How To Save A Life.

Artist rendition of the Juan Diego building.









The following post appears in next week's issue of Out-Front Colorado.


No one believes it will happen to them. HIV won’t happen to them. Unemployment won’t happen to them. Substance abuse or mental illness won’t happen to them. For most of us, living with just one of these conditions would throw quite a curve. Now, imagine that in addition to living with one or more of these conditions, you are also homeless.

The combination of holidays and the cold, snowy weather have me thinking a lot about the homeless crisis we face in Denver and across our country. And let’s face it. Given the wrong circumstances– a job loss, an ended relationship, large medical bills, a physically or mentally debilitating illness –almost any of us could end up looking for a place to stay.

Homelessness is an often-misunderstood fact of life for nearly 5,000 Denver residents every night. Many of our homeless neighbors are also struggling with mental illness, substance abuse, under-employment or unemployment, HIV/AIDS or other severe medical issues. It makes me proud of the great work being done by Denver’s Commission to End Homelessness, a partnership between the City and Mile High United Way, focused on eliminating homelessness in Denver by 2015. If you had a chance to make life a bit better for our homeless neighbors, would you do it?

Colorado AIDS Project (CAP) is partnering with a not-for-profit real estate development corporation, Del Norte, to develop a new 17-unit housing facility in Denver’s Highlands neighborhood at 2449 W. Dunkeld Ave, which will house formally homeless men, women and children living with AIDS. A small group of Highlands residents are fighting against this project, citing several reasons. One of their biggest concerns is having formerly homeless people living with AIDS nearby, the impact they believe it will have on their quality of life, and the threat they believe it poses to neighborhood children. I believe this is a perfect of example of FEAR being an acronym for False Expectations Appearing Real.

CAP is to improve lives affected by HIV. Housing is a critical component to effective HIV/AIDS treatment and improved health, and the lack of affordable and stable housing for people living with AIDS is of great concern to the CAP staff and board. CAP's Housing Services staff has provided specialized services to homeless persons with HIV/AIDS since 1995. In CAP's permanent housing arrangements, the average stay is two years and residents pay rent based on income. CAP case mangers extend on-site support to all residents. CAP also acts as the fiscal agent for local, state, and federal housing programs and administers a rental assistance program for people living with AIDS in metro Denver. Even with this great work, 1 in 5 of CAP's clients report they are homeless. clients report being homeless.

Recognizing that affordable housing is very limited, and the waiting lists are long, Del Norte has been developing affordable rental and for-sale housing, including housing for special needs populations, for 27 years. Their office is located in Highlands because many of their housing developments are there, and they have established an excellent record and working relationship with the City of Denver.

The development of affordable housing is relatively complex. Denver, following models used all over the country, works closely with corporations like Del Norte so that the city itself does not become an owner of housing. There are very intricate loan arrangements that are often funded from a variety of sources, including U.S. Government agencies like Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In fact, HUD granted $500,000 to the City of Denver for the specific purpose of building affordable housing for chronically homeless people living with AIDS. The final step in the process is for city council to approve the use of these dollars to go to the Juan Diego project.

In this final and routine process, the project was challenged and approval of the use of the $500,000 HUD grant put on hold. Del Norte, the City of Denver and CAP have worked with neighborhood representatives as well as their Councilwoman, Judy Montero, to address and resolve their concerns. Though each concern has been addressed, Councilwoman Montero continues to challenge the project, putting it at risk. In my view, putting the Juan Diego development in danger is just plain wrong. It feels to me that we are treating people differently because of their HIV status. That feels wrong.

Here is a summary of issues that the neighborhood has raised and the outcomes:

TRAFFIC, DENSITY AND ZONING. Neighbors claimed that Juan Diego is not compatible with the current zoning. Current R-3 zoning in the neighborhood permits development of a building of up to 34 units. Del Norte reduced the size of Juan Diego to 17 individual apartments, in response to neighborhood concerns on size. Juan Diego will include a community room and underground-secured parking, and its mass, size and density are compatible with the surrounding buildings, which include a recreation center, a school, and a tri-plex. Finally, the Juan Diego development is not a residential care facility so it does not increase the number of these facilities in the neighborhood.

HISTORIC DISTRICT. The Colorado Historic Society conducted a review of the project and determined that the development would have no adverse impact on the historic district of Highlands. Based on input from the review, Del Norte made changes to building material choices and set back the second story of the building so that it is barely visible to a pedestrian walking the street.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING. The neighbors expressed concerns that there is already a concentration of affordable housing development in Highlands. Housing trend data shows that the neighborhood is becoming increasingly unaffordable. A review of the most recent and projected development in the Highlands neighborhood shows that of the 445 residential units coming on-line through the permit process that only the 17 units that Juan Diego will provide are affordable rental units. The remaining units are mostly for-sale units starting at more than $200,000 and exceeding over $600,000.

SAFETY. First off, there is no empirical research to link people living with HIV to increased crime. That said, CAP offers extensive screening of all potential tenants, including a full Colorado Bureau of Investigation report, which will ensure that no individuals will be accepted as tenants if they have been convicted of a sexual offense, violent felony, or other similar criminal activity. Del Norte also agreed to incorporate security cameras into the design of the building and to establish a neighborhood advisory group that would have input on criteria and parameters for tenant selection and community building between neighbors and Juan Diego tenants. The neighbors continue to vocalize this concern, including questions about HIV transmission through the garbage and the local swimming pool. It seems this project is not just an opportunity for advocacy, but one for HIV education as well.

Here’s where you get to help save a life. There are three steps:

Step #1: Visit www.SupportJuanDiego.org to learn more about the project and to send an email to City Council indicating your personal feelings and support of this housing development. In particular, if you live in Councilwoman Montero’s district, please let her know that there is strong support for Juan Diego, and that those opposed are a vocal minority.

Step #2: Join us at the public hearing scheduled for Monday, January 22 at 5:30pm in room 450 of the City & County Building. We need to be present in huge numbers at this city council meeting on January 22, to advocate for our clients and help the neighbors understand the need for compassion.

Step #3: Please tell everyone you know about this project and about the Web site and city council meeting above.

This is a landmark project for Denver and one that any city would be proud of. But more importantly, it is a way for us to help those in need and to make a clear statement that we won’t allow for discrimination. How could you NOT what for that to be in yolur backyard?