July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022
the power of
partnership
It Takes a Village
Over the past few years, We’ve all heard many parents say, “It takes a village” when referring to how they raised school-age children through the challenges of COVID. We couldn’t agree more. And this is true not just during a global pandemic – or for parenting. It takes a village to solve the little and big challenges in our lives.
For too many people in our community, stable housing is the greatest challenge they face. Denver’s affordable housing crisis has worsened in the last year, and this billion-dollar problem cannot be tackled by any one entity or approach. At Habitat for Humanity, we believe in the power of partnership to accomplish great things and solve our toughest challenges.
Here are a few highlights from the past year:
- Our Aria Homes development in Northwest Denver relied on our collaborative relationships with the property owners, Urban Ventures, and our own Colorado Community Land Trust (CCLT), both of whom will help us keep these homes affordable for generations.
- In Littleton, we are renovating and selling homes affordably thanks to our innovative partnerships.
- Our affiliate was honored to receive $13.5 million in unrestricted funding from American philanthropist and visionary partner MacKenzie Scott.
- This year our ReStores received over 30,500 donations, ensuring materials avoided the landfill and their sale supported home projects across the city.
Thanks to your partnership, through generous gifts, volunteerism, and steadfast support, we partnered with 371 families this past year – building, repairing and renovating homes.
Thank you for playing a vital role in Habitat’s work. Your partnership and support give me hope. We will achieve our vision because we are a village of caring, wise, empathetic people on a mission to build a brighter future.
Your humble partner,
Heather Lafferty, CEO
Building More Together
See the impact of your partnership in 2022
60
New or renovated homes sold in Denver
87
Homes received repairs or aging-in-place modifications
224
Homes sponsored in global partner countries
5
Invested with our global partners since 1985
Together, We Are Better
Addressing the Urgent Need for Affordable Homeownership in Denver
Every day, you’re hearing about the rising cost of housing in Denver. Everyone from your neighbors to news anchors seems to have it on their minds. What do the headlines mean? And how can we make positive change together? Here’s a breakdown.
In the past decade, the cost of housing in Denver has increased at 2x the rate of incomes*
Too many of our neighbors are struggling due to rising rents. Many have to make extremely difficult financial decisions for themselves and their families.
*1-year ACS and HOST dashboard, 2010-2019
1/4 of households in Metro Denver – and nearly half of Colorado renters – are housing cost-burdened – meaning that they pay more than 30% of their gross income towards housing.
1/4 of households in Denver have to choose between paying rent or purchasing other essentials, like healthy food and transportation.
In Metro Denver, the median sales price of a single family home is over $750,000.**
Teachers, nurses, first responders, local business owners and other essential members of our workforce cannot afford to purchase a home at market rate.
**Colorado Association of Realtors
In the past year, Metro Denver housing inventory remains low. About 5,000 single-family homes are for sale each month on average, compared to pre-pandemic monthly averages of 15,000+.***
Low housing supply is keeping families from finding and buying homes. It remains hard for many people to find homes to buy, before cost even comes into the picture.
***Common Sense Institute: Housing Blueprint White Paper
OUR PARTNERS: HOMEOWNERS
Chavella – Future Aria Homeowner
For this single Mom and her two teens, home is a space to dream.
Chavella and her girls have lived in the same small apartment for 12 years, and the aging building has had regular plumbing issues. As the teens grow, and Chavella works from home as an analyst for an insurance company, the family has been feeling more and more limited on space.
As Chavella becomes a homeowner, “Freedom, security, and stability” are top of mind for her.
Freedom for her daughters to have space to grow and pursue their own dreams. The security of a regular mortgage payment and fewer maintenance challenges. And more stability in her job as she sets up an office space at home.
After the move, the family will also live closer to Chavella’s mom, so they can be together more often and put down roots in Chavella’s hometown, near the neighborhood where she grew up.
Donate Today to Help More Families Achieve Homeownership
OUR PARTNERS: OUR RESTORES
Retail Reimagined
How our ReStore staff, volunteers, and shoppers make an impact.
Proceeds from our Denver ReStore locations help build and repair homes for hard-working families right here in our community!
Save – get great deals on new and gently used furniture, lighting, windows and doors, flooring, cabinets, home décor, and more.
