CHFA is proud to announce its Round Two 2021 Direct Effect Award recipients.
CHFA's Direct Effect Awards recognize Colorado nonprofit organizations whose missions align with CHFA's work to strengthen Colorado by investing in affordable housing and community development.
CHFA is donating $554,500 to 38 nonprofits through its Direct Effect program in round two, which received 87 applications seeking more than $2.5 million in combined funding.
The Round Two 2021 Direct Effect Award recipients are listed below.
Aurora Interfaith Community Services - $10,000
Aurora Interfaith Community Services (AICS) provides essential economic development services to help Aurora community members survive and rise out of situational poverty. AICS provides wrap-around services including food pantries, utilities bill payment assistance, case management, and community navigation for Aurora residents who are economically disadvantaged, with all services free of charge. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will support their new Community Navigation program, which will work to address the root causes of hunger and poverty in Aurora by helping to level the playing field for economically disadvantaged individuals. To learn more about AICS, please visit aurorainterfaithcommunityservices.org.
BeyondHome - $15,000
BeyondHome assists working families who are experiencing homelessness or who are on the verge of becoming homeless by helping them achieve self-sufficiency for life. At BeyondHome, families work hard to achieve personal goals for their education, housing, finances, and family. Families receive the support they need while living in a safe home surrounded by a community. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will provide direct support to families in the BeyondHome's Self-Sufficiency Program and ensure that program participants have the resources they need on their journey to self-sufficiency. To learn more about BeyondHome, please visit BeyondHomeOnline.org.
Catholic Charities of Central Colorado - $12,000
Catholic Charities delivers support and services to very low-income, homeless, and disadvantaged populations throughout a 10-county area with most of their services targeted to people living in Colorado Springs, Castle Rock, El Paso County, and Douglas County. They provide coordinated case management along with a variety of financial and material supports designed to mitigate barriers to achieving greater success in the lives of those they serve. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will bring Spanish language programming to low-income Hispanic families living in Colorado Springs. This funding will help support a bilingual case manager and help ensure that the families have stable housing, transportation, and nutrition. To learn more about Catholic Charities of Central Colorado, please visit ccharitiescc.org.
Center for Workforce Education and Employment - $15,000
The Center for Work Education and Employment (CWEE) supports vulnerable workers, mostly single moms, to train for and launch careers. CWEE has served more than 15,000 families since its inception and continues to demonstrate success in guiding families out of poverty. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will support CWEE's Career Readiness program, which will serve 750 low-income participants in Metro Denver in 2022. Career Readiness provides comprehensive job readiness skills training, alongside case management, and wrap-around support aimed at reducing barriers to employment and economic mobility. To learn more about CWEE, please visit cwee.org.
Christlife Ministries - $10,000
Christlife Ministries is dedicated to empowering justice-involved families, one individual at a time, making Pueblo safer and stronger by promoting employment and reducing recidivism. This is accomplished through a firm foundation of vocational, work readiness, and living-skills training, and setting realistic goals to reach their vison and the character to sustain it. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will allow clients to participate in vocational training and supportive services to develop the character and ability to sustain their success. To learn more about Christlife Ministries, please visit mychristlife.org.
Community Housing Partners - $7,500
Community Housing Partners mission is to provide and develop service-enriched affordable housing opportunities for lower income households in their communities. Their service-enriched housing focuses on resident housing stability and homelessness prevention, case management, and resource navigation. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will provide funding towards supportive services for Community Housing Partner's 90 households. To learn more about Community Housing Partners, please visit ch-partners.org/
The Delores Project - $25,000
The Delores Project provides a 24/7, housing-focused shelter with intensive case management and rehousing services for unaccompanied women and transgender individuals experiencing homelessness. The Delores Project also provided wrap-around 24/7 supportive housing services for residents of their 35 permanent supportive housing Delores Apartments located in Arroyo Village. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will support additional case managers for rehousing services and continued support services as well as a housing navigator. This will allow The Delores Project to offer additional rehousing search services, emergency rental support, and ongoing continued care to ensure successful retention in permanent housing for people experiencing homelessness. To learn more about The Delores Project, please visit thedeloresproject.org/.
The Denver VOICE - $7,500
The Denver VOICE is an income and entrepreneurial resource to a diverse population of homeless and impoverished individuals in the Denver metro region. The Street Paper allows individuals who may not otherwise be able to work, whether because of personal circumstance, health, or other factors, the opportunity to earn an income, meet basic needs, and regain confidence and control of their lives. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will help fund their vendor program. To learn more about The Denver VOICE, please visit denvervoice.org.
