May 4, 2016

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Recent articles

CCLP’s 26th birthday party recap

CCLP celebrated our 26th birthday party while reflecting on another year of successes on behalf of Coloradans experiencing poverty.

Small business displacement and Business Navigators

CCLP partnered with the city and county of Denver to administer a two-year program connecting Denver’s historically underinvested businesses with guides to programs, resources, and services available to them.

MHC Updates

by | May 4, 2016

Regional Call to Action Brings Community Together Around Gentrification and Displacement

On April 19th nearly 200 participants came together, unified by a common concern about the lack of affordability in Denver and ready to delve into ways to work together to stem the tide of gentrification and displacement across the region.

An all-star group of speakers included Holliday Aguilar (GES), Norma Brambila (Westwood), Maria Ceballos (Arvada), Yolanda McCloud (Aurora), Teresa Valdivia (GES) and Darrell Watson (Whittier) sharing their on-the ground experiences around gentrification and displacement in their own communities. These neighborhood leaders were joined by HUD Regional Administrator Rick Garcia, Denver City Council President Paul Lopez, Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Kelly Brough, ULC Director of Master Site Development Will Kralovec and Servicios de la Raza Executive Director Rudy Gonzales, who provided their own perspectives around why these issues are critical to the health and economic vibrancy of the region.

MHC also released their new Access to Opportunity Platform, which captures 10 recommendations based on national best practice and a set of concrete policy and implementation strategies under each recommendation vetted for their relevance and applicability at a Denver regional level.

The next convening, moving to action, will be May 7th from 9am – 12pm at United Church of Montbello  (4879 Crown Blvd.). All are welcome. Click here for invitation.


Exploring Connections Between Anchor Institutions Near Transit

Mile High Connects, The Denver Foundation, The Colorado Health Foundation and Gary Community Investments co-hosted a learning session with over 20 CEOs and high level leaders of anchor institutions in the fields of health care, education and government located near transit throughout the region.

National speaker Steve Dubb of the Democracy Collaborative described the potentially transformative role of anchor institutions in connecting with community, creating job opportunities for local workers, supporting local business through procurement and investing in community development. The Denver Foundation’s investments in the Community Campus Partnership and Regis University anchor institution efforts were also highlighted. Ten institutions in attendance signed on to continue the conversation.

Those interested in learning more should contact Dace West at dwest@denverfoundation.org.


MHC Grant Fund

We are excited to release our funding guidelines for the Equitable Initiatives in The Denver Region grant fund for 2016. The deadline for applications is June 1, 2016, 5:00 MT.

We will offer one more grant application workshop in 2016. Workshops are open to organizations and groups interested in learning more about the application process; please note that attending a grant workshop is not a requirement of the overall grant application process. Please RSVP to Davian Gagne, Grants & Operations Manager at dgagne@denverfoundation.org with your name and contact information of staff members interested in attending. Click here for the application.

  • Thursday, May 5, 2016 | 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm | UFCW Union Hall | 7760 West 38th Ave., Wheat Ridge

Affordable Housing 

Renter’s Rights

9to5 transit organizer Dre Chiriboga-Flor went on a retreat to Chicago to share ideas and tactics around anti-gentrification strategies. Over 50 most grassroots organizations from about 37 different cities, including cities in Canada and Spain, came together for 3 days. Topics including building intersectional movements on a national level, renter’s rights campaigns such as Just Cause Eviction and Rent Control, community land trusts, development without displacement, eviction defense, corporate landlords and more. Participants walked away with countless new networks, campaign models, and a sense of community on a national level.

Grand Opening of Park Hill Station

On Thursday, April 21, developer DelWest hosted the Grand Opening of Park Hill Station, a 156-unit affordable rental community along the new University of Colorado A Line running between Union Station and DIA.  A variety of MHC partners were instrumental in this success – the Urban Land Conservancy acquired the property several years back utilizing the Denver Regional TOD Fund, which is administered by Enterprise Community Partners and includes a multitude of MHC partners as investors.  MHC partner Wells Fargo was also the equity investor in the development of the building, purchasing the Low Income Housing Tax Credits.  CBS news picked up the story here.

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Park Hill Station

Capital Absorption

MHC hosted a series of meetings on April 26 and 27 designed to increase the flow of public, private, and philanthropic capital into affordable housing and community facilities near transit. Over 30 representatives organized into teams from seven different municipalities throughout the region gathered to identify shared priorities, talk through pipelines of emerging developments, and discussed policy and financial solutions that might move those pipelines from ideas into action. The following morning, a team of impact investors ranging from public agencies to local foundations to banks and CDFIs discussed how we might work together to develop a couple specific scalable financial tools to accelerate the development and preservation of affordable housing and community-focused commercial facilities. Both discussions left MHC and our many partners with several concrete ideas to move forward this year!


