February 17, 2023, Arvada, CO
AVi at Olde Town held a Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting celebration on February 15th to welcome new residents to Arvada’s newest affordable housing development and community resource.
AVi features a total of 100 new affordable one- and two-bedroom units. Thirty units are dedicated to youth emancipating from foster care and facing housing insecurity in partnership with CASA of Jefferson and Gilpin Counties. An additional ten units are dedicated to unhoused veterans in partnership with the VA. (https://www.va.gov/homeless/hud-vash.asp)
Milender White (MW) collaborated with Van Meter Williams Pollack Architecture, Foothills Regional Housing and Urban Ventures LLC on this community, responding to the area’s urgent need for affordable housing. AVi’s development was supported by 4% Low-Income Housing Tax Credits from the State of Colorado.
AVi is located within walking distance from the Olde Town Arvada commuter rail station and retail. The building features several exciting gathering spaces along the urban park, a two-story bridge and a second-story outdoor deck.
This building will not only positively impact residents, but will also significantly impact the surrounding community. AVi’s modern, multi-story design more seamlessly integrates with the character of its neighborhood, which is largely comprised of newer or updated multifamily developments. Inside, AVi boasts a large flex space to host community partners, such as Red Rocks Community College, for events open to the public. This makes services of interest more accessible to the entire community.
AVi also represents the interests of CASA, Jefferson County Department of Human Services (DHS), Red Rocks Community College (RRCC), the VA, and those they serve. CASA, DHS, and FRH have been pioneering a partnership since 2019 to support and stably house former foster youth, 20% of which will experience homelessness the moment they turn 18. AVi marks the largest investment in this partnership to date, with 30 youth receiving PBVs for housing stability and one-on-one support from a CASA Coach in their Youth Alliance program for stability in health, employment, education, and other areas. Additionally, veterans are 50% more likely to experience homelessness than other Americans. Recognizing this, the VA and FRH partnered to ensure that 10 veteran households receive PBVs and ongoing VA case management. RRCC provides financial assistance education and is periodically on-site to support the educational goals of AVi’s residents.
At AVi, the special populations already had intensive services offered through CASA and the VA, but the remaining residents did not have access to any services. By pursuing and securing grant funding, FRH piloted an FTE on-site Service Coordinator to round out AVi’s service platform. The Service Coordinator connects households to needed resources, provides limited direct financial assistance, hosts resident events and brings in partner agencies, mediates between residents and the Property Manager, and supports residents in accessing health care. The Service Coordinator works closely with the on-site CASA Program Manager and coordinates with the VA to ensure all resident needs are met and to foster a sense of community amongst the residents.
Darren Hinton, MW Construction Executive, and Senior Vice President shared “Foothills has been working on AVI for a number of years. It took incredible dedication and determination to develop a vision and then build a team to execute that vision. Milender White is proud to be a part of the team and we are thankful for being able to bring this great project to the Arvada Community.”
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Milender White is a full-service real estate company dedicated to delivering outstanding results on every project, unsurpassed service to clients, and superb career opportunities – with a total commitment to safety, quality and integrity. MW is part of the Graham Group of Companies, headquartered in Calgary, AB. Together as One Graham, we provide our clients with a fully-integrated service offering that creates certainty and peace of mind throughout the entire project life cycle. Visit us at www.milenderwhite.com.
Van Meter Williams Pollack is an award-winning Architecture and Urban Design firm based in San Francisco, Denver, and Minneapolis. VMWP specializes in affordable housing, mixed-use and market-rate housing, master planning, land use and zoning standards that help communities accommodate change. VMWP takes a comprehensive and innovative design approach. We integrate client needs into sustainable design solutions that address climate resilience, social and economic equity, to create beautiful, inspiring communities and places for people to live and thrive. Visit https://www.vmwp.com/
Foothills Regional Housing’s mission is to create vibrant, stable, communities, in areas of opportunity, via bold and strategic initiatives and to provide families and individuals with housing options driven by compassion and respect throughout Jefferson County. Visit https://www.foothillsrh.org/.
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