Dream Centers - $15,000
Dream Centers provides affordable housing for homeless mothers and their children, helping them become stable, gain independence, and thrive. Dream Centers has a long-term residential program, Mary's home, which offers high-challenge and supportive trauma-informed services to single-mother-led families exiting homelessness. Mary's Home is a haven for women and children escaping cycles of poverty, abuse, and homelessness in Colorado Springs. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will directly support Mary's Home's 33 current residents, facilitating progression and completion of the program and opening new availability for single-mother families seeking to transition from homelessness to independent living. To learn more about Dream Centers, please visit dreamcenters.com/
Earthlinks - $10,000
Earthlinks cultivates transformation and self-worth with people experiencing homelessness and poverty. They provide wrap-around services for individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness and facilitate successful transitions from homelessness to housing. Their flagship program, Workshop, helps individuals find housing options, navigate the application process, and address the logistical, social, and emotional challenges of their transition. They also help participants maintain housing by continuing to offer supportive services, no-interest micro-loans, and resident advocacy long after move-in. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will support the Workshop program. To learn more about Earthlinks, please visit earthlinks-colorado.org.
Good Food Collective - $20,000
Good Food Collective is a community development organization improving the lives of the residents of Southwest Colorado through the development of a just and resilient, regional food system. They use food as a means to provide meaningful workforce and wealth generation opportunities, as a tool for building health equity, as a vehicle for community resilience, and as an agent of justice and equity. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will support their Farms to Food Assistance Food Hub Coordinator. The Farms to Food Assistance Food Hub ensures that food insecure residents in the region have access to the food that will support their health and well-being, while also providing local farmers with an additional end market, thereby supporting the scaling needed for economic viability. To learn more about Good Food Collective, please visit goodfoodcollective.org.
Graduated Hope - $5,000
Graduated Hope is dedicated to providing permanent, affordable housing solutions for the special need's populations in Colorado, including veterans, seniors, and those transitioning out of homelessness, addiction recovery, or correctional facilities. Homes are designed to create a safe and affordable environment for those who can most benefit from a supportive community. Graduated Hope's homes are set up to house five to eight residents who all share the living expenses, care for the home, and hold each other accountable to continue their individual journeys to full health and stability. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will help renovate a felon friendly home. To learn more about Graduated Hope, please visit graduatedhope.com.
HomesFund - $5,000
HomesFund provides educational and financial tools that low- and moderate-income residents need to reach affordable and attainable homeownership. To preserve affordable homeownership opportunities in Southwest Colorado, HomesFund is launching a Scattered Site Deed Restriction Program (SSDRP). The SSDRP will preserve homes as affordable workforce housing in the face of rapidly increasing home prices in the region. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will help create this program. To learn more about HomesFund, please visit homesfund.org.
Hope Communities - $10,000
Hope Communities mission is to strengthen communities and provide pathways to economic and personal opportunity through affordable housing, educational programs, and support services. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will support a navigator with language and cultural expertise to support the influx of Afghan population. Hope Communities believes it will be critically important for incoming Afghan families to work with someone who knows their language, understands their culture, and can directly empathize with the trauma they have experienced before displacement. The funds will also support emergency utility expenses, transportation and basic needs. To learn more about Hope Communities, please visit hopecommunities.org.
In the Weeds - $15,000
In the Weeds' mission is to provide support to staff within the hospitality industry and to create a sustainable restaurant community through two programs: Feed the Frontlines and Serve the People. These programs aim to raise public funds to pay local restaurant companies the food and labor cost to provide meals to people throughout the region. Feed the Frontlines served frontline workers, and Serve the People helped ensure food got to those most in need. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will be applied to programmatic costs as well as partial salary for a program director. To learn more about In the Weeds, please visit intheweedsco.org/.
Jewish Family Service of Colorado, Inc. - $15,000
Jewish Family Service of Colorado offers programs to help those in need navigate life's challenges through integrated support. The full continuum of care includes helping older adults stay supported, connected, and engaged; providing quality mental health counseling and case management to children, adults, immigrants, and refugees; offering training, job placement, and community enrichment to people with disabilities; and providing housing stability, employment support, and food security to individuals and families. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will support the Job Search Accelerator program, a three-week intensive boot-camp style program for highly motivated jobseekers who are ready and able to reenter the workforce. To learn more about Jewish Family Service of Colorado, please visit jewishfamilyservice.org.
