ULC Atlas Compliments the MHC Equity Atlas’ Ad- Vocacy to Action, and Takes a Closer Look at the Inten- Tion of ULC’S Investments in Community Assets

Preservation | Community2012 Assets | Development Atlas About the Atlas Our work includes land banking and community-in- spired real estate development or, more concisely, com- The purpose of this atlas is to display the impact of the munity development. Urban Land Conservancy’s (ULC) work in the Metro Denver area and the economic factors that prompt our attention with maps. Mapping Denver’s inequities spa- Land Banking tially allows us to better understand our communities of focus, and pinpoint opportunities for impactful projects When land is expensive, it is often not economically that support ULC’s mission. feasible to use it for essential community facilities. By acquiring (by gift or purchase) land and buildings at to- ULC is a member of Mile High Connects (MHC), a col- day’s prices, we ensure these properties will be available laborative of experts in the fields of: transit, affordable to serve urban communities in the future when the land housing, jobs, education, and health. MHC created an would otherwise be too expensive. Equity Atlas, comprised of maps and narratives promot- ing transportation access to housing choices, good jobs, quality schools and essential services such as health care and fresh food. The ULC Atlas compliments the MHC Equity Atlas’ advocacy to action, and takes a closer look at the intention of ULC’s investments in community assets. MHC framed these times in Metro Denver as a once in a life- time opportunity to build a transit system that supports all of Metro Denver’s residents, ULC will use this atlas to make key investments that focus on creating equity throughout Denver and its surrounding municipalities. This Atlas also serves as an educational marketing tool for which potential partners can better understand our work and how we can work together to achieve over- Community Development arching goals. Certain challenging community projects – for example, redeveloping a brownfield into an environmentally and socially responsible community – may require more About the Urban Land Conservancy capital, resources, and coordination than a nonprofit, ULC is a nonprofit organization established in 2003 by for-profit, or governmental organization may possess. local business leaders who understood the need to per- Our function is to provide the staff, expertise, and re- manently secure real estate asset and use real estate as sources needed to facilitate the development of such a tool to benefit urban communities. In much the same projects. way that a land trust preserves open space for future generations, we preserve real estate assets in urban areas to ensure their continued community benefit. How we work • Form long-term partnerships with nonprofit, for- profit, and governmental organizations to assist ur- Our mission is to acquire, develop, and preserve com- ban communities in addressing their real estate needs munity assets in urban areas for a variety of community needs such as schools, affordable housing, community • Acquire and hold strategic sites in anticipation of centers and affordable office space for nonprofits. Our market changes assets consist of real estate and significant seed capital to • Serve as or partner with the master developer on be leveraged using public and private sources for future community developments community investment and economic development.

2 of 21 Mile High Transit-Oriented ers with access to an expanded workforce. Development Fund Introduction Critical Partnerships ULC, Enterprise Community Partners, the City and The partnership of government, quasi-governmental County of Denver, and several other investors part- organizations, banks, nonprofits and foundations is a nered to establish the first affordable housing Transit- critical component of the TOD Fund. Enterprise Com- Oriented Development (TOD) acquisition fund in the munity Partners, a national nonprofit, assembled the country. The purpose of Denver’s TOD Fund is to sup- initial $15 million in capital that allowed the Fund to port the creation and preservation of 1,000 affordable begin operations in April, 2010. City of Denver is the housing units through strategic property acquisition in largest single investor, providing $2.5 million in top loss current and future transit corridors. The Fund answers investment. ULC committed the initial $1.5 million eq- a basic real estate conundrum: when the economy is uity to the Fund and leads the real estate acquisition, bad, property values are low and ripe for purchase, but management, and disposition of assets for the Fund. access to capital is poor and affordable housing devel- ULC partners with other developers to achieve the opers are scarce. Now is the opportune time to invest goals of the TOD Fund to preserve and create afford- in real estate around proposed transit stations in order able housing and mixed-use developments. to capitalize on current values and preserve affordable housing before RTD’s FasTracks is fully operational. Expanding TOD to Other Municipalities Metro Denver is undergoing the nation’s largest public transit expansion with the addition of five new light rail lines that compliment the existing three lines already serving Denver and its south suburbs. Each of these new rail lines brings opportunity for transit-oriented development in the Denver Metro area. The structure of the TOD Fund offers a unique opportunity to expand into other municipalities in the metro area in order to complement transit oriented development and other activities around expansion of FasTracks. Our desire is to partner with municipalities to explore how this Fund can preserve and create affordable housing and stimu- late economic development along rail lines. We wel- Benefits of the Fund come the opportunity to answer any questions about The Fund is capitalized at $15 million, and is evolving to how an investment in this fund can help achieve com- $30 million in total loan capital. This revolving loan fund munity development goals and strengthen Metro Den- will make capital available to purchase and hold sites for ver’s communities. up to five years along current and future rails and high frequency bus corridors. The $30 million investment will leverage over $500 million in local economic development activity, serving many economically challenged neighborhoods in Metro Denver with construction and permanent job creation. The Fund will also directly benefit low-income households that on average spend 60% of their gross income on housing and transportation expenses combined. By controlling these expenses and providing access to quality, environmentally-sus- tainable housing, the TOD Fund will make it possible for families to build wealth and access employment and educational opportunities. It will also provide employ-

