{"id":6077,"date":"2023-03-09T12:37:24","date_gmt":"2023-03-09T17:37:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/disciplescef.org\/blog\/?p=6077"},"modified":"2023-03-09T13:20:01","modified_gmt":"2023-03-09T18:20:01","slug":"colorado-church-heartside-hill-affordable-childcare-housing-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disciplescef.org\/blog\/colorado-church-heartside-hill-affordable-childcare-housing-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Colorado church leading the way in addressing childcare and housing crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

With a population<\/a> of 168,000, Fort Collins, CO, is by no means a metropolis, yet it struggles with issues that many densely populated areas of the United States and Canada currently face: finding affordable housing and childcare.<\/p>\n

But by leveraging strong partnerships and sharing the 11 acres of land where the church building sits, Heart of the Rockies Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)<\/a>, (HRCC) is providing an astonishing level of relief for this mid-sized community.<\/p>\n

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An aerial shot of the land, capturing most of the 11 acres purchased at the intersection of Lemay & Trilby in Fort Collins, CO by the Central Rocky Mountain Region in 1993.<\/p><\/div>\n

HRCC\u2019s partners include Disciples Church Extension Fund (DCEF)<\/a>, which supported the construction<\/a> of the congregation\u2019s building in 1999 and more recently its efforts to improve its technology<\/a>. DCEF continues to support HRCC through investments<\/a> and capital campaigns<\/a>. Furthermore, the Central Rocky Mountain Region<\/a>, which purchased the HRCC land when the congregation first launched, is another Disciples-related partner.<\/p>\n

But as Heart of the Rockies launches the Heartside Hill<\/a> housing project, they leverage their greatest assets to address the most pressing issues in Fort Collins \u2014 by developing partnerships with other faith-based organizations.<\/p>\n

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\u201cFrom the beginning, we saw something bigger for this land,\u201d says Rev. Melissa St. Clair, Heart of the Rockies senior minister. \u201cIt wouldn’t just be land that we use to serve and meet the needs of our own congregation\u2026 it would be used to support and sustain our community.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

HRCC provides the property, while another partner builds and manages apartments for low-income residents; another sponsors the construction of single-family homes, and yet another lends support specific to disabled adults and their assistants.<\/p>\n

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Overall site plan and CARE Housing model used to present the project to Gov. Jared Polis and other local elected officials in March 2022.<\/p><\/div>\n