Oct 12, 2020
Warren Residences and Fusion Studios projects made viable through City financing
Two key affordable housing developments targeted for people experiencing homelessness were approved for City financing by Denver City Council tonight. Investments totaling $3.7 million, to be made through Denver’s Department of Housing Stability (HOST), will support 187 income-restricted units in Capitol Hill and Northeast Park Hill.
“We’re continuing to partner with many organizations to help ensure that the experience of homelessness is a rare, brief and one-time occurrence,” said Mayor Michael B. Hancock. “The solution to homelessness is housing, and we’re proud to support the much-needed supportive services that make a lasting impact for so many.”
Of the approved funds, $3.1 million will support 48 units at the future Warren Residences, and will provide services such as case management, transportation, legal and education services, life skills training, and more. Led by the St. Francis Center, the Warren Residences is an adaptive reuse project located in a former church at 1630 E. 14th Ave. Denver’s Landmark Preservation Commission unanimously approved the changes needed to convert the historic property into dormitory-style housing, with individual rooms and collective kitchens and living spaces. A $1 million grant to the project will support services for individuals who live in the housing, and $2.1 million HOST loan to St. Francis Center will help fund a portion of the project’s renovation construction costs.
Approximately $600,000 also was approved for supportive services for Fusion Studios, a former hotel that was converted into affordable apartments by the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless earlier this year. Located at 3737 N. Quebec St., Fusion Studios provides micro-housing for individuals and couples struggling to find affordable housing, including those experiencing homelessness. The building provides 139 studio apartments fully furnished with a bed, dresser, desk and chair, television, window coverings, bedding, microwave and mini refrigerator. A full-service food pantry is also available for residents.
Site acquisition for both projects was made possible through resources from a partnership between the City and County of Denver and the Denver Housing Authority (DHA). The “DHA Delivers for Denver” Program (D3) has utilized property tax mill levy revenue to create a surge of $129 million in bond funding to accelerate the development and preservation of nearly 2,500 affordable housing units over the next five years. Fusion Studios and Warren Residences represent the first D3 projects.