$24.2 million for Denver-area projects included in Congressional spending bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) announced today that she has secured more than $24.2 million to fund more than a dozen projects in the Denver area – including several to help those experiencing homelessness.

DeGette secured the funding as part of a newly unveiled government spending bill Congress is expected to approve this week. The legislation will provide millions of dollars to fund 14 key projects throughout Denver, most of which are designed to make more housing, food and other essential services available to those experiencing homelessness in the Mile High city.

“We need all hands on deck to help those experiencing homelessness in our community,” DeGette said. “These projects will make more housing and health care services available in some of our most underserved communities. And while they alone will not solve all the issues facing our community, these projects will provide critical assistance to so many in our area who desperately need help.”

The legislation, which the Senate is expected to vote on as early as Wednesday, will provide, among other things, $4 million to help fund the construction of more than 70 new apartments in Denver’s Warren Village, which will then be made available to low-income single-parents with nowhere else to turn. It will also provide $4 million to help Colorado Coalition for the Homeless purchase the now-abandoned Clarion Hotel in North Denver and convert it into more housing for those who are experiencing homelessness; and $1 million to help Habitat for Humanity build six new homes in Denver’s Villa Park.

The measure also includes $2.2 million for Denver Health to provide essential oral health services in some of Denver’s most underserved communities; $1.2 million to help the Food Bank of the Rockies purchase additional coolers to store and distribute more food to those in need; and $1 million to help construct a new youth mental-health treatment center in North Denver to help low-income children in the area.

The $24.2 million DeGette secured as part of the spending bill unveiled last night comes on top of more than $13 million DeGette successfully secured earlier this year to fund several other local projects in the Denver area, which were also designed to help those experiencing homelessness – including $2 million to purchase and convert the Stay Inn Hotel into more housing for the homeless, and more than $3 million for Urban Peak to build a new shelter for homeless youth in the Denver area. Both of those projects are now underway.

The legislation now being considered by Congress will be voted on first in the Senate, which is expected to take it up as early as Wednesday. Once approved there, it will head to the House for a final vote of approval before heading to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.

Following is the full list of Denver-area projects DeGette secured in the spending bill set to be approved this week:

1. $4,000,000 for Warren Village to build an additional 74 apartments that would then be made available to low-income, single-parent families in southwest Denver who are struggling to make ends meet.
2. $4,000,000 for Colorado Coalition for the Homeless to help fund the purchase of the Clarion Hotel located at 200 West Warner Placeand convert it into more housing for those experiencing homelessness in the Denver area.
3. $4,000,000 for Regional Transportation District (RTD) to replace existing rail, switches, highblocks, concrete flatwork, and items associated with the rail alignment along the Central Corridor, which operates through the Downtown Denver area.
4. $2,200,00 for the Denver Health and Hospital Authority to make essential oral health and imaging services available in some of Denver’s most underserved communities.
5. $2,000,000 for Servicios deLa Raza to create a community center that would serve low-income residents in Barnum. Once complete, the new center would provide workforce development training, certifications, financial literacy and a variety of wraparound services that address equity gaps and the social determinants of health. 
6. $2,000,000 for the City and County of Denver’s Office of Climate Action Sustainability and Resilience to electrify space and water heaters in 100 affordable housing units in Denver to increase their energy efficiency and reduce their carbon footprints. 
7. $1,200,000 for the Food Bank of the Rockies to purchase additional coolers and freezers for its headquarters in Montbello so it can safely store more fresh produce, meat, and dairy that will then be made available to families in need throughout the Denver area.
8. $1,000,000 for Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver to assist with the construction of six new single-family homes in Villa Park.
9. $1,000,000 for Tennyson Center for Children to complete construction of the center’s new youth mental-health treatment center in North Denver that will be focused on addressing the urgent and unmet mental-health needs of vulnerable, low-income children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
10. $750,000 for the We Don’t Waste organization to help them acquire additional space needed to expand their food-recovery efforts, which is helping to feed low-income families throughout Denver while, at the same time, diverting millions of pounds of food waste from local landfills each year.
11. $750,000 for the City and County of Denver to help construct a new 10,000-square-foot center for Denver’s youth at the Central Library that would provide access to technology and various support programs for underserved youth in the Denver area.
12. $750,000 for the City and County of Denver to help fund the ongoing revitalization of the 16^th Street Pedestrian Mall and Transitway.
13. $413,940 for Urban Peak to provide continued services during the construction of a new shelter for homeless youth at 1603 S. Acoma Street that, once complete, will be able to provide housing and supportive services to more than 135 young people experiencing homelessness in the Denver area.
14. $183,486 for the Inner City Health Center to replace heavily used equipment in its medical and dental clinics located at 3800 York Street in North Denver that provide essential services to those living in underserved communities.