3 of 21 ULC Site Selection Criteria Investment Strategy ULC concentrates its investments in targeted neighborhoods that have significant economic and social challenges. These high risk neighborhoods include significant portions of Denver as well as sections of first ring suburban communities with similar challenges. We also focus our investments along transit corridors with an emphasis on sites within a half-mile from current and future TOD sites. ULC will consider “super” project (i.e. TOD Fund) that are consistent with our mission, but may be out of our focus area. Each investment must For New Neighborhood Opportunities have the potential to be impactful over the long-term • New neighborhood/community is determined to and/or catalytic in nature. Unless a property/site is a have the most compelling unmet needs of all poten- TOD Fund supported site and/or is an impactful “super tial new areas under consideration that justifies in- project”, ULC prefers to invest only if the property/site vestment; neighborhood/community must serve high meets the following criteria: poverty or at-risk populations • Investment is of a particularly high catalytic value and includes access to high frequency transit • No other stakeholder in the community has the ca- pacity to make the investment • ULC has significant resources to dedicate to estab- lishing a new long-term commitment • Investment can be accomplished in collaboration and partnership with Strengthening Neighborhood and other strong community assets

For Current Investment Neighborhoods • Property is adjacent or close to other ULC investments to maximize community impact, to build on other investment, and to capitalize on existing community relationships and partnerships • The neighborhood/community continues to demon- strate a need for additional investment • No other stakeholder in the community has the ca- pacity to make the investment • Investment is done in collaboration and partnership with Strengthening Neighborhood and other strong community partners • Property provides opportunity to generate income

4 of 21 Donated Properties RTD FasTracks Layout • Donated properties will be accepted if: Map on page 4 • The property has a minimum size of 1 acre, OR The RTD FasTracks Layout map shows the intended • The property has a minimum value of $50,000, and plans of the FasTracks system among high-frequency bus lines, routes that make stops at least every 15 min- • The property is located in the Denver metro unless utes during peak hours. FasTracks plans are subject to • The property is simply a candidate for liquidation change due to funding and construction. with proceeds going to the mission of ULC and the donor places no restriction on sale • The property has economically feasible development potential • Donated properties will NOT be accepted if: • The property has significant environmental issues • The property requires servicing of significant debt or negative cash flow

