For Immediate Release
The Mental Health Center of Denver Breaks Ground
on Innovative Permanent Supportive Housing Project
Sanderson Apartments to house 60 of Denver’s chronically homeless as part of city’s Social Impact Bond Program
DENVER, April 25, 2016…. A ceremony was held today to break ground on an innovative new housing project aimed at reducing homelessness in Denver. Mayor Michael B. Hancock was among city leaders and stakeholders who celebrated the groundbreaking of Sanderson Apartments.
Modeled after successful permanent supportive housing projects in other U.S. cities, Sanderson Apartments will house 60 of Denver’s chronically homeless, which will lend to the city’s efforts to provide housing for 250 of the most vulnerable residents through a Social Impact Bond program that launched in February of this year.
“We are thrilled to partner with Mayor Hancock and the program investors to help Denver’s most vulnerable residents break the heartbreaking cycle of homelessness,” said Carl Clark, M.D., president and CEO of the Mental Health Center of Denver, which will build and operate Sanderson Apartments. “We are committed to finding solutions to homelessness because we know when people are in their own homes and feel safe, they are better able access other social services to improve their well-being.”
Sanderson Apartments will be the largest supportive housing project for the
Mental Health Center of Denver and will be located at 1601 South Federal Boulevard in Denver, on the southwest corner of Federal Boulevard and West Iowa Avenue. When complete, the three-story, 50,000 SF building will include 60 one-bedroom, furnished apartments with on-site staff and amenities. Construction is expected to be complete in summer 2017.
“Today marks a new day for 60 chronically homeless individuals who will call Sanderson Apartments home under our Social Impact Bond program. By providing permanent housing, we are helping the most vulnerable in our community to stabilize their lives and set themselves on a path to recovery,” said Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock, who spoke at today’s event. “I want to thank the Mental Health Center of Denver for being a great partner in this vital work. Together, we will help these individuals by removing them from a cycle of jail and hospital visits and into permanent housing and supportive services.”
The Mental Health Center of Denver is Denver’s non-profit community mental health center and has been delivering comprehensive and accessible mental health and substance abuse treatment, housing, education and employment services to children, families and adults for more than 25 years.
The City and County of Denver is committed to creating stable housing for 250 chronically homeless residents. The cost of providing safety-net services to 250 of Denver’s homeless population is approximately $7 million per year. Stable housing and supportive services can prevent expensive encounters with the criminal justice and safety-net systems and help individuals lead more stable and productive lives.
The Sanderson Apartments building was also supported by $600,000 in financing through the Denver Office of Economic Development.
The development is the latest project to break ground under the Mayor’s “3x5 challenge.” Announced in mid-2013, the challenge calls for the development, rehabilitation or preservation of 3,000 affordable housing units over five years. The city and the real estate development community have produced 1,714 units to date under the challenge, with nearly 1,200 additional units under construction or scheduled for development.
Sanderson Apartments were designed by Davis Partnership Architects and will be constructed by Denevue Construction Services.
For more information, visit www.mhcd.org/sandersonapts
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MEDIA CONTACTS:
For more information on Sanderson Apartments and the Mental Health Center of Denver, contact Karen Prestia, or (303) 802-9904.
For information on the City and County of Denver’s plan to end homelessness, contact Julie Smith, or (720) 944-1422.