Loaves and Fishes Ministries of Fremont County - $10,000
Loaves and Fishes Ministries of Fremont County serves people who are experiencing homelessness and poverty by providing essential services and life-changing programs. Their services include transitional housing, emergency shelter, food assistance, street outreach, case management, rent and utilities financial assistance, and various life skills classes. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will support the services that Loaves and Fishes Ministries provides to their clients. To learn more about Loaves and Fishes Ministries of Fremont County, please visit lfministries.org.
Loveland Habitat for Humanity - $10,000
Loveland Habitat for Humanity supports families that struggle with unaffordable, unsafe, or overcrowded housing by providing affordable homes for the community. LHFH offers a homeownership option to individuals and families who work and/or live in Loveland, demonstrate a need for housing, meet income guidelines, and are willing to partner with Habitat. LHFH collaborates with people in need of a hand up while striving to make affordable housing a matter of conscience throughout the Loveland area. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will help with the construction costs of six habitat homes. To learn more about Loveland Habitat for Humanity, please visit lovelandhabitat.org.
Maiker Housing Partners - $20,000
Maiker Housing Partners is the Public Housing Authority of Adams County, with the organizational mission to disrupt generational poverty through socially conscious development. Since its founding in 1974, Maiker has existed to serve Adams County residents for whom conventional housing is unaffordable. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will support their Family and Community Vitality Program expansion, including Play&Learn, resulting in the improvement of family cohesion and self-sufficiency. The primary goal of the Play&Learn Program is to equip parents of children ages 0-3 with the knowledge and skills to prepare their children for academic success. To learn more about Maiker Housing Partners, please visit maikerhp.org.
Mile High United Way Inc. - $20,000
Mile High United Way's mission is uniting people, ideas, and resources to advance the common good. Through their community programs and initiatives, they focus on the following Community Priorities: giving all children a strong start, supporting education and academic success, and creating economic opportunity for all. Their Bridging the Gap (BTG) is a model program serving young adults, 18-24, who are experiencing homelessness. Many of the participants have transitioned out of foster care or department of youth services. BTG uses a multi-faceted approach that links housing with wrap-around services in the areas of basic needs, education, financial health, workforce preparation, and mental health in order to support the individual and whole family in becoming self-sufficient. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will help support the BTG program. To learn more about Mile High United Way, please visit unitedwaydenver.org.
Minds Matters Colorado - $10,000
Minds Matter Colorado was founded with the sole purpose of ensuring that the systemic inequities in the college access system are overcome by the students who are willing to put in the hard work to overcome them. Their goal is to prove that it's ability, not access, that should determine college choice for qualified students. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will provide general operating support to connect driven and determined low-income students with the people, preparation, and possibilities to succeed in college, create their future, and change the world. To learn more about Minds Matter, please visit mindsmatterco.org.
Montbello Organizing Committee - $10,000
Montbello Organizing Committee (MOC) was formed from a group of diverse, multicultural, multi-ethnic Montbello residents to identify and establish a mechanism to address the issues that Montbello faces. Through community engagement activities, 500 residents identified key issues to be addressed to make Montbello a healthy community. In response to the identified needs, MOC created the FreshLo Initiative which includes the FreshLo Hub, a community economic development program including a grocery-anchored, cultural hub with ninety-seven units of affordable housing and will be the home of Montbello's Building Community Wealth Center. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will support staffing to ensure that the FreshLo HUB project adheres to the vision prescribed by the community that has designed and led the project. To learn more about Montbello Organizing Committee, please visit montbelloorganizing.org.
Neighbor to Neighbor - $15,000
Neighbor to Neighbor's mission is to open doors and advance lives from homelessness through homeownership by providing sustainable housing, supportive services, and education to the Larimer County community. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will support clear and streamlined access to housing resources including move-in assistance to end homelessness, eviction prevention, and homeownership assistance and education. N2N is restructuring its previous model, where each program was more separated from others, to create one clear pathway for people of all languages, housing realities, and with various levels of technology access to receive correct and supportive resources to fit their needs. To learn more about Neighbor to Neighbor, please visit n2n.org.
