The Covid-19 pandemic has affected each of us in ways we never imagined at the beginning of the year, and it has threatened the health and wellbeing of many in our community. Thanks to the generosity of individuals, foundations, corporations and partners we have continued to make home and community places of pride, power and belonging and platforms for resilience and upward mobility for all.

We want to share some highlights from Enterprise Community Partners’ work throughout 2020 that your support made possible here in Colorado.

1. Enterprise’s President and CEO Priscilla Almodovar announced Equitable Path Forward, a five-year, $3.5 billion nationwide initiative to help dismantle the deeply-rooted legacy of racism in housing. The multipronged initiative establishes an equitable path forward for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) and other historically marginalized housing providers who create and preserve affordable homes in diverse communities.
2. Enterprise invested $147,696,810 million in Colorado, producing and preserving 1,232 affordable homes.
3. $565,000 in housing development capacity building grants was awarded to 10 nonprofit housing organizations.
4. Through the Emergency Action for Resident and Partner Sustainability Program, 9 affordable housing organizations throughout the state received $900,000 in grants to help mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
5. Advocacy efforts contributed to several major policy wins, including: preserving an estimated $54 million in future annual state funding for affordable housing and directing $89 million toward emergency housing and direct cash assistance; and serving as an appointed member of Governor Polis’ Special Eviction Prevention Task Force, which resulted in executive orders implementing a statewide eviction moratorium, helping ensure eligible tenants knew about and could avail themselves of available protections from eviction and assistance, and suspending late fees.
6. In Denver, Enterprise supported the successful passage of a City Council-referred ballot initiative to establish a Homelessness Resolution Fund. Through a 0.25% sales tax increase the Fund is expected to garner approximately $40M annually over the next 10 years. Additionally, Enterprise advocated with partners for Denver to modernize the zoning code governing group living, assisted with the development of the city’s 2021 Housing Action Plan and advocated for rental assistance and other necessary emergency resources to help local property owners and tenants weather the pandemic.
7. The Enterprise Rural and Native American Program team led the Colorado Rural Rental Housing Preservation Academy, a series of trainings and conversations designed to help rural housing providers acquire and/or preserve USDA Rural Development, HUD, LIHTC, and other affordable rental housing in rural Colorado.
8. Celebrated the successful completion of the Denver Social Impact Bond, a 5-year supportive housing initiative, establishing a new outcomes-based funding model which leveraged investor funds for services, and federal, state, and local resources for permanent housing subsidies for 250 of the city’s most frequent users of the criminal justice system. We are eager to share final project reports later this year.
9. Worked with community leaders and residents to connect BIPOC residents to emergency housing supports by advocating for equitable access to rental assistance, cataloguing housing assistance resources and sharing with 51 community leaders working in grassroots organizations and connecting vulnerable households with assistance.
10. With the Neighborhood Development Collaborative, co-hosted 20 virtual “Solutions and Strategies” sessions to help approximately 25 nonprofit affordable housing providers statewide learn from each other on how to best weather the Covid-19 pandemic, support tenants and continue to advance powerful housing solutions statewide.