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8 of 21 Civic Canopy, Denver Early Childhood Council, Babies the 2.6 acre site, to College, Early Excellence and GOAL Academy. resolved environ- ULC has invested over $600,000 into improvements mental issues, and and energy upgrades at the Phillips Center and contin- launched a com- ues to offer affordable office space for nonprofits. This munity vision- historic structure is a long-term investment ensuring ing process with that important human services are available to the Cole the help of The neighborhood and other Denver residents. Denver Founda- tion’s Strengthening Neighborhoods Program (SN) to re-imagine the entire six-block area including and sur- 5. Jody Apartments (TOD) rounding the former shopping center in June 2009. The Holly Area Redevelopment Project (HARP) Visioning Adjacent to the future Sheridan light rail station, Jody Process was a year-and half long open public process Apartments is a 62-unit multifamily community on two that led to creation of a set of “Good Neighbor Prin- plus acres of land situated along the West Corridor of ciples” as well as a set of broad design concepts that the FasTracks. Jody will part of a large scale redevelopment ULC committed to using in selecting a developer or de- that will incorporate affordable housing and other vi- velopers for the site, the Boys & Girls Club of Metro tal services in partnership with ULC, NEWSED, City of Denver was selected as the first partner to construct the Denver, City of Lakewood and RTD. Jody’s 62 afford- Nancy P. Anschutz Center which will compliment cur- able apartments are owned and operated by NEWSED rent assets in the neighborhood. Additional develop- while ULC owns the land and has a 99 year land lease to ment will occur through the HARP process, enhancing guarantee long-term community benefit. existing community assets.

6. 25th & Stout Denver 9. Dahlia Apartments (TOD) ULC acquired this land through a real estate company ULC acquired this Northeast Park Hill property in De- donation in 2008. The property abuts Agape Church cember, 2009. It was foreclosed upon in 2008 qualify- and is two blocks away from the 25th & Welton light ing it for the Neighborhood Stabilization Program. rail station in a burgeoning Downtown Denver neigh- The property consists of six buildings with a total of borhood. ULC’s partner is Northeast Housing and they 36, 2-bedroom affordable apartment homes and serves have a redevelopment plan to build 9 “healthy homes” over 100 residents. This property was the first to utilize as a pilot project with National Jewish Hospital. financing through the TOD Fund.

7. 2000 Block of Glenarm 10. NEWSED Multi-Tenant NonProfit Center ULC, in partnership with St. Andrews Church, bought Owned by NEWSED Community Development Cor- two, 12,500 square foot parking lots at the 2000 block of poration, 1029 Santa Fe Drive houses 5 nonprofit or- Glenarm, one block from the transit stop at Welton and ganizations working in the Metro Denver community. 20th. ULC in partnership with St. Andrew’s Church is The center was brought together through NEWSED’s land banking these lots with a vision for a mixed-use offer of affordable rent and its desire to only house non- redevelopment in the future. profit organizations. Derived from NEWSED’s mission, the center has a focus on serving low-income people through education, advocacy, and economic and social 8. Holly Square justice, in particular the local Latino community. The The former Holly Square Shopping Center, located in groups share facilities in the building and collaborate on the Northeast Park Hill neighborhood of Denver, was social and economic issues whenever possible. destroyed by arson in May 2008. The property was purchased in April 2009 by ULC with assistance from the The Santa Fe Nonprofit Offices & Warehouse also func- City of Denver’s Office of Economic Development. The tions as a ULC investment with the goal of preserva- ULC oversaw demolition of the burned structures on tion and redevelopment. In partnership with NEWSED,

