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Renewal Village's strong partnerships, including with the the Colorado Division of Housing and Adams County, helped tap four million federal dollars to create a new home for families experiencing homelessness. (Galatas)

Renewal Village adds 215 housing units for Denver's unhoused residents

Renewal Village, a converted Clarion Inn featuring 215 units of permanent supportive and transitional housing for people experiencing homelessness…

As Colorado experiences more extreme heat due to climate change, upgrading to efficient, all-electric appliances can reduce indoor air pollution and provide cooling for Denver's income-qualified residents. (Energy Outreach Colorado)

Colorado's first multifamily housing units upgraded to all-electric

A coalition effort led by Energy Outreach Colorado has completed a first-of-its-kind multi-family electrification project, replacing gas-powered …

AARP's Livable Communities initiative aims to provide safe and walkable streets, age-friendly housing and transportation options, access to needed services and opportunities for residents of all ages to participate in community life. (Adobe Stock)

Deadline near for AARP Colorado 2024 Planning Academy

AARP Colorado is encouraging residents, including those age 50 and older, to sign up for its free 2024 Planning Academy. Marissa Volpe, associate …

Colorado gets $156M from Inflation Reduction Act for 'Solar for All'

Colorado is calling on solar energy entrepreneurs to put $156 million in Inflation Reduction Act funding to work accelerating rooftop and community-ba…

In no state, county or metropolitan area in the United States can a worker earning the federal or prevailing state or local minimum wage afford a modest rental home at fair market rent by working a standard 40-hour work week, statistics show. (Adobe Stock)

Colorado housing costs 8th least affordable in nation

Colorado remains the eighth-least affordable state in the nation for housing, according to a new report from the National Low Income Housing …

In 2023, more than a third of Colorado high schoolers with major depression received no treatment, according to a recent Mental Health America report. (Adobe Stock)

More residential care coming for children with acute mental health needs

Colorado lawmakers are investing more than $15 million to ensure children experiencing complex behavioral challenges, including trauma, major …

At least half of the $32.8 million to replace lead pipes will be prioritized for areas overburdened by pollution and decades of underinvestment, including communities of color and low-income neighborhoods. (Adobe Stock)

Biden Infrastructure Law brings $32.8 million to Colorado to replace lead pipes

Nearly $33 million from President Joe Biden's bipartisan Infrastructure Law is headed to Colorado to help locate and remove hazardous lead pipes from …

The Pikes Peak Challenge helps provide support to brain injury survivors, including stroke victims, in Colorado, one of just two states in the nation with a brain injury organization. (Adobe Stock)

Brain injury survivors aim to defy the odds climbing Pikes Peak

Several hundred hikers are expected to climb to a summit of over 14,000 feet for this year's Pikes Peak Challenge in Colorado Springs, an annual …

Deconstruction, basically construction in reverse, is helping cities reduce materials ending up in local landfills. (Adobe Stock)

Colorado embraces deconstruction to keep materials out of landfills

By Syris Valentine for Grist.Broadcast version by Eric Galatas for Colorado News Connection reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public News…

Older Coloradans who may have never been issued a birth certificate because they were born at home qualify for assistance getting vital documents, including identification cards but many cannot access Colorado's Necessary Documents Program. (Adobe Stock)

Cutting red tape to access IDs and other vital documents

Advocates are urging Colorado lawmakers to make key improvements to a state program seen as critical to helping people fleeing domestic violence or ex…

Decades of underinvestment in affordable housing, recently cited by outgoing HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge, have dramatically impacted families with children. (Adobe Stock)

Renaissance marks quarter century serving homeless, low-income kids

This month marks the 25th anniversary of the Renaissance Children's Center, which serves low-income families and those experiencing homelessness with …

Colorado's community mental health centers provide a wide range of behavioral health services to all patients regardless of their ability to pay. (Adobe Stock)

Filling behavioral care gaps for Coloradans with acute mental illness

Behavioral health providers in the Denver metro area are tapping new technologies to ensure people with acute mental health needs don't fall through t…

