STANDARD BLADE B R I G H T O N
SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1903
75cI
VOLUME 118
Issue 4
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2021
Maiker aims for consistency as eviction worries mount Adams County’s public housing agency outlines 2021 plans to address a worsening housing crisis
Districts implement new quarantine and testing strategies as they return to hybrid learning
BY LIAM ADAMS LADAMS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
While a federal decision to extend an eviction moratorium passed Dec. 31 offered much-needed relief, the lapse of a state moratorium and the federal moratorium’s pending deadline hasn’t eased anxiety about evictions, according to officials from Maiker Housing. This is where Maiker Housing Partners, Adams County’s public housing agency, and other county agencies plan to step in, according to Peter LiFari, Maiker’s executive director. Maiker helped 930 households, or 2790 people, in 2020, and it hopes to do the same this year. The state eviction moratorium, which plugged holes in the federal moratorium, lapsed after Dec. 31 when Gov. Jared Polis didