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DENVER — A new affordable housing development has opened in the Globeville neighborhood, and it's providing unique services for the disabled.
The Elisabetta has 91 units and includes one, two, and three-bedroom apartments with rent starting at $1,044 a month. The new community will serve residents and households earning 30%, 50%, and 60% of the area's median income.
"To be perfectly honest, this is the first time my family has ever got to move in and have it be brand new," said new resident Kristin Chadwick.
Chadwick says at other apartments, her family was having trouble making the income requirements for a home. Her daughters and husband are disabled.
"They request that you have proof of income for three times the rent and when almost every member of my family is disabled, minus myself. There is no way we can do that," said Chadwick. "Since our last home in Littleton, we were homeless for five months because we could not find affordable housing."
That all changed when her employer told her about The Elisabetta. She works for Laradon, a Denver nonprofit that helps people of all ages with disabilities.
"As we examine the needs of the population who we serve, affordable housing was at the top of the list," said Laradon CEO Doug McNeill.
The community was developed by Gorman & Company on land owned by Laradon. With the help of a $14.7 million investment by United Healthcare.
About 25% of the units are set aside for the disabled. Three adults with disability day programs will be available on the first floor. Plus, the Laradon facilities are just steps away.
"Laradon serves 700 people every day through 16 different programs," said McNeill. "To develop skills and tools and the right behaviors so that they can be successful back in their home community."
The move has been life-changing for Chadwick. Who now walks to work and has a home fit for her daughter with mobility issues.
"Our apartment has a walk-in shower, and this shower has rails and a bench that she can sit on," said Chadwick.
Laradon and Gorman & Company have already broken ground on another affordable housing complex next to The Elisabetta. It will have even more units and will be completed in the fall of 2021.