Tepeyac Community Health Center's new 24,500 square foot facility that serves all patients regardless of their ability to pay is just blocks away from public transit stops. (Galatas)

Health center development offers innovative model for affordable housing

A new development in Denver's Elyria-Swansea neighborhood that combines affordable housing, a healthcare provider, a pharmacy - and next, a grocery …

Las nuevas instalaciones de 24,500 pies cuadrados del Centro Comunitario de Salud Tepeyac, atiende a todos los pacientes independientemente de su capacidad de pago, y est� a s�lo unas cuadras de paradas de transporte p�blico. (Galatas)

El desarrollo de centro de salud ofrece modelo innovador de vivienda asequible

Un nuevo desarrollo en el barrio Elyria-Swansea de Denver, que combina viviendas asequibles, un proveedor de atención médica, una farmacia …

Denver's Stout Street Recuperative Care Center is a facility for people experiencing homelessness to stay for several weeks while healing from a sickness or injury. (Galatas)

Improving health outcomes for homeless linked to housing

Health care providers in Colorado have been drawn into America's homelessness crisis, and are adding institutional weight into a push for solutions - …

Private developers continue to construct high-end housing that provides a safe haven for investors including hedge funds. Nearly 23,000 Denver metro area apartments sit empty as Colorado's homeless population continues to rise. (Adobe Stock)

Vigil memorializes Denver homeless deaths in 2023

A vigil was held yesterday, the shortest day of the year, to memorialize the deaths of Denver residents experiencing homelessness in 2023. Cathy …

Financial literacy fairs allow young people to make mistakes with their finances in a realistic but safe environment while developing problem-solving skills around their finances. (Adobe Stock)

CO students get bites of reality in financial planning

Credit unions in Colorado and across the Mountain West are helping high school students tackle money challenges through "Bites of Reality" fairs…

New maps and data are giving communities, planners and people who live in Colorado's wildland-urban interface best-in-class models to help them prepare for wildfire. (Adobe Stock)

More than 1 million Coloradans live in areas with elevated wildfire risk

A warming planet and decadeslong drought are expected to spark bigger and more destructive wildfires across the Mountain West, and new data from the …

The Fort Lyon campus has a long history in Colorado, dating back to 1860 as a military post, veterans hospital, neuropsychiatric facility, and state correctional facility. (Alexis Whitham)

Fort Lyon celebrates 10 years of recovery-based housing

It's been ten years since Fort Lyon, a 19th century military post in rural Bent county, opened its doors to people experiencing homelessness with …

After decades of cuts to investments in affordable housing at the federal level, rural areas across the U.S. face shrinking, and aging, housing stock. (Adobe Stock)

Race for new affordable housing money could leave Western Slope behind

By Ilana Newman for The Daily Yonder.Broadcast version by Eric Galatas for Colorado News Connection for the Public News Service/Daily Yonder Collabora…

Regulation 28 is a result of a Colorado law aiming to reduce climate pollution from buildings by seven percent by 2026, and to reduce energy use by 20% by 2030. (Adobe Stock)

CO Targets Apartment, Commercial, Industrial Building Climate Pollution

Colorado wants to reduce climate pollution from apartments and commercial buildings 50,000 square feet and larger, but there is growing concern …

Intimate-partner violence includes violence, abuse and controlling behavior committed by a partner or former partner. It can result in long-lasting adverse mental-health outcomes, and is a leading cause of homelessness and housing instability. (Adobe Stock)

Housing First Model Helps Domestic-Violence Survivors

Victims of domestic violence who are able to access housing -- at their own pace, and with support for as long as the survivor needs help -- …

Greenhouse gas emissions from homes and buildings are responsible for an estimated 20 percent of the nation's total energy-related climate pollution, and are the third-largest contributor of emissions in Colorado. (Adobe Stock)

Xcel Plan to Reduce Emissions Includes Untested Technologies

In 2021, Colorado lawmakers required utilities supplying natural gas for heating homes and businesses to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 4% by 2025…

