URBAN UPDATES
"Housing is a human right. There can be no fairness or justice in a society in which some live in homelessness, or in the shadow of that risk, while others cannot even imagine it." - Jordan Flaherty
July | 2020
On Common Ground: International Perspectives on the Community Land Trust
On June 30, On Common Ground: International Perspectives on the Community Land Trust was released! A collection of 26 original essays, written by 42 scholars and practitioners from a dozen countries, the book traces the growth and diversification of the community land trust movement. The publisher, Center for Community Land Trust Innovation , is a non-profit organization that supports the development of community land struts and similar strategies throughout the world. 

In the chapter entitled, The Burden of Patience in a Long March Toward Racial Justice ,” Grounded Solution Networks CEO, Tony Pickett, highlights the challenge of addressing decades of inequities in housing and land ownership. Pickett says, “Our most experienced seasoned practitioners must be prepared to 'pass the baton' in the march toward equity.” 

ULC’s unique community land trust model was also featured in the book in a chapter entitled Stewardship of Urban Real Estate for Long-Term Community Benefit . We are thankful for the many contributions made by our partners, Citywide Bank, Medici Consulting Group, and Brinshore Development, to ensure the book became a reality. To learn more about the book, please click here , and read more below in our Partner Spotlight feature.
La Tela Breaks Ground
On July 1, Elevation Community Land Trust celebrated the groundbreaking of La Tela. The future mixed-use development will be located in the heart of the Santa Fe Arts District and will offer commercial space and 92 units of permanently affordable for-sale housing for households earning up to 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). Mark Marshall spoke at the event and said, "we were in an affordable housing crisis before, and that is only going to be amplified with the current coronavirus situation." He continued, "we need to do whatever we can to secure more land to build additional, permanently affordable housing." To learn more, click here .
Mark Marshall in the Denver Business Journal
ULC's Director of Real Estate, Mark Marshall, was recently featured in Denver Business Journal's article entitled: Denver had an affordable housing crisis before the pandemic. What will it take to fill the gap now? Marshall explains how the Denver metro arrived at the current housing crisis, and points to several trends over the past decade that have converged to create what he calls a "perfect storm." To read the full article, click here .
Housing Access for LGBTQ People
As ULC celebrated Pride month in June, we examined the ways our work can better serve the LBGTQ community. On the most basic level, we know that our homes provide access to job markets, schools, health care, and economic opportunities. In short, fair access to housing is crucial to the LGBTQ community. Colorado is one of only 22 states that explicitly prohibits discrimination based on sexual and gender identity for access to housing access. To read more about housing access for LGBTQ people, click here .
Policy Corner
June was a busy month for policy in Colorado, and several new measures were signed into law. Among those changes was HB20-1009: Suppressing Court Records of Eviction Proceedings , which mandates suppressing court records of an eviction, if the eviction was never completed. To read more about other policies that were passed or signed into law, click here .
People on the Move
ULC would like to extend our sincere congratulations to Paul Rosswork on his retirement from Gary Community Investments and the Piton Foundation. Paul was instrumental in getting ULC off the ground, and provided invaluable legal support on our early community investments.
We would also like to congratulate Ismael Guerrero on beginning his new chapter with Mercy Housing . Aaron Miripol says, "Colorado is so fortunate that even though Ismael is now running Mercy Housing, the largest affordable housing provider in the country, he will still call Denver home."
Thank you both for all you do for our community, and to the great partners you have been to ULC!
Neighborhood Focus: Lakewood
One of the communities ULC is proud to partner with is Lakewood. To date, ULC has invested over $20 million in the community in various projects including the Villas at Wadsworth and the Harlan Nonprofit Center. To read more about our Lakewood community, click here !
Partner Spotlight of the Month!
John Emmeus Davis
As ULC’s CEO, Aaron Miripol, puts it, “John Davis is the guru of community land trusts.” Davis is a true expert in the field with more than 40 years of experience providing technical assistance to community land trusts and other nonprofit community development organizations throughout the United States, including ULC at the onset of our creation. Davis has authored and edited a number of texts and resources about community land trusts, and also co-produced the documentary, Arc of Justice: The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of a Beloved Community , about the country’s first CLT. Most recently, Davis is one of three editors of On Common Ground: International Perspectives on the Community Land Trust . To learn more about John Davis, click the button below!
Below Market Rate Office Space Available in Denver
ULC has 836 square feet of office space available in the heart of Denver at the Mountain View Nonprofit Tower located at Downing and 16th Street. For more information, please contact ULC's property manager .
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