Community Matters Newsletter – Fall 2012

This June, Denver’s Mayor, the Honorable Michael B. Hancock, joined forces with Mercy Housing CEO, Sister Lillian Murphy, RSM, Mercy Housing Colorado President, Jennifer Erixon, and many other community supporters to celebrate the opening of Mercy Housing Colorado’s Bluff Lake Apartments.

The group braved the sweltering Colorado summer heat to welcome the first residents of this impressive high-quality, eco-friendly, four-story complex to their new homes.

“The Bluff Lake Apartments opening is an important milestone for Denver,” said Mayor Hancock. “It is a tangible demonstration of public, private and nonprofit sectors coming together to provide homes that give families and individuals a fresh start and a chance to live in a thriving community. It is great example of the strong solutions we need to help end homelessness in Denver.”

Located in Denver’s up-and-coming Stapleton community, the $11.5 million project boasts 92 thoughtfully-developed apartment homes for veterans, low-income and formerly homeless individuals, and families who earn between 30 and 50 percent of the area median income. Roughly one-half of Bluff Lake’s units are dedicated to assisting families in transition as part of the Denver’s Road Home initiative, the city’s 10-year plan to end homelessness in Denver.

The dedication ceremony followed an April report from the State’s Division of Housing revealing that there are twice as many Colorado low-income families as there are rental housing units they can afford. According to this sobering study, Colorado offers 50 affordable rental units for every 100 households earning less than $20,000, annually.

“In Denver alone, more than 5,000 people are homeless,” said Jennifer Erixon. “Bluff Lake and homes like it, provide the foundation to a stable life – enabling Mercy Housing residents to seek health care, education and careers that improve their lives and well-being.”