Credit unions are lending to households and small businesses to install solar and other improvements, which are costly up front, loans frequently considered too small by bigger banks. (Adobe Stock)

Colorado Credit Union Helping Decarbonize Homes

July was the hottest month in recorded history, and a Colorado credit union is finding creative ways for low-income and other vulnerable residents to …

Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics help patients navigate the intersections between behavioral health care, physical health care, social services and other programs. (Adobe Stock)

Clinics Improving Mental and Behavioral Health Standards

A state-federal partnership is helping safety-net mental health centers in Colorado deepen the services they provide, which is improving access and …

In no state, metropolitan area, or county in the U.S. can a worker earning the federal or prevailing state or local minimum wage afford a modest two-bedroom rental home at fair market rent by working a standard 40-hour work week. (Adobe Stock)

GOP Budget Cuts Could Push a Million People Into Homelessness

Colorado's minimum wage workers would have to work 94 hours per week to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment, according to a new report. Even after …

It costs single parents in Colorado $16,333 per year for center-based child care, which is 41% of the state's median income. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Colorado Ranks 15th for Child Well-Being

Colorado moved up one spot overall, from 16 to 15, in this year's Kids Count Data Book published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which ranks states …

One in three Coloradans age 65 and older face significant housing cost burdens, according to a new report. (Adobe Stock)

Colorado Ranks 3rd Nationally for Senior Health Outcomes

Colorado ranks third nationally when it comes to caring for its most vulnerable adults, according to a new UnitedHealthcare report. The strong …

If left unchecked, and without access to medications, chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure can turn into complications such as diabetic neuropathy and coronary vascular disease. (Adobe Stock)

Critical Medicines Closer to West Denver Metro Residents

After 18 months of planning and renovations, STRIDE community health center has opened its second pharmacy inside the Wheat Ridge clinic at 29th St…

Some 21,134 existing housing units in Denver are currently unoccupied, more than enough to house all the estimated 10,000 people experiencing homelessness across the state. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Colorado's Housing Affordability Crisis Calls for Strategic Investments

Housing affordability has become a top priority for Colorado lawmakers and voters, and a new report from an organization with nearly four decades of …

The scholarship initiative was created with the Colorado Department of Higher Education to increase the attainment of postsecondary credentials and degrees for underserved students in Colorado. (Adobe Stock)

CO Scholarship Initiative Invests in Students Experiencing Homelessness

More than 15,000 students in Colorado have experienced homelessness, and a new grant from the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative will help …

Recognizing urgent maternal warning signs, providing timely treatment, and delivering respectful, quality care can prevent many pregnancy-related deaths. (Adobe Stock)

Drilling Down Into Social Factors Linked to Unequal Health Outcomes

Black women are three times more likely to die during pregnancy than white women, even though more than eight in 10 pregnancy-related deaths are …

It costs taxpayers $13,400 to provide supportive housing per person each year, compared with between $21,000 and $40,000 for medical care, incarceration, detox treatment and shelter services. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Denver Mayoral Candidates Off the Mark on Homeless Crisis

Advocates for people experiencing homelessness are pushing back against proposals by several Denver mayoral candidates who are including forced mental…

Since 2017, AARP has awarded more than $12.7 million to more than 1,060 projects, including 22 in Colorado, through the Community Challenge to nonprofit organizations and government entities. (Adobe Stock)

AARP Colorado Seeking Projects to Help Improve Communities

AARP Colorado is putting out the call for creative projects to help improve communities, by creating new public transportation and housing options…

Xcel Energy's gross profits in 2022 were $8.351 billion, an increase of more than 10% from the previous year. (Adobe Stock)

Help Available for Higher-than-Usual Utility Bills

As Coloradans continue to experience sticker shock each time they open their utility bill, the volume of calls to Energy Outreach Colorado's helpline …

Green buildings are designed to reduce carbon footprints, and operational and maintenance costs, which boosts bottom lines for building owners and occupants. (Adobe Stock)

Building Construction in Colorado 7th Greenest in U.S.

