Mercy Housing Inc., a leading national affordable housing nonprofit headquartered in Denver that serves tens of thousands of people with low incomes every day, announced today that its proposal was selected by the Denver Housing Authority (DHA) through a competitive Request for Qualifications process to build an intergenerational, permanent supportive and affordable housing community along with a health clinic that will be the Denver Metro area’s first to focus on serving American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities. 9th & Nav will bring affordable housing to families and individuals, with nearly 50% of the apartments reserved for those who were formerly homeless. To ensure permanent affordability, DHA will provide a 99-year ground lease to build the development at 901 Navajo Street, a site in Denver’s La Alma-Lincoln Park neighborhood acquired through a partnership between the City and County of Denver and DHA.

Recognizing the historical displacement of American Indian tribes in Metro Denver and a disproportionate increase in homelessness of American Indian and Alaska Native people in the area, Mercy Housing Mountain Plains, a regional office of Mercy Housing, will collaborate with Native American Housing Circle (NAHC) to provide onsite direction and support to serve their community in the most culturally inclusive ways. The NAHC is a coalition of Native-led and Native-serving organizations that create affordable housing and direct services for Native American people experiencing homelessness and housing instability in the Denver metro area. American Indian and Alaska Native households, whose population in the Denver metro area doubled between 2010 and 2020, are overrepresented by more than four times in homelessness relative to the general population in metro Denver, according to the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative. Mercy Housing and NAHC will conduct focus groups with AI/AN communities and individuals with lived homelessness experience to design the development and create culturally appropriate programs and services.

Addressing Metro Denver’s Housing Disparities

“The Native American Housing Circle is grateful for the opportunity to partner with Mercy Housing on this project,” said Bill Ziegler (Kul Wicasa Lakota), principal housing consultant with NAHC. “This development will be an important step in addressing the housing disparities within metro Denver’s Native American community. We are hopeful that the success of this project will lead to additional opportunities for NAHC to help our homeless relatives and unstably housed families in metro Denver.”

The new affordable and supportive community will provide residences for approximately 187 households and be open to all applicants earning 30-60% of the area median income. Approximately half of the apartment homes will give preference to homeless households. It will be co-located with a 19,000-square-foot federally qualified health clinic to be operated by Denver Indian Health and Family Services. The clinic will provide high-quality, convenient primary medical, behavioral, and dental care for residents and the larger community and host wellness, nutrition, and fitness activities. Mercy Housing will partner with additional resident services providers in Denver, including WellPower, to provide a full suite of wraparound housing stability, case management, mental health, financial, and other community services to residents. For more than 40 years, Mercy Housing has integrated health and community services with many of the 350 affordable housing properties that it owns and operates in 20 states. This has proven to help stabilize and support individuals transitioning from homelessness and help low-income families to thrive.

“The new Navajo Street development is part of Mercy Housing’s unique focus on combating racial inequity and providing inclusive health and housing services that improve the physical, behavioral, and emotional health of individuals transitioning from homelessness,” said Shelly Marquez, president of Mercy Housing Mountain Plains. “This new community leans into Mercy Housing’s commitment to housing and health. Co-locating health and housing offers vulnerable families and individuals the health and stability that helps them to heal and prosper.”

9th & Nav Brings New Vibe to Historic Neighborhood

The preliminary designs for the new community include a fitness center, community cafes with the feel of a neighborhood coffee shop, and a community kitchen providing a space for cooking classes and community events. The development will also incorporate a network of green public and semi-private spaces throughout the building that supports mental and physical health and will be places where residents can meet neighbors, play, garden, or find solitude. The apartment homes and health center will complement and extend the inclusive and vibrant community that DHA has built in the La Alma-Lincoln Park neighborhood.

“Native Americans suffer from some of the worst health disparities in the world,” said Adrianne Maddux, executive director of Denver Indian Health and Family Services. “Housing is a well-known contributor to health outcomes and a meaningful lever for health equity. We have provided culturally responsive services to the native community for over 45 years. This opportunity is a positive step in honoring and supporting our native community. Denver Indian Health and Family Services will continue promoting healthy living and disease prevention through the services we currently offer and will be able to add services we currently cannot provide, such as X-rays and specialty care. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Mercy Housing and the Native American Housing Circle as we honor our families and provide them with new opportunities in housing and improved healthcare services for the future.”

Mercy Housing will now begin working with the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority to secure financing for the development. The tentative start of construction for the 9th & Nav site will be Summer 2024. Mercy Housing Mountain Plains owns and operates 3,095 affordable apartments across 41 Colorado, Arizona, and Nebraska properties.

According to Erin Clark, DHA’s chief real estate investment officer, “DHA was impressed by Mercy Housing’s innovative proposal for redeveloping the 901 Navajo site from industrial warehouse uses to high-quality, mixed-income affordable housing. And providing direct healthcare services adjacent to regional transit will be a welcome addition to the La Alma-Lincoln Park neighborhood and the broader Denver community.”

This will be the sixth development made possible with land acquisition resources from a bonding partnership between the City and County of Denver and DHA. The “DHA Delivers for Denver” Program (D3) utilizes property tax mill levy revenue from Denver’s Affordable Housing Fund to expedite and expand a pipeline of supportive housing residences.

About Mercy Housing

Mercy Housing Mountain Plains (MHMP) is committed to creating affordable homes and inclusive communities by
developing, financing, and operating affordable, program-enriched housing for families, seniors, and people with
special needs. Over 6,000 residents live in one of MHMP’s 43 properties across Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa,
South Dakota, and Utah. MHMP is a regional branch of Mercy Housing, Inc. (MHI), a national nonprofit headquartered in Denver. Founded by the Catholic sisters in 1981, strong leadership and a clear vision have taken Mercy Housing from a small Nebraska
nonprofit to more than $5 billion in real estate development, with a presence in 45 states and Puerto Rico. Visit
mercyhousing.org/mountainplains to find out more.

About Denver Housing Authority

Denver Housing Authority (“DHA”) is a quasi-municipal corporation with a portfolio of over 13,000 units and housing choice vouchers, providing affordable housing to more than 26,000 very low-, low and middle-income individuals. DHA has transformed public housing in Denver, creating a vibrant, revitalized, sustainable, transit-oriented, and mixed-income community of choice. DHA’s vision reflects the goal that every individual or family shall have access to quality and affordable housing, in communities offering empowerment, economic opportunity, and a vibrant living environment. Denver Housing Authority’s mission is to serve the residents of Denver by developing, owning, and operating safe, decent, and affordable housing in a manner that promotes thriving communities. DHA has been creating vibrant communities and sustainable neighborhoods since 1938. For more information, visit www.denverhousing.org.

About Native American Housing Circle

The Native American Housing Circle (NAHC) is a coalition of Native-led and Native-serving organizations who create affordable housing and direct services for Native American people experiencing homelessness and housing instability in the Denver Metro area.

About Denver Indian Health and Family Services

Denver Indian Health and Family Services (DIHFS) is Denver’s only Urban Indian Health Program providing culturally appropriate healthcare for American Indian and Alaska Native adults, children, and families. We serve primarily the Denver Metropolitan area including Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson and Weld Counties. We are uniquely positioned to meet the health needs of our patients in a culturally competent way.