First and Last Mile Connections 

Based on the nomination from Mile High Connects, the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) selected Comunidades Unidos as a recipient of the 2016 Metro Vision Award. DRCOG Vice Chair and Aurora City Councilman Bob Roth presented the award at DRCOG’s annual awards celebration, April 27 at the Westin Denver International Airport. Several members of the community attended the ceremony through the sponsorship of the National Western Stockshow.

According to DRCOG, Comunidades Unidos was selected because of the inspirational nature of its work. In partnership with GES LiveWell and MHC, Comunidades Unidas trained residents to conduct an audit and analysis of bus routes and bus-stop conditions. The results helped community members prioritize and advocate for improvements through public planning processes and directly with transportation and government entities. The community successfully garnered commitments in excess of $600,000 to improve infrastructure. Beyond the improvements to transit access and facilities, the project has empowered the community to address challenges and created a legacy of civic involvement for its residents.

Through its Metro Vision Awards, DRCOG recognizes the projects, plans and programs that significantly improve the quality of life in the Denver region and its communities; according to its member governments’ shared vision for growth and development. The regional council has been honoring outstanding achievements for more than 30 years.

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Comunidades Unidos Members

 


PLACES Site Visit

Davian Gagne, Grants & Operations Manager, recently visited Minneapolis, Minnesota as part of The Funders Network Professionals Learning About Community, Equity, and Smart Growth (PLACES) fellowship program. Along with leaders from the Surdna Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, San Diego Foundation, and many other philanthropic organizations, Davian spent three days learning about the opportunities, challenges, and work of local foundations and nonprofits in Minneapolis. Kate Wolford, CEO of the McKnight Foundation, spent time with the group sharing the work of the foundation and their collaborative approach to projects such as the Central Corridor Funders Collaborative. During a tour of north Minneapolis, leaders from the Hmong and Black communities, organizers, and community members highlighted the assets and stark challenges of the predominantly low-income neighborhood. Through a new funders collaborative, the Northside Funders Group, initiatives are being implemented in north Minneapolis to interrupt the 50% unemployment rate of Black men there by enhancing job skills and connecting residents to workforce opportunities. The three days provided insight on equity, illustrated the continued impact of systemic racism, and provided the foundation for the remainder of the fellowship. The next visit will be in late June 2016 to Hartford, Connecticut where more learning and capacity building around equitable community development will take place. 

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Tour of West Broadway in Minneapolis

Recent articles

CCLP’s 26th birthday party recap

CCLP celebrated our 26th birthday party while reflecting on another year of successes on behalf of Coloradans experiencing poverty.

Small business displacement and Business Navigators

CCLP partnered with the city and county of Denver to administer a two-year program connecting Denver’s historically underinvested businesses with guides to programs, resources, and services available to them.

HEALTH:
HEALTH FIRST COLORADO (MEDICAID)

Health First Colorado is the name given to Colorado’s Medicaid program. Medicaid provides public, low-cost health insurance to qualifying adults and children. It is an entitlement program funded by the federal, state, and county governments and is administered by counties in Colorado. Those who are required to pay must pay a small co-pay when receiving certain health care services.

State Department: Department of Health Care Policy and Financing

Eligibility: Most adults 18 to 64 are eligible for Medicaid in Colorado if their household income is at or below 133% of the federal poverty limit (FPL). Pregnant women are eligible with incomes of up to 195% FPL, while children under 18 may be eligible if the live in a household with income at or below 142% FPL. Some adults over 65 may also be eligible for Medicaid.

Program Benefits: Through Medicaid, low-income Coloradans are eligible for a range of health care services at little to not cost. Services provided include doctors visits, prescription drugs, mental health services, and dental care. Co-pays for certain individuals may be needed for certain services.

Program Funding and Access: Colorado funds our Medicaid program through state and federal dollars. Medicaid is an entitlement program, which means that all who are eligible for Medicaid can access the program, regardless of the funding level in a given year. This does not mean that it is always easy to access Medicaid, even when eligible. And since the program is administered by counties, funding levels for county staff and other administrative roles can make it easier or harder for Coloradans to access the program. On top of this, not all medical providers accept Medicaid which limits the ability of Coloradans to seek health services even if enrolled, such as if the nearest provider is a 2+ hour drive away.

Note: This data is from before the pandemic and does not reflect changes in enrollment rules during the COVID-19 pandemic and public health emergency.

Statewide Program Access 2015-19: Over the study period of this report, an average of 89.0% of the population at or below 133% of FPL (i.e., the population who is likely to be eligible for Medicaid) were enrolled in Medicaid in Colorado.