Colorado ranks seventh nationally when it comes to addressing climate change in its building practices, according to the latest U.S. Green Building …

Colorado's median rent is expected to reach $2,700 a month by 2032, which is only affordable for people with an annual income above $106,000. (Adobe Stock)

CO Lawmakers to Decide How to Invest $300 Million in Affordable Housing

In November, Colorado voters approved the largest source of dedicated funding to address affordable housing and homelessness in the state's history…

Children living near refineries, highways and other sources of air pollution are disproportionately at risk of developing respiratory illness. (Adobe Stock)

Connecting CO Health Outcomes to Climate Solutions, Lower Utility Bills

A successful program that helps low-income households weatherize homes and lower energy bills is setting its sights on improving the health outcomes o…

Coalition Launches Innovative Health and Housing Facility

Doors are now open at a new hybrid health care and housing facility, expected to help some 500 people experiencing homelessness each year recuperate …

Some 18,000 children on average experience homelessness each year in Colorado, according to most recent Colorado Department of Education data. (Adobe Stock)

Solving Homelessness Key to Success in Multiple National Priorities

"Opportunity Starts at Home," a short documentary film released this week by the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, exposes how housing …

Denver estimates it has a shortage of 27,000 housing units considered affordable for families earning less than 30% of the area median income, about $33,000 a year for a family of four. (Adobe Stock)

End of an Era Aiding Homeless in Colorado

Not long after the Reagan administration's massive cuts to public housing and housing assistance, John Parvensky saw a need to help people facing …

Outdoor enthusiasts from all over the world visit rural Pitkin County, where more than one-third of homes are second homes or homes intended for seasonal use. (Adobe Stock)

Addressing Affordable Worker Housing in Mountain Resort Towns

By Sarah Melotte for The Daily Yonder.Broadcast version by Eric Galatas for Colorado News Connection for the Public News Service/Daily Yonder Collabor…

Energy Outreach Colorado has helped Coloradans pay overdue utility bills at an average cost of $591, where previous bills averaged between $400 to $500. (Adobe Stock)

Coloradans Brace for Higher Energy Bills in Summer

Coloradans are not likely to see much relief in their utility bills any time soon, as a late May cold spell gives way to the full heat of summer…

Senate Bill 154 would require assisted facility owners to check Colorado's Adult Protective Services Data System prior to hiring an employee who is responsible for the care and welfare of residents. (Adobe Stock)

Measure to Protect Assisted-Living Residents Advances

Colorado residents in assisted-living facilities could soon have the same protections in place under federal law at nursing homes. Senate Bill 154 …

At least 269 people experiencing homelessness passed away in Denver in 2021, an increase from the previous year. (Adobe Stock)

New Health Center Serves Homeless-Shelter Residents Onsite

People experiencing homelessness in Denver can now access medical and behavioral care at a new health center set up inside a shelter operated by Denve…

Leading global climate scientists have warned that sharp reductions in the burning of fossil fuels before 2030 are necessary to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change. (Adobe Stock)

CO Website Spotlights Neighborhood-Level Risks of Climate Change

Coloradans already are seeing the impacts of climate change - rising temperatures, more frequent and severe wildfires, flooding and prolonged drought …

More than 100,000 Colorado residents live in mobile-home communities, both in urban and rural areas. (karagrubis/Adobe Stock)

CO Tenant Advocates: Mobile-Home Residents Need More Rent Safeguards

A bill before the General Assembly would put safeguards in place to promote accountability and affordability in mobile home parks. More than 100,000 …

Colorado landlords have denied veterans housing based on their source of income from federal and state benefits. (Adobe Stock)

Homeless-Veterans Measure Advances in Colorado Legislature

A bill making its way through the Colorado Legislature would make it a lot harder for landlords and home sellers to discriminate against military vete…

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CO: Housing/Homelessness