Denver Shared Spaces Shares 4 Key Takeaways from Denver Housing Summit
This is a guest post authored by Megan Devenport.
Last week, Megan Devenport, Program Manager of Denver Shared Spaces (DSS) facilitated one of five breakout tracks at a full-day housing summit hosted by the City and County of Denver. The summit, titled Bridging the Gap: A Solutions Forum on Housing, brought together 300+ multi-disciplinary leaders from across the Metro to spend the day tackling region’s critical housing challenges.
Participants in the track “Complete Communities: Access to Opportunities in and Around Affordable Housing” represented almost every sector and constituent group, including resident activists and leaders, institutional partners, government employees, nonprofit professionals, and private sector real estate developers. Because of this incredible mix of interests, expertise, and perspectives, there were deep and productive conversations about key challenges.
What are “complete communities” and why do they matter? The group defined “complete communities” as those neighborhoods that provide reliable, quality access to housing, jobs, education, health, and transportation. Further, the room of nearly 100 participants emphasized that this reliable, quality access needs to be available to everyone, regardless of age, income, or race. Housing alone, while a huge piece of the puzzle needed for individuals and families to thrive, is not enough. Truly vibrant neighborhoods provide all residents with access to the full range of supports, amenities, and opportunities
After a panel breakout exploring challenges and innovative solutions, small groups began to problem solve, allowing participants to dig deeper into the specific challenges identified through the panel conversations. In small groups, participant teams focused on addressing the road blocks our region faces in creating and maintaining complete communities.
The community-minded businesses and nonprofits that form our constituent base are key players in providing those things that make a community “complete”. As DSS is piloting services that help affordable housing developers and owners effectively connect with nonprofits and businesses, there is a critical connection made that directly supports residents of these existing and future developments.
Three specific “a-ha” moments came to the forefront, which can all be applied to the complex, multi-disciplinary social challenges the Denver region is currently facing:
Look for champions in unusual places. The right champion is critical for an effort to succeed – someone in the right place, right time, and with the right set of connections. The day started with participants initially bemoaning the dearth of champions in the arena of equitable community development. Champions of causes can be found in an increasing array of places. Christopher Smith with the Colorado Health Foundation shared how the Foundation is stepping into the role of “champion” when it comes to viewing the built environment as integral to positive health outcomes. Not only are they championing the connection, they are “putting their money where their mouth is” – increasingly funding capital projects that are aimed at increasing positive health outcomes.
We’re playing a long-game, folks. Another critical reminder that wound throughout the conversation is that equitable, inclusive, quality development is a long-game. While we can’t overlook the immediacy of people being priced out of their homes or of businesses getting pushed out of neighborhoods, the reality is that we are working on solutions that will be years coming to fruition. In this historically boom-and-bust town, true sustainability can only be achieved by taking a long-view of community needs.
Think both big and small. Panelists included developers who work on scales both large and small, Kimball Crangle and Chuck Perry shared experiences working with complex, multi-phase redevelopments that allowed plenty of room for creative partnerships. On the other side of the coin, George Thorn shared experiences “thinking small” – creating high-quality affordable apartments on small parcels where most people only saw retention ponds. While adding to the difficulty of the process, all examples highlighted on the panels demonstrate how partnerships, patience, and creativity on both the big and the small scale can create dynamic, multi-use projects in the region.
This is emotional work. Don’t get stuck in your head. Participants offered up a range of perspectives about ideas, data, information, or perspectives that are critical to keep top-of-mind in this process of finding solutions. One participant shared his assumption that the room – and the event more broadly – excluded resident advocates and people who were experiencing the direct impacts of the housing crisis. While largely true of the 350+ attendees, this assumption was countered by a woman who shared that she’d been homeless, and was now participating as an advocate for her affordable housing community.
This exchange highlighted the value of both naming one’s assumptions and being open to correction. Others shared how their participation in the Summit was motivated by professional role as well as personal passion for change. Data points like the rate of homelessness among DPS students or the health impacts of displacement helped ground us in both the intellectual challenge we were grappling with as well as the emotional importance of working for change.
The challenge of creating meaningful, complete communities for all people is one that is going to take unusual suspects, working together in big and small ways, over the long-term, and bringing their whole selves into the work. Members of the greater community should be thinking about how to become one of those “unusual suspects”.