Oak Tree Resources - $10,000
Oak Tree Resources (OTR) opened its doors in March 2020, offering the first transitional living home for people ages 17-24 years old in southwest Colorado. OTR provides emergency shelter, transitional housing, educational assistance, employment mentorship, and other supportive services to high-risk, under-served youth between 12 and 24 years of age. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will go toward the purchase of a property for an emergency shelter, remodel and/or construction, and preparation for occupancy for up to 10 youth. The emergency shelter would provide access to a safe space, warm bed, daily meals, a space to attend to hygiene needs, with showers and laundry facilities, a workspace with computers, and private rooms to meet with support staff regarding individual concerns and case services. To learn more about OTR, please visit oaktreeresources.org.
The Piñon Project Family Resource Center - $5,000
The Piñon Project provides a wide array of comprehensive, evidence-based family, youth, and early childhood programs as well as emergency services. The Piñon Project serves over 3,000 high-risk Colorado children and families in Montezuma and Dolores Counties each year, many of whom are underserved and face multiple barriers. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will support personnel costs for a Data/Outreach Homeless Prevention Specialist. Staffing this position will increase access to affordable housing by creating the necessary capacity for community housing outreach and sustaining a quality housing data system. To learn more about The Piñon Project, please visit pinonproject.org.
The Place - $25,000
The Place creates effective programs that help youth experiencing homelessness quickly and effectively access the resources they need. The Place's approach to ending youth homelessness is through a continuum of care. Youth cannot be simply taken off the street and placed immediately into housing with any rate of success. Instead, youth need access points throughout all programming – street outreach, emergency youth shelter, and housing assistance – in order to achieve self-sufficiency, stability, and positive, long-term health outcomes. The Place believes that the most vulnerable in our midst – in this case, the homeless and runaway youth of El Paso County – deserve equal footing in the access to quality care, housing, and support. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will advance The Place's housing and health programs. To learn more about The Place, please visit theplacecos.org.
Project Hope of Gunnison Valley - $7,500
Project Hope of Gunnison Valley serves individuals who have been affected by domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking. Their most heavily utilized programs include emergency shelter, transitional housing, and rental assistance. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will be used for rental assistance. This funding will help meet the housing needs for their clients, which in turn helps to keep them safe from abusive homes and helps them to stay and contribute to the local community and economy. To learn more about Project Hope of the Gunnison Valley, please visit hope4gv.org.
Project Worthmore - $30,000
Project Worthmore's mission is to provide services and programs that foster community, self-sufficiency, and increase quality of life among Denver-area refugees. Project Worthmore invests to make sure that wealth building begins upon resettlement, and that there is no 'lost generation' when it comes to dignity and economic mobility for newcomers. Project Worthmore serves over 4,000 refugees and asylum seekers from 26 countries. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will support Project Worthmore's work to fight health inequities tied to nutrition, poverty, and community isolation by facilitating access to fresh produce, connecting people to meaningful and well-paid employment, financial literacy, and connecting newcomers to the larger community. To learn more about Project Worthmore, please visit projectworthmore.org.
Pueblo Corporate College - $10,000
Pueblo Corporate offers customized corporate training and consulting, lifelong learning, professional development and continuing education, business and entrepreneurial training and consulting, State Department training and development, simulation training, and extended studies for healthcare professional to students, community members, and employees across three campuses throughout Colorado. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will be used to help with basic skill set levels and/or job certification which will help community members acquire a job, maintain employment, build a career and achieve success. To learn more about Pueblo Corporate College, please visit catalog.pueblocc.edu.
Region 9 Economic Development District of Southwest Colorado - $25,000
Region 9 Economic Development District of Southwest Colorado is a nonprofit community economic development corporation that promotes and coordinates economic development efforts throughout Southwest Colorado. The Region 9 Economic Development District's mission is to be a regional leader, working cooperatively with the private and public sectors to enhance the economic conditions in the area, and improve the region's economic prosperity. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will be used to help oversee the planning around use of the opioid settlement dollars coming to the region and in addition, as a neutral convener, secure funding for a regional feasibility study to identify economically viable solutions to mental and substance treatment gaps in the region. To learn more about Region 9 Economic Development District of Southwest Colorado, please visit region9edd.org.
Restoration Christian Ministries - $10,000
Restoration Christian Ministries' (RCM) mission is to restore individuals to their rightful place in society, equipping them with the skills necessary to overcome communal, educational, economic, and social deprivation. RCM concentrates not only on serving the unhoused but also on addressing systemic racial and ethnic inequalities that their diverse neighborhood faces within a gentrifying Aurora. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will help RCM continue investing in short-term housing options, homeless services, and sustainable resource connection. The funds will allow RCM to expand its reach in assisting those in need of a safe place to sleep, as well as allow continued resource connection to workforce training, employment, food resources, and educational and community opportunities. To learn more about RCM, please visit rcfministries.org.