FOOD SECURITY:
SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (SNAP)

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP helps low-income Coloradans purchase food by providing individuals and families with a monthly cash benefit that can be used to buy certain foods. SNAP is an entitlement program that is funded by the federal and state governments and administered by counties in Colorado.

State Department: Department of Human Services

Eligibility: Currently, Coloradans qualify for SNAP if they have incomes below 200% FPL, are unemployed or work part-time or receive other forms of assistance such as TANF, among other eligibility criteria. Income eligibility for SNAP was different during the study period of this report than today—it was 130% FPL back in 2019 for example. The US Department of Agriculture uses the population at or below 125% FPL when calculating the Program Access Index (or PAI) for SNAP. We follow this practice in our analysis despite Colorado currently having a higher income eligibility threshold.

Program Benefits: SNAP participants receive a monthly SNAP benefit that is determined by the number of people in their household and their income. Benefit amounts decrease as income increases, helping households avoid a sudden loss of SNAP when their incomes increase, even by a minor amount. Benefits are provided to an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card that can be used to purchase eligible food items, such as fruits and vegetables; meat, poultry, and fish; dairy products; and breads and cereals. Other items, such as foods that are hot at their point of sale, are not allowable purchases under current SNAP rules.

Program Funding and Access: SNAP, like Medicaid, is a federal entitlement program. This means that Colorado must serve any Coloradan who is eligible for the program. As such, funding should not be a limit to how many Coloradans can be served by the program. However, funding for administration of SNAP at the state and county level can limit the ability of county human service departments to enroll those who are eligible. Other program rules and administrative barriers can make it difficult for Coloradans to receive the benefits they are legally entitled to receive.

Statewide Program Access 2015-19: Over the study period of this report, an average of 61.1% of the population at or below 125% of FPL (i.e., the population who is likely to be eligible for SNAP) were enrolled.

FOOD SECURITY:
SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION PROGRAM FOR WOMEN, INFANTS AND CHILDREN (WIC)

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, also know as WIC, provides healthcare and nutritional support to low-income Coloradans who are pregnant, recently pregnant, breastfeeding, and to children under 5 who are nutritionally at risk based on a nutrition assessment.

State Department: Department of Public Health and Environment

Eligibility: To participate in WIC you must be pregnant, pregnant in the last six months, breastfeeding a baby under 1 year of age, or a child under the age of 5. Coloradans do not need to be U.S. citizens to be eligible for WIC. In terms of income, households cannot have incomes that exceed 185% FPL. Families who are enrolled in SNAP, TANF, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), or Medicaid are automatically eligible for WIC. Regardless of gender, any parents, foster parents, or caregivers are able to apply for and use WIC services for eligible children.

Program Benefits: WIC provides a range of services to young children and their parents. These include funds to purchase healthy, fresh foods; breastfeeding support; personalized nutrition education and shopping tips; and referrals to health care and other services participants may be eligible for.

Program Funding and Access: WIC is funded by the US Department of Agriculture. The state uses these federal funds to contract with local providers, known as WIC Clinics. In most cases, these are county public health agencies, but that is not the case in all Colorado counties. Some WIC Clinics cover multiple counties, while others are served by multiple clinics. Private non-profit providers are also eligible to be selected as a WIC Clinic.

Statewide Program Access 2015-17: Between 2015 and 2017, an average of 52.2% of the population eligible for WIC were enrolled in the program in Colorado.

Financial Security:
Colorado Works

Colorado Works is the name given to Colorado’s program for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families or TANF. It is an employment program that supports families with dependent children on their path to self-sufficiency. Participants can receive cash assistance, schooling, workforce development and skills training depending on the services available in their county.

State Department: Department of Human Services

Eligibility: In general, Coloradans are eligible to enroll in TANF if they are a resident of Colorado, have one or more children under the age of 18 or pregnant, and have very low or no income. For example, to be eligible to receive a basic cash assistance grant through TANF, a single-parent of one child could not earn more than $331 per month, with some exclusions—and would only receive $440 per month (as of 2022). That said, there are other services provided by counties through TANF that those with incomes as high as $75,000 may be eligible for. In addition to these, participants in TANF are required to work or be pursuing an eligible “work activity” or work-related activity. Any eligible individual can only receive assistance if they have not previously been enrolled in TANF for a cumulative amount of time of more than 60 months—this is a lifetime limit that does not reset. Counties may have additional requirements and offer benefits that are not available in other counties in Colorado.