9 of 21 ULC provided a $300,000 PRI loan at a 3% interest rate using the TOD for two years, for this 31,000 square foot commercial/ Fund. ULC will warehouse building. In order to preserve the building be the master de- for long-term community benefit, ULC has the first veloper of the site right to purchase the land at the end of loan term. that will include the new west Denver library, a 11. Yale Commons (TOD) mixed-use work- Purchased for $1.325 million in July, 2010, this vacant force housing 1.51 acre parcel is adjacent to the Yale Light Rail Station development with Del Norte Neighborhood Develop- along the Southeast Corridor. ULC acquired the prop- ment, and a commercial building. This acquisition will erty utilizing the TOD Fund, and the affordable homes provide enormous opportunity for additional transit developed on this site will directly benefit low income oriented development along west Colfax and the future households in their two greatest expenses; housing and Knox and Decatur light rail stations on the West Cor- transporta- ridor. ULC sees this site as a strategic gateway to the tion, while west Colfax Denver community, the mix of uses in this providing development will bring great economic benefit to the transporta- area which is essential to the revitalization of the neigh- tion access to borhood. services, edu- The City and County of Denver will purchase a portion cation, health of the site to construct the new west Denver library and and employ- Del Norte will purchase a portion for the housing com- ment centers. ponent of this development. ULC is a part of Yale TOD Partners, a strategic alliance between RTD, Koelbel and Company and Mile High Development, to 13. Delaware Station (TOD) create a master plan for a transit-oriented community In June of 2011, ULC purchased land along Denver’s at the Yale Station. The Master Planning site could in- FasTracks Southwest light rail corridor that will be de- clude the entire area around the Yale Light Rail Station veloped into an affordable, mixed-use transit oriented influence area bound on the East by Interstate 25, on development. This property will provide much need- the South by East Yale Avenue, on the West by Eudora ed workforce housing and retail opportunity directly Street, and on the North by East Vassar Avenue. The across from the Evans Light Rail Station. project is accessed from I-25 via the Yale Avenue exit and is approximately 9 miles southeast of downtown ULC purchased this 1 acre property for $1.2 million us- Denver. The Denver Tech Center is two light rail stops ing the TOD Fund. This site being directly across the from the property and Downtown Denver is within street from the Evans Station will provide much eco- eight stops. nomic opportunity in a prime location, giving people easy transit access for jobs and education opportunities. Yale TOD Partners desires to develop the Yale Station ULC expects this development to be catalytic to the area into a master planned TOD community with a mix area, encouraging additional community investment. of uses and concepts that utilize the entire site. To the highest degree possible, the architectural / construction ULC is partnering with affordable housing developer design shall incorporate green building, i.e., E- Star and Medici Communities LLC who was awarded low in- LEED certification, and other utility cost savings sys- come housing tax credits (LIHTC) from Colorado tems. Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) for the project.

12. Mile High Vista (TOD) ULC purchased this two-acre parcel of land along west Denver’s FasTracks light rail corridor for $2.1 million

10 of 21 The LIHTC program provides the private market with 16. Curtis Park Community Center an incentive to invest in affordable rental housing. ULC, with support Medici’s Evans Station Lofts will be a five-story develop- from the City and ment which will include 50 residential workforce units County of Denver’s and 7,100 square feet of retail and commercial space. Office of Economic This project will be the first family LIHTC project at an Development, ac- existing light rail station along RTD’s FasTracks, and quired the Curtis will serve households with incomes ranging from 30% Park Community to 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI). Center in January of 2012. The property includes two buildings: a 13,000 sq. ft. community 14. Villa TOD center building (including a gym and training/meet- Villa TOD, located in Denver’s Santa Fe Arts District, ing space) and a smaller administrative building (of- is the fifth property ULC has acquired using the TOD fice space) of 5,700 sq. ft. ULC is looking forward to Fund. ULC purchased this .31 acre property in August renovating the center as a productive, beneficial asset to of 2011 for $1.35million, preserving 16 units of afford- the Curtis Park community. It was owned for almost 70 able housing and 7,400 square feet of commercial space. years by American Baptist Church of the Rocky Moun- tain Region, who chose to sell it and support ULC’s The preservation and structural imporvement of Villa mission of acquiring and preserving real estate for long- TOD will boost the health of the neighborhood by pro- term community benefit. viding workforce housing, affordable office space for neighborhood programs as well as creating local jobs. The community center is located 5 blocks from several bus routes at East 30th and Downing and 4 blocks from ULC will partner with NEWSED and Denver Inner City the Welton and 29th light rail station in downtown Parish (DICP) for the long-term management and use Denver. It will serve as part of the Denver Shared Space of the property. Both nonprofits have worked along the Project (DSSP), offering the gym and meeting spaces Santa Fe corridor for more than 35 years. DICP will be for community use. ULC is working with several local expanding their services to include housing assistance nonprofits to office at this site including: Family Star and this facility will be a natural extension of their cur- Montessori Program who will be operating a high-qual- rent service area allowing them to fill a vital need in ity preschool program and African-American Leader- west Denver. ship Institute, a 20 year old leadership development organization who will also be offering programming services. 15. Blake TOD Blake TOD is a 1.4 acre property at 38th Street and Walnut Street. This site sits adjacent to the first stop of Affordable Housing in Denver RTD’s future East Corridor Commuter Line connect- Map on 10 ing Downtown Union Station to Denver International Airport. This property, which has been vacant for over Through the Office of Economic Development of the a year, will be stabilized and eventually developed as a City and County of Denver, we were able to acquire an mixed-use site with an emphasis on affordable housing. inventory of affordable housing across the entire Metro Development at this site will be catalytic to the area, Denver area. This has been key to ULC’s community with much needed access to transit at the Blake Street research and placing our focus in areas that will ben- Station scheduled to be operational in early 2016. efit most from our work. The data provided by the City included restricted affordable rental, and for-sale units This property, purchased for $1.7 million in November with the name, address, mix of affordable units, targeted of 2011, is the 6th acquisition using the TOD Fund. demographic, number of bedrooms, source of funding, owner, size of the development, and the date that affordable housing credits expire. The map shows restricted affordable rental housing by

