Renovations in Castle Rock Expand Habitat Denver’s Affordable Housing Reach

The Castle Rock News Press first published this story on March 21. To see the original article, click here.

Habitat Denver is expanding its reach in Douglas county with projects in Castle Rock. Two condominium renovations began March 16 and will help expand affordable housing options in the fast-growing community.

“More people are starting to understand the importance of affordable housing in growing and thriving communities,” said Heather Lafferty, Habitat Metro Denver CEO.

“One of the key elements to the success of a town on the economic side is having a wide range of workers, and we need to have housing for those people,” said Former Castle Rock Town Councilmember Clark Hammelman at the renovation site.

Hammelman reached out to Habitat 18 months ago after acknowledging that Douglas County was booming because of development but had a shortage of affordable housing. “(Habitat) seemed to make sense from an economic-development perspective as well as a good thing to do for those people who want to be a part of our community but can’t afford the housing here.”

Renovation projects allow for an expansion of affordable housing services in tighter real-estate markets. “As the market has gotten more and more challenging to find affordable land, we have expanded how we service families by acquiring existing homes, doing renovations and then selling them to low-income families,” Lafferty said.

The project work on the two condominiums includes the installation of new appliances, flooring, paint, cabinets, countertops and sinks.

Volunteers from New Hope Presbyterian Church in Castle Rock are contributing their time and labor to this project in their community. The church regularly partners with Habitat Denver to work on projects throughout the metro area.

“We’ve talked about trying to get this kind of housing, these kinds of projects in the Castle Rock area because we know there’s a need for that down here,” said Castle Rock resident and veteran Habitat volunteer Glenn. “It’s really good to do this kind of work and know that you’re helping people that really need help and that you’re giving them that foot up so they can really progress forward in life.”

If you would like to support Habitat Metro Denver’s affordable housing efforts, click below to donate your time or financial support.