BUCKLEY ANNEX Q&As

Planning Process/General | Housing/Density | Traffic | Homeless Housing | Retail
Open Space/Environmental

Homeless Housing

A draft of the homeless housing submission is now available. Click here to download the document

How many units of homeless housing are proposed? How many people would this house?

The current recommendation calls for a 1.5-acre, mixed-income rental project that contains a maximum of 80 rental units and included in the total unit count would be 20 homeless family units. The rest of the units would be mixed-income rentals ranging to market rate. Click here for the homeless housing handout.

Where will the homeless housing be located?

The homeless housing will be located in one of the highlighted areas shown below. The housing task force did not want to choose a specific location for the homeless housing in order to give the developer flexibility with the location. The homeless housing will likely be placed in one building or one complex.

How does this proposed number compare to Lowry today?

The task forces tried to match the percentages of homeless housing at Buckley Annex with the percentage of homeless housing at Lowry today. Currently, of the for-rent residential units at Lowry, four to five percent of the units are homeless housing units. That percentage is approximately the same as the Buckley Annex recommendation.

Will there be background checks performed on people who reside in the homeless housing? What about the people that come to live with them?

Yes. Background and credit checks are done on all those who apply for housing assistance. People not related to the resident are not allowed to live with the resident. If they are related, those individuals will receive background checks as well.

Can illegal immigrants live in the homeless housing?

No. Proper legal paperwork and background checks are required.

What is AMI?

AMI is area median income. Each year the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) calculates the AMI for each metropolitan area and non-urban county. The 2007 AMI for the Denver-Aurora metropolitan statistical (MSA) area is $71,400 for all households. Most federal housing programs establish eligibility based on a percent of AMI. The Homeless Assistance Program guidelines are based on HUD’s definition of Extremely Low Income established as 30 percent of AMI. The 30 percent income level for a four-person family is $21,400. A two-person family would be required to earn no more than $17,200 per year.

What are the different categories for affordable housing?

There are numerous Federal and local affordable housing programs addressing a range of housing needs. The Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program is a federal program giving tax credits to developers providing affordable housing at specified AMI income levels. The City and County of Denver has a large number of LIHTC projects including a number of mixed-income apartment buildings that include a mix of Very Low Income (50 percent AMI), Low Income (80 percent AMI), and market rate housing. The City and County of Denver provides affordable for-sale housing targeted at the community workforce priced out of the ownership housing market. The City’s inclusionary housing ordinance (IHO) requires development of 30 units or greater to provide 10 percent of the units priced at 80 percent AMI or below. The maximum AMI in high construction cost projects can be 95 percent.

Will the homeless housing be managed by the Denver Housing Authority? If not, who will manage it?

No, the Denver Housing Authority will not manage the homeless housing. It is simply the developer, not the manager of the project. Possible managers could include Warren Village or Denver Catholic Charities.