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of Expiring Affordable Housing 21 size of the development along with restricted affordable which involve her leaving her children on the bus to for sale housing as yellow squares. Most restricted af- chase another down, only then to turn around and hold fordable rental housing is concentrated within the city, both buses at the stop long enough to make the transfer which presents the ULC an opportunity to think region- with all four children. ally. The map also has the FasTracks TOD layer to show Grocery shopping is an exhausting experience. Travel- affordable housing around existing or future reliable ling to the closest full size grocery store is difficult to transportation. Moving regionally, the ULC would like time correctly because the bus that services her neigh- to focus on providing affordable housing around these borhood stops running around 8:30pm. She used to key areas so low-income families have reliable access to take her children with her, but realized that she can be food, healthcare, education, and jobs. more efficient and quick if she leaves them home, which creates an almost unbearable feeling of anxiety. Why does ULC focus on TOD? Keysha recollected about a time when one of her children had the flu and was running close to a 107 degree Affordable housing in transit oriented developments is temperature. Snow was falling as she made the thirty reaching a point of high demand. As the advantage of minute walk with her child bundled up tightly in a TOD living becomes apparent to a greater number of stroller. After being seen by the doctor, Keysha walked people, we must remain focused on growing equitably. back home the same way she came. Low-income families need to have access to communities in and adjacent to TOD sites because of the direct After all of this, Keysha says with a smile “I love my com- impact it has on their quality of life. Many of these fami- munity, it’s calm, I feel stable, and I love my place.” She lies rely on public transportation as a fundamental re- doesn’t want to move, she wants her children to do well source to their daily lives. Convenient access to public in school and to make permanent friends. Four years transportation is a real advantage for people in order to ago, she was homeless for seven months. That experi- save money and time. ence has given her a positive look on her new life and she really looks forward to the benefit that the future We had the opportu- adjacent light rail station will bring to her community nity to speak with a in the coming years. Sun Valley resident, Keysha, who de- Housing that does not benefit from reliable TOD access scribed a challenging severely limits opportunities for low-income house- example of housing holds, placing extreme restrictions and strain on already that does not benefit vulnerable families. There is a fundamental need to from reliable trans- provide well-connected housing options to all income portation. Keysha is a single mom with four children levels, particularly for low income families who depend and no access to a car, giving her the unfortunate ex- on public transportation for their livelihood. Equitable perience of trying to work and raise a family with non- development is key to healthy communities and cities. TOD transportation. She deals with late buses, compli- We need to assure that families like Keysha’s have the cated bus transfers, burdened grocery shopping trips, opportunity to live in areas that will allow them to save and must rely on public transportation to get to hos- money and time, while easily and inexpensively access- pitals when her children are sick. Despite all of that, ing education, employment, services, and ultimately a Keysha’s attitude remains positive because of her love higher quality of life. for her children, the Sun Valley community, and hav- ing quality affordable housing. “I was homeless at one point... and that was a lot tougher than this,” she says. Expiring Affordable Housing Buses have been tricky for Keysha as they are not as Map on 11 reliable as she feels they should be. During inclement Analyzing the City of Denver’s affordable housing data weather things are even worse. She told us of instances further allowed us to extract and display the restricted in which buses were over twenty minutes late, and when affordable housing that is recently expired or expiring they arrive they are too full to get on with her children soon. As affordable housing tax credits expire, it’s im- and stroller. She is forced to make quick bus transfers portant for organizations such as the ULC to be con-