Go Green – purchase used home goods to prevent waste and increase the longevity of products.
Spring Clean – donate your gently used home décor to support our mission – and feel good about cleaning out your space!
Just like our home construction and repair programs, the ReStores are run by a team of committed staff and volunteers! Volunteers gave a total of 38,487 hours to support the ReStores this year.
“It’s just a joy.”
Tyler Watlington joined the ReStores as a volunteer in 2019 during a time of transition in her life. And what started as a desire to volunteer quickly turned into a commitment – and a community. Tyler can often been seen monitoring the floor, supporting customers and sorting inventory at the Denver ReStore. “It’s just joy. It’s therapeutic,” Tyler says of her service as a Core Volunteer at the ReStore. “The team doesn’t take themselves too seriously – but just seriously enough to get the job done. And they play good music!”
OUR PARTNERS IN NORTHWEST DENVER
An Update on Aria Homes by Habitat
Celebrating our progress
and welcoming families home
After breaking ground at Aria Homes by Habitat in March 2021, we have loved seeing this community take shape. Thanks to our partners, this development is becoming a neighborhood that fosters connectedness and diversity. If you volunteered with us at Aria this year, thank you! We hope you have enjoyed seeing the progress of these homes as much as we have.
Aria Homes by Habitat is located eight minutes from downtown and a short distance from I-70 and other major arteries into the city. The 28 homes Habitat Metro Denver is building include two-, three- and four-bedroom units.
Learn More About Our Amazing Sponsors
OUR PARTNERS IN LITTLETON
Welcoming New Homeowners to Littleton
Face lifts and fresh starts for families
Thanks to an ongoing, strategic partnership between South Metro Housing Options (SMHO) and Habitat Metro Denver, dozens of families will be purchasing affordable homes in Littleton, one of the most sought-after and high-demand areas in Metro Denver. Although many families are often priced out of Littleton due to high demand and low housing inventory, our partnership with SMHO is adding permanent, affordable for-sale homes to Littleton’s housing stock.
These Littleton Homes are being sold to families of all sizes, including people who play essential roles in the community – like Chris.
Meet Littleton Homeowner, Chris
Chris’s line of work had previously made it difficult for him to find an affordable, safe place to live. He works long and late hours at Jake’s in Downtown Littleton, a community hub where he enjoys offering patrons his quick wit and a listening ear. He worked hard to pay off his debts, but homeownership still felt out of reach.
“Before I bought my home, nothing was stable – and my mood wasn’t stable either,” said Chris, who had been working in local restaurants since he moved to Littleton from Houston in 2013.
For those in the service industry like Chris, homeownership brings stability, peace of mind, and – most powerfully – the chance to build community.
OUR PARTNERS IN UNIQUE HOME BUILDS
Projects in Progress
Building This Year: Curtis Park Homes
Partnerships bring together homes honoring Denver’s rich history.
The two single-family homes that Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver is building this year in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood are in Curtis Park, directly adjacent to Mestizo-Curtis Park. These unique homes are a blend of the historic and the modern – designed to honor the historic architecture of the area, but also embracing modern, efficient building techniques. Join us as we look both back and to the future in Curtis Park.
Next Up: Building Equity in Denver’s Cole Neighborhood
Clara Brown Commons development next year will bring much-needed affordable housing to meet a variety of needs.
Habitat Metro Denver’s strong partnerships and collaborative spirit are contributing to a unique affordable housing community next year. Habitat is partnering with Mile High Ministries to develop a mixed-use, mixed-income affordable housing community called Clara Brown Commons in Denver’s Cole neighborhood.
Habitat will build 17 new, for-sale townhomes for the project, helping to expand affordable workforce housing in the Cole neighborhood.
Before
After
“I’m Very Blessed”
Home repair helps Arvada resident heal & find hope
After a difficult series of illnesses and surgeries in 2021, Arvada resident Jane was focused on taking care of her own health. Unfortunately, her home was simultaneously in need of updates.
After receiving care from CVNA nurses through the CAPABLE program, the Habitat Metro Denver home repair team spent several months repairing Jane’s flooring, installing a new kitchen sink, replacing cabinets and installing three new windows. Most importantly, they developed deep friendships.
Learn About Our Home Repair Programs
