LOCAL STORY SPRING WISH LIST Drop-offs are accepted Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m., or by appointment. CREDIT: SIGMUND ON UNSPLASH COLORADO NONPROFITS EXPAND SELF-SUFFICIENCY BENEFITS AS NEED GROWS BY ROBERT DAVIS RESIDENTS AT THREE APARTMENT COMPLEXES with subsidized housing options for people exiting homelessness and those with Section 8 housing vouchers are now able to access additional self-sufficiency benefits just as a majority of renters in the Denver metro area are struggling to afford rent. In early February, Mercy Housing Mountain Plains, a nonprofit that offers affordable housing at 17 properties in Colorado, and the national nonprofit Compass Working Capital entered into a partnership to administer the federal Family Self-Sufficiency program. FSS helps connect those with housing vouchers and public housing residents with employment opportunities that enable them to “achieve economic independence and reduce dependence on welfare assistance and rental subsidies,” according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The benefits will be available for residents of the Decatur Place Apartments at 115 Decatur St. in Denver, the Clare Gardens at 2626 Osceola St. in Denver, and the Holly Park Apartments at 5524 East 60th Ave. in Commerce City. All of the apartment complexes are owned and operated by Mercy Housing. “Through the efforts of our Resident Services teams and with the support of Compass Working Capital, our financial services programming is helping to meet residents where they are in their financial journeys and allowing them to build a solid financial foundation,” Mercy Housing Mountain Plains Resident Shelly Marquez said in a press release. The new partnership was forged at a time when data from Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies found that more than 51% of renters in the metro Denver area are “cost-burdened,” meaning they pay at least 30% of their monthly income on rent and utilities. One out of four renters in metro Denver were also described as being “severely cost-burdened” because they pay at least 50% of their income on housing costs. Denver’s median rent for an apartment was more than $1,700 per month as of January 2024, according to ApartmentList.com. This means that renters must earn a minimum annual salary of $68,000—or about $32.69 per hour—to avoid being cost-burdened. However, there are relatively few jobs in the metro area that pay enough for renter households to comfortably afford housing. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the metro area’s median hourly wage is $32.09, which is 15% above the national average of $28.01. But nearly two-thirds of jobs available in the metro area pay less than the average hourly wage and the jobs that do pay enough require specialized education and licensure like software engineering, architecture, and legal professions. Markita Morris-Louis, the chief executive of Compass Working Capital said state data suggests there are about 28,000 people in Colorado who are receiving rental assistance and qualify to receive additional FSS benefits. However, only 800 people participate each year, she said. Morris-Lewis added that the partnership between Compass Working Capital and Mercy Housing Mountain Plains could be a “game changer” for expanding FSS access in Colorado going forward. ■ @DenverVOICE NEW ITEMS NEEDED: Socks Toiletries (individual or travel-size) Toothpaste, deodorant Chapstick, sunscreen Hand warmers GENTLY-USED ITEMS NEEDED: Men’s shoes or boots (sizes 8-12) Men’s jackets (sizes L, XL, XXL) Women’s jackets (sizes M, L, XL) Backpacks, carrier bags USB-C charging cables VENMO YOUR VENDOR: If you would like to help out a specific vendor by donating a few extra dollars, scan the QR code below to make a payment through Venmo. Please be sure to write your vendor’s name in the comments. Thank you! March 2024 DENVER VOICE 5
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