14 of 21 cerned. We want to ensure the city is not at risk of losing gage Disclosure Act, unemployment rates in counties valuable affordable housing. Knowing the details of the as of June 2008 from the Labor Department, and resi- expiring developments allows us to pinpoint proper- dential addresses identified as being vacant for 90 days ties we may want to take action on. Sometimes expiring or longer as of June 2008 from the United Stated Postal developments Service. are owned and This data can be considered outdated in 2012 because operated by of the improving economy, however the predictions nonprofits with were accurate and many of these communities are still distinct inten- in need of assistance with affordable housing and pro- tions to renew grams to assist people threatened by foreclosure. HUD their hous- has made these data readily available so local govern- ing tax credits, ments and nonprofits like ULC can pinpoint where our this does not investments will be most impactful. The financial crisis concern ULC of 2008 created long lasting issues within our communi- as much as a for-profit developer who may own an tax ties, understanding the factors that generated the crisis credit housing development. is a first step to addressing problems. HUD has done The map shows expiring affordable developments by a tremendous job guiding us to the areas that need us size, similar to the affordable housing inventory map. most. The place marks are also defined by year of expiration, the more red the square is, the sooner it is expiring. The FasTracks layer is also included to ensure Denver is not Foreclosure in the City and County of at risk for losing affordable housing in key TOD areas. Denver Map on page 17 U.S. Department of Housing and In the State of Colorado, we have faced foreclosures at Urban Development Foreclosure Risk an alarming rate in past years; however, signs of recov- Assessment ery are apparent. During 2011, foreclosure filings fell 25.3 percent from 2010, the lowest annual total since Map on page 16 2006 (DOH, 2011). Similar results have occurred with The United States Department of Housing and Urban foreclosure sales. In the City and County of Denver, the Development (HUD) published a foreclosure risk as- 2011 foreclosure filings totaled 3,434 while 2010 faced sessment in 2008, forecasting communities at the high- 5,053, a 32 percent change for the better. est risk of destabilization through foreclosures. In this Foreclosure filings provide ULC the ability to under- study, as a part of the Housing and Economic Recovery stand the communities that allow us to carry out our Act of 2008 and the Neighborhood Stabilization Pro- mission. From 2005 to 2011, there were over 31,510 gram, HUD established very specific targeting respon- foreclosure filings in Denver County, as shown on the sibilities for state and local governments. ULC has also foreclosure map. However, it is important to understand used this data to target communities of need through- that filings are not sales. Foreclosure filings can be miti- out Metro Denver, focusing on areas with the greatest gated and stopped from becoming sales with assistance percentage of home foreclosures and highest percentage from programs like the Colorado Foreclosure Preven- of subprime mortgage loans. tion Task Force and the Colorado Foreclosure Hotline. The data includes a category called Estimated Foreclo- The pattern of foreclosures directly reflects the predict- sure Abandonment Risk Score. The score is not the ac- ed foreclosure issues from the previous map of HUD tual level of problem in each neighborhood, but instead foreclosure risk. Affordable housing options give fami- an indicator of a risk of problems. The score is created lies facing foreclosure viable options to retain the value from a combination of indicators including: the decline of their homes and community. of home values from the Office of Federal Housing En- terprise Oversight, percentage of loans made between 2004 and 2005 from the Federal Reserve Home Mort-