Southeast Health Group - $20,000
Southeast Health Group (SHG) is a community mental health center, providing comprehensive, integrated physical and behavioral health services to Baca, Bent, Crowley, Kiowa, Otero, and Prowers Counties. SHG offers integrated outpatient primary care services, physical therapy, mental health counseling, psychiatric services, substance use disorder services, school-based services, 24/7 withdrawal management, 24/7 acute treatment, transitional residential treatment, youth respite, vocational training, crisis, and peer support services. SHG has the widest array of services available to individuals with Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurances in the region, and does not refuse services based on ability to pay. SHG is in the process of creating a 12-unit PSH project. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will help fund community spaces for the project. To learn more about SHG, please visit southeasthealthgroup.org.
Southern Colorado SBDC - $10,000
Southern Colorado SBDC works with small businesses and other community organizations to help with economic development in Pueblo, Huerfano, Custer, and Fremont counties. They offer educational classes, seminars, and one on one consulting and share resources that provide access to assistance and information to help businesses stay afloat, grow, prosper, and pivot. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will help create a Female Founder Program. This training series focuses on discussion, education, and creating community. To learn more about Southern Colorado SBDC, please visit southerncoloradosbdc.org/.
Tall Tales Ranch - $20,000
Tall Tales Ranch is dedicated to providing a life sharing, co-housing community, where people with and without disabilities can live and work in a supportive, cooperative environment that honors their individuality, celebrates their uniqueness, and helps them to reach their full potential. Our organization's main goal is to provide an alternative living experience, complete with opportunities for housing and economic prosperity, designed to enhance the lives of adults living with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). CHFA's Direct Effect Award will support the programmatic operations of their new coffee trailer program; a community-initiated solution which provides vocational training and employment opportunities to people with I/DD. To learn more about Tall Tales Ranch, please visit talltalesranch.org.
TGTHR - $20,000
TGTHR provides a continuum of care for youth and young adults ages 12 to 24 who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Boulder County and the Denver metro area. Their services include street outreach, overnight emergency shelter, daytime drop-in services, residential services for youth in foster care, and access to affordable housing through transitional and permanent supportive housing. TGTHR opened Colorado's first permanent supportive housing complex for young adults ages 18 to 24 at 1440 Pine Street in Boulder. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will help fund the staff and resources necessary to provide comprehensive supportive services at 1440 Pine. To learn more about TGTHR, please visit tgthr.org.
Urban Peak - $25,000
Urban Peak's vision is for all Colorado youth to overcome homelessness, have safe housing, supportive relationships, and the opportunity for economic development. Urban Peak makes case management, life skills groups, education and employment support, physical and mental health support, and transitional affordable housing a part of daily life in their programs. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will support their programs, including street outreach, shelter, education and employment, support services, and supportive housing. To learn more about Urban Peak, please visit urbanpeak.org.
The Village Institute - $25,000
The Village Institute is a live/learn/work center for refugee and immigrant families, particularly focused on single mom families, in Northwest Aurora. In deep partnership with refugee families, they identified intersecting needs of affordable housing, childcare and early learning, financial empowerment, and social emotional support. After many months of designing, building, and fundraising, they opened their housing and transitional services program in May 2020. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will support their housing and transitional services program through apartment renovations, mental health services and staffing support. To learn more about The Village Institute, please visit villageinstitute.org.
Youth Employment Academy - $20,000
Youth Employment Academy's mission is to serve young adults in breaking the cycle of generational poverty in Denver communities by gaining personal and economic stability through education, arts, technology, and employment training. YEA designs programming that guides youth to graduate from high school, build skills in positive youth development, create career pathways, earn industry-specific certificates, attend post-secondary education, receive hands-on job training, and become employed. YEA offers employment training in three core industry areas: culinary arts, customer service, and the creative industries. CHFA's Direct Effect Award will support programmatic development and start-up costs for the Decatur Fresh Market located in Denver's Sun Valley Neighborhood. Decatur Fresh will provide an affordable, healthy, and international market in a food desert, establish an education and training platform to support economic mobility, and create a community space and resident entrepreneurship portal. To learn more about Youth Employment Academy, please visit youthemploymentacademy.org.