Program Benefits:  While the exact benefits that one is eligible for under TANF can vary, all qualified participants are eligible to receive a monthly cash payment, call basic cash assistance. Other than cash assistance, counties are have a lot of choice in how to use their TANF funding; generally a use of TANF funds is appropriate so long as it advances one or more of the four purposes of the program: (1) provide assistance to needy families so that children can be cared for in their own homes or in the homes of their relatives; (2) end the dependence of needy families on government benefits by promoting job preparation, work, and marriage; (3) prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies; and (4) encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families.

It is important to note that those eligible for TANF are also eligible for many of the other programs we’ve included in this report, such as SNAP, Medicaid, and CCCAP.

Program Funding and Access: Colorado funds its TANF program through funds received from the federal government through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant. Most of the federal funds are allocated by the state to counties, which are required to provide a 20% match of state funding. Federal and state rules allow the state and counties to retain a portion of unspent funds in a TANF reserve.

Statewide Program Access 2015-19: Over the study period of this report, an average of 50.7% of the population at or below 100% of FPL (i.e., the population who is likely to be eligible for TANF) were enrolled in TANF in Colorado.

EARLY LEARNING:
COLORADO CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (CCCAP)

The Colorado Child Care Assistance Program provides child care assistance to low-income families and caregivers living in Colorado in the form of reduced payments for child care. It is a program funded by the federal, state, and county governments and is administered by counties in Colorado. The share owed by parents/caregivers is determined on a sliding scale based on the family’s income.

State Department: Department of Early Childhood Education

Eligibility: Counties set eligibility for families separately, but must serve families with incomes at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Limit. Families accepted to the program are no longer eligible once their income exceeds 85% of the state median income. Parents or caregivers must be employed, searching for work, or engaged in another approved activity to be eligible for CCCAP. Parents and caregivers enrolled in Colorado Works (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families or TANF) or in the child welfare system are also eligible to participate in CCCAP. Generally, CCCAP serves families with children under 13, although children as old as 19 may be eligible under certain circumstances.

Program Benefits: If a family is eligible for CCCAP and has income, they may likely have to pay a portion of their child’s or children’s child care costs each month. The amount that families owe is based on their gross income, number of household members, and the number of children in child care in the household. As such, households tend not to experience a benefit cliff with CCCAP when they see their incomes increase

Program Funding and Access: Colorado funds the CCCAP program using federal dollars it receives from the Child Care and Development Block Grant program. The state allocates federal and state funds to counties using a formula that takes into account factors like current caseloads and the number of eligible residents. Assistance is available until the county’s funds are spent, so the number of families that can be served is often a function of how much funding is available and the income and composition of the household that applies. It is not uncommon for counties to overspend or underspend their allocations of funds. The state reallocates unspent funds from counties who underspent to those who overspent. While underspending could indicate a problem with the way a county administers its CCCAP program, it could just as likely be a sign that there are few providers in the county who participate in CCCAP—or a lack of providers generally.

Statewide Program Access 2015-19: Over the study period of this report, an average of 10.8% of the population at or below 165% of FPL and younger than age 13 (i.e., the population who is likely to be eligible for CCCAP) were enrolled in CCCAP.

Housing:
HUD rental assistance programs

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has three housing assistance programs that we look at together: Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8), Project-based Section 8, and Public Housing. In Colorado, these programs provided assistance to over 90% of the households who received federal housing assistance from all HUD programs. Through federally funded, local or regional public housing agencies (PHAs) are the agencies that administer these programs, through not all are available in all counties. These are not the only programs available in Colorado that assist households afford the cost of housing, such as units funded through federal and state tax credit programs.

State Department: Department of Local Affairs

Eligibility: Generally, households with incomes under 50% of the area median income (AMI) of the county they live in are eligible for these rental assistance programs, although PHAs have discretion to select households with incomes at higher percentages of AMI. That said, HUD requires that 75% of new vouchers issued through the Housing Choice Voucher/Section 8 program in a given year are targeted to households with incomes at or below 30% of AMI. PHAs are also able to create criteria that give priority to certain types of households who are on waiting lists for these programs.

Program Benefits: These rental assistance programs help households afford the cost of housing by reducing their housing costs to around 30% of their household income. In the case of the Housing Choice Voucher program, the PHA pays the voucher holder’s landlord the remaining portion of the rent.

Program Funding and Access: Funding and access are both challenges for these rental assistance programs. In addition to limitations on the number of public housing units or housing vouchers a PHA can manage or issue, lack of funding compared to the need constrains the ability of PHAs to assist low-income households. In 2020, Coloradans were on waitlists for Housing Choice Vouchers for an average of 17 months. Waitlists also exist for the other rental assistance programs.

Statewide Program Access 2015-19: Over the study period of this report, an average of 21.1% of renter households with incomes at or below 50% AMI (i.e., the population who is likely to be eligible for HUD rental assistance programs) were living in subsidized housing.