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HUD Foreclosure Risk (2008) City and County of Denver 17 of 21 Foreclosue Filings (2005-2011) The Colorado Department of Education also has a great tool for analyzing school performance and growth on School Performance Ratings their website, called SchoolVIEW. With data collected Map on page 17 from SchoolVIEW, the ULC was able to average the Quality schools and educational programs are an asset percent proficient scores on math, reading, and writing to all communities, ULC is dedicated to working with of each school in Metro Denver, and geocode it to rep- partners around the Metro Denver who are devoted to resent it spatially for ULC to accurately identify com- providing equal education opportunities for all. munities in need of educational assistance. ULC is able to provide and manage space for educational programs ULC has a proven track record of working with educa- to thrive and make a difference in the lives of children tional programs and nonprofits to improve communi- across the city. ties that desperately need educational attention. Qual- ity education provides the means to emerge from low The map shows education ratings in Metro Denver. incomes and foster the potential for leadership amongst Many of the low-income and HUD risk areas are plagued our youth. with low proficiency scores. Mapping this data can be a first step in solving the problem. We must understand the complex relationships that accompany poor school ratings. ULC is working to assist quality educational programs by finding effective real estate solutions to

ULC has benefitted tremendously from being able to represent school ratings spatially. The Piton Founda- tion is a leader in data and research, educating residents through data analysis and display for the purpose of continue their invaluable work in Denver’s communi- community growth and engagement. Piton has been an ties. We have many successful educational partners and important ally and partner to ULC, and their available will continue providing real estate solutions. resources were crucial to the educational data provided in this Atlas. “Education and health care are the civil rights issues of our generation” Piton Foundation CEO Terry Minger

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19 School Proficiency Ratings of (Math, Reading, Writing Percent Proficient State Scores Averaged) 21 Hospital Coverage for Low Income need with the intention of providing solutions to gaps Populations in hospital coverage. We will work with organizations to provide real estate solutions to improve health coverage Map on page 19 in Denver’s communities. We are able to provide afford- Hospital coverage is another indicator important to able space and connect organizations to a network of ULC. Analyzing the distance of hospitals to various services and support through our partners. parts of the city reveals an alarming tale. Many low- This map shows the distance from each hospital in Met- ro Denver with low-income population density. Clinics are also labeled. The most startling gaps reside in west Denver between Federal and Sheridan Boulevard and the Montbello area in east Denver, north of I-70.

income populations are faced with the problem of poor access to health services. Many low-income individuals in these areas rely on public transportation to get to needed health services, sometimes the easiest hospital Since 1860, Denver Health has played a crucial to get to is not the closest based on transportation con- role in providing and sustaining health care, nections. which has resulted in Denver gaining the rep- utation as one of the nation’s healthiest cities. Denver Health is Denver’s ‘safety net’ hospital, provid- Today, Denver Health continues to care for the ing much needed affordable care to the Metro Denver needs of vulnerable special populations includ- residents. Low-income patrons, many of which are un- ing the poor, minorities, non-English speakers insured, have found comfort in the services that the and refugees. In 2008 Denver Health served hospital provides. Denver Health has also taken great approximately 160,000 people, including 25% strides to provide health care to low-income areas by of Denver’s residents and 35% of Denver’s chil- conveniently placing clinics in the neighborhoods that dren. More than 85% of them were low income need it most. While these clinics have offered great ben- or “working poor”. efit to the communities in which they preside, it is important to understand they do not have the ability to Denver Health Foundation service every population lacking access to healthcare. ULC uses health indicators to evaluate community

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B l v Light Rail 00.5 1 2 3 4 d I Miles Low Income Population by Cenus Tract Arapahoe Rd 1 Dot = 15 Statistics, Maps, and Data [downloaded file]. (2011) Denver, Colorado: Colorado Department of Transportation [August, 2011] Low Income Individuals RTD Developer Resources [downloaded file]. (2011) Denver, Colorado: Regional Transportation District¤£ 121[July, 2011] P a Regional Data Catalog [downloaded file]. (2011) Denver, Colorado: Denver Regional Council of Governments [December, 2011] r Miles (within) k Colorado Department of Health and Environment GIS [shapefile]. (2009) Denver, Colorado: Colorado Department of Health and Environment. e Available: http://emaps.dphe.state.co.us/gis/download_data.html#env_links [September, 2011] r American Fact Finder [online database]. (2010) Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau. Available: http://factfinder2.census.gov [March, 2012] v® R 2011 TIGER/Line Shapefiles [online database]. (2011) Washington, DC. d .5 1 2 3 Available: http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/tgrshp2011/tgrshp2011.html [March, 2012] v® v® Hospital Coverage and 21 of 21 Low Income Density