AURORA —Refugee families living in low-income housing units in North Aurora are relieved that the cold air will stay out of their homes this winter following the completion of a renovation project that sealed their windows, insulated their walls, patched the holes in their ceilings and gave them a brand new water heater.
“It’s much more warm and comfortable,” said Hsor Meh, 17, an Aurora resident who lives in one of the recently renovated units at Boston Street Apartments with five other family members. “We’re happy.”
to a nonprofit organization called Community Housing Partners, which maintains five affordable properties (for renters with 30 percent to 60 percent median income) that it owns in Aurora.
With the money, six low-income housing units at 1634 Boston St. were gutted and rebuilt.
“It’s amazing now that it’s done,” said Donna Baiocco, executive director of Community Housing Partners. “This property on Boston Street has been well used, and we just haven’t had the financing to be able to do the needed repair to the depth that was needed. With Aurora willing to give us the HOME funds, that just made it possible.”
The work, which included all new interior fixtures, appliances, toilets, paint, floors, windows, fencing and landscaping, was finished in October after years of fundraising. Prior to the renovation, the units hadn’t been updated since they were built nearly 50 years ago.
The renovation of the Boston Street apartments, where 15 people live in four two-bedroom units, is the final piece of a project designed to increase affordable housing units available in Aurora.
Baiocco has sold two others, recently renovated low-income properties at 1617 Alton Court and 15204 E. Eighth Ave. for about $1.2 million, and plans to sell Boston Street as well. She will then use the equity as a base for a larger project called Homes on Havana that she said Community Housing Partners have had in the works for years. That project is a 48-unit facility with in-house support services.
“We’ll be able to have mental health counseling, substance abuse counseling and case management, which has been proven on a national level to help stabilize people,” Baiocco said. “If they can get permanent housing with services, then they are more apt to … stay housed.”
Community Housing Partners will manage the programs, but the Mental Health Center of Aurora and Mile High Behavioral Health will have case mangers on site for things like family therapy and drug and alcohol counseling.
If the nonprofit receives state and federal monies from a 4 percent tax credit next year, that project could break ground as early as January 2017.
“There’s a zero percent vacancy in Original Aurora right now, and it’s also an area where we’re seeing rents disproportionately climb in comparison to other parts of the metro area,” said Jeff Martinez, president of the nonprofit Brothers Redevelopment. “The city did a study that said they had a gap of about 10,000 affordable units.”
Brothers Redevelopment is also planning a supportive services affordable housing project in Aurora — just eight blocks away from the one that Baiocco is planning — at 17th Avenue and Paris Street.
That project would have a preference for veteran housing, and it would share support services staff from Homes on Havana.
“It’s a good start, but unfortunately it doesn’t come anywhere close to the impact that we need to have, and the number of units that we need,” Martinez said.
In Aurora, 49.6 percent of the households are in the $0-to-$49,999 income range. The city currently has a gap of about 10,000 affordable units for low-income housing.
Brothers has partnered with Aurora to develop the half-acre site. The city has already contributed $3 million to the project, and Martinez said they also just received a $212,500 private grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation to see it through. The total estimated cost is about $13 million.
“It’s really not even the tip of the iceberg,” Martinez said. “The market is as costly as it’s ever been, and that’s why leveraging our partnerships is extremely crucial. It’s important work to do in this time because we are at a crisis point.”
Megan Mitchell: 303-954-2650, mmitchell@denverpost.com or @Mmitchelldp
