"Archway Communities elevates lives by providing access to affordable housing, food security and the supportive social services people need to thrive."
ARCHWAY COMMUNITIES
NEWSLETTER | October 2021
SHINING A LIGHT ON THE PEOPLE AND PLACES THAT MAKE ARCHWAY SO SPECIAL
MESSAGE FROM OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Colorado is in an affordable housing crisis. A recent study concluded that we have a statewide housing deficit of approximately 175,000 units.  Over the next 5 years, we will need over 54,000 units of new housing per year to keep up with population growth, while the current pace of production is under 30,000 units per year.  In other words, the problem is forecasted to get worse. Consistent with this study, and with the basic laws of supply and demand, the price of single-family homes has been escalating. In May of 2021, the median price of a single-family home in Colorado was 25% higher than it was in May of 2020.  Yes, you read that right. 

This problem has been fueled by a variety of factors, including rapid population growth, no-growth (and slow-growth) ordinances, loss of units to short-term rentals, NIMBYism (Not In My Backyard), and conversion of units from primary users to second home buyers. Thus, while we are losing units as primary residences, we are producing fewer units and experiencing increased demand from population growth.

These dynamics manifest differently in each community, of course. That is why my colleague, Hannah Berkowitz, and I recently visited several communities outside of the Denver metro area. In three days, we visited Gunnison, Crested Butte, Montrose, Pueblo, Fountain and Colorado Springs. We met with UCC churches looking to repurpose their properties, private developers, business owners, and public officials. 

While the stories were slightly different in each community, the message was fundamentally the same: everyone is short of housing and yet everyone is facing significant challenges to production. As just one example, the president of Montrose-based Colorado Outdoors, who employs about 120 people there, told us that some new employees coming from out of the area have spent months living in RVs because they could not find a place to live in town. He also told us that he had been on track to develop an affordable housing community in Montrose until it was killed by local opposition fueled by fear and lack of familiarity with affordable housing communities.

The numbers are daunting and there are many impediments to adequate housing production. Still, we know there are solutions. Archway intends to play an important role in the conversations that need to happen around this problem. We also plan to be part of the solution as we work to produce and preserve more housing in the years to come. As always, thank you for your partnership in our work!

Next month we’ll talk about solutions!

Sebastian Corradino
MONTHLY IMPACT
Number of food bank participants
Number of programming participants
Number of case management hours

Welcome to Kicking it with Kendall!

This month we visited Kristen Cooper, Staff Accountant, and Mike Maze, resident at Cornerstone. Let's jump in!
I visit Cornerstone, camera in hand, to capture the magic of another weekly food bank. As I fall into conversation with a couple of residents about my camera and recent events, our Family Service Coordinator, Julie, introduces me to Mike.

Mike has just gotten done having his own food bank of sorts, bringing food to each of the on-site staff for Archway and the St. Francis Center. We take a seat at the puzzle table to get to know him a little more.

Wearing a Broncos hat, mask, and jacket, I ask if he’s a sports fan. As he begins to answer, we’re promptly joined by another resident who was attending the food bank and saw Mike sitting across the room. He joins in talking about the recent Rockies game and the big win the Broncos had over the weekend. I rephrase my question when we get back to our discussion.

“So, you’re the sports guy around here? Everyone comes to you for the updates and post-game chats?”

“Yeah, I mostly just tune in for the Broncos, Rockies, and Nuggets. I’ve got three TVs in my apartment, they’re all tuned into the sports of the week. So, I usually know the outcomes and saw the games play out.”

A Life on the Move

“Are you from Colorado, then? Have you always been a Broncos fan?”

“Originally I’m from Indiana,” Mike says. What proceeds is a rather rapid and hard-to-track procession of places he’s lived after his family moved out of Indiana when he was young. Most of his childhood was then spent in Aurora, where he went to high school.

After high school, however, he’s spent most of his life homeless. He’s been in many of the western states along with a brief stint with his parents, who have since moved to Arizona.
I stop by the corporate office and peek my head into the accounting office entryway. We were already off to a great start, Kristen and I were wearing almost exactly the same outfit. We’ll get on swimmingly, I thought.

After various greetings, I notice a painting and we begin talking about our respective creative sides. I point to a large dreamcatcher on her office wall and ask if she made it.

“Yeah!” she says, “I made those for a while and even sold them. I’ll show you the one I made for my niece when she was born.” She pulls out her phone to show me a picture, and it was beautiful. Hanging from a bowed, dark brown piece of wood was a woven dream catcher with woven feathers that dangled from the circular centerpiece.

“My boyfriend made the bowed wood, that’s his hobby.” I share my recent hobby of sewing, and it turns out she had given it a try too.

“I tend to go through crafting activities quickly. I like to try new things, but once I’m satisfied with a project I’m ready to move on,” she says. “But of course, usually each project comes with a specific and expensive set of tools, and I’m not going to do anything half-hearted.”

It sounded like I was talking to myself. For that reason, it takes a little longer than normal to digress to getting to know Kristen’s journey in her schooling and work, but entertaining to exchange craft pictures back and forth.

Accounting as a Form of Creative Problem Solving

“Well, how did you find yourself in accounting?” I asked, “It doesn’t strike me as a creative field, more cut-and-dry.”

“A lot of people think that, but that’s not how I see it,” she began. I was curious to see how she could spin this - I didn’t personally have fun memories of my accounting experiences.
NEWS
We had a blast at the Park Hill Campus (formerly Johnson & Wales) block party! Many of the partners involved in this development project of the former campus were present to meet members of the community and answer all their questions. Click here to see a photo gallery from the event.
Be on the lookout for our new branded Archway vans! These vans are essential in allowing us to provide food services and transportation for our residents to various community events!
NEW TEAM MEMBER SPOTLIGHT!
Meet Roman Casey!

Roman has joined our team as Property Manager at Foothills Green Townhomes. He will be responsible for enforcing community policies and keeping Foothills Green in compliance with all LIHTC guidelines. Prior to Archway, Roman was an assistant manager with Volunteers of America.
Meet Kelsea Bowers!

Kelsea has joined our team as Accounting Assistant. She will be responsible for assisting the accounting staff with the general accounting and bookkeeping for all properties. Kelsea has held various management positions in the grocery industry around the North East including Customer Service Manager, E-commerce specialist, and Operations Manager.
Meet Chip Madeley!

Chip has joined our team as Construction Manager. He has 22 years of experience delivering successful single family and multi-family projects across Colorado, including several LIHTC projects. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and holds project management, green building, and OSHA safety credentials, as well as a Class B National Standard Building Contractor certification from the International Code Council.
Meet Michael Reis!

Michael has joined our team as the Senior Development Manager. He is a longtime advocate of expanding affordable housing opportunities in Colorado, holding senior positions at Thistle Communities, Longmont Housing Authority/Longmont Housing Development Corp, and Boulder County Housing Authority. He holds a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Colorado.
Last month we didn't have Darren and Mike's photos displayed with the correct bio. We want to reintroduce both correctly this month!
Meet Darren Peterson!

Darren has joined our team full time, having been working in a temporary role with us previously. He is a maintenance technician, working at Cornerstone. In his role, Darren will be responsible for property maintenance and operation- completing resident work orders, preventative maintenance, grounds-keeping, and working with vendors.
Meet Michael Taylor!

Michael Taylor has joined our team as a maintenance technician at Foothills Green. In this role, he will be responsible for ensuring Foothills Green is operating in its best condition - completing resident work orders, preventative maintenance, grounds-keeping, and working with vendors.
ARCHWAY TRIVIA!
What year did Archway officially add the Family Services program to the organization that would be implemented on each of our existing communities and future projects?

A: 1998
B: 1995
C: 2003
D: 2007
Answer:
While addressing the initial goal of the organization to increase the number of housing units for low-to-moderate income families, board members and staff began to recognize that families need more than affordable housing to stabilize their lives — many families were
struggling with challenges like recovering from chronic homelessness, unemployment, and single parenting. Archway Communities instituted the Family Services Program in 1998 to address the needs of families living in our communities beyond simply providing a roof over their heads.
A gift to Archway helps provide affordable housing and year-round supportive services and developmental programs for adults and youth who reside within our housing communities!
ARCHWAY COMMUNITIES | archwaycommunities.org