Last month, Launchpad, the 50-unit supportive housing project for youth and families on Colorado Springs’ west side, was awarded the Charles L. Edson Housing Tax Credit Excellence Award by the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition (AHTCC).
Presented annually for the past 31 years, the Edson Award honors Housing Credit developments that strengthen communities, improve resident opportunities and support economies in urban, suburban and rural areas across the country. Announced at a ceremony on Capitol Hill attended by members of Congress and affordable housing industry leaders on Oct. 27, recipients were chosen by a panel of experts who recognized properties in ten different categories following a rigorous selection process.
“Everywhere I go in Colorado I hear about the rising cost of housing, and we must work together to find real solutions,” said U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) in a news release. “I am pleased to congratulate the two Colorado properties that are being honored by the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition: The Launchpad in Colorado Springs, which will provide needed support and stability for young adults coming out of the foster care system, and Tawi Kaan Apartments in Cortez, which will serve the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and provide permanent supportive housing for homeless and formerly homeless families. Innovative projects like these help ensure Colorado families can continue to call our state home.”
Developed by Cohen-Esrey Development Group (CEDG) and local nonprofit the PLACE, The Launchpad was designed for young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 who have aged out of the foster care system. It is the first transition-aged youth development in Colorado Springs. The goal of The Launchpad is to provide stability, safety and training to youth to stop the cycle of homelessness and trauma before it can become a pattern. Rents for youths in this demographic at or below 30 % of area median income (AMI) will qualify for housing at The Launchpad and receive rental subsidy through a 20-year Section 8 Housing Assistance Payment contract. Supportive services provided by the PLACE related to education, employment and mental health are offered onsite.
“I do think that it’s an endorsement of who we are and what we’ve done,” said Wayne Bland, chair of the PLACE’s board of directors. “I recognize the developer, Cohen-Esrey – especially the architect that designed the building with trauma-informed design, Shopworks – and then just all of the support that we had on the state and county and local levels from the planning department through planning commission and city commission … We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback about the building since the end of July. We’re 100% occupied and youth seem to be thriving. Sometimes we lose sight that what we do to be able to have the funding and the mechanisms — we get caught up in those types of things. It’s important that we remember that it really affects people’s lives and, for me, that’s the celebration of the youth that we affect and so they can be stabilized and then thrive.”
With recent changes to federal grant programs, nonprofits like the PLACE are bracing for funding challenges in the coming years. In September, the PLACE closed their drop-in center on Fountain Boulevard, citing “funding challenges.” Bland said the drop-in center is now operating out of their 423 East Cucharras St. location.
“We have moved the drop in-center and the street outreach from our location over on Fountain Avenue into our Cucharras building, which we own free and clear,” said Bland. “That’s going to create not only efficiencies, but it’s gonna help us get youth directly off the street, from those programs, and support them into housing. Then when we provide wraparound services, it just helps them move forward.”
While the new location does not offer shelter services, as the Fountain location did, Bland says the new approach is more efficient. “We’re trying to let some of the other agencies fill that void, that gap,” he said. “We would love to be able to offer the shelter services, and I think going forward, we will take a look at that, but we were having such better outcomes from just working our staff, working with youth on the street, getting them directly into housing. The cost to do that is a lot less than running a full-time overnight shelter. We just had to make some decisions and one, reduce expenses, and two, pivot to the programs that were getting the best results.”
In addition to Launchpad, the PLACE manages 57 other affordable housing units throughout Colorado Springs. The PLACE recently launched its “Home for the Holidays” campaign, aimed at ensuring local youth have not only shelter this season, but resources and support. Donations can be made here.
