DENVER — New supportive housing units opened in the Capitol Hill neighborhood Friday for people transitioning from homelessness.
The Saint Frances Warren Residences is an adaptive reuse project that converted a former church at 1630 E. 14th Ave. into 48 affordable dorm-style apartment units, according to the City of Denver. Each 150 square foot unit is for one individual and includes large shared spaces, like bathrooms, laundry facilities and living and kitchen areas, to provide a sense of community.
The property will also offer voluntary vocational services and case management to assist residents.
Tenants began moving in last week. All units are income-restricted for individuals earning up to 30% of the area median income, which is up to $22,050 for a single-person household.
Denver’s Department of Housing Stability provided a $2.1 million development loan to the new Saint Francis Warren Residences to help with construction costs. An additional $1 million will fund supportive services over the next 15 years.
“The Warren Residences model is so important because it shows the greater community what can be accomplished in support of affordable housing by adapting and reusing available community spaces,” said Tom Luehrs, Saint Francis Center executive director. “We can convert unused sacred spaces into active sacred spaces and transform people’s lives.”
A total of 1,353 affordable units have received funding from the city that are currently under construction or preservation at 26 sites in the Denver area. There are an additional 1,175 income-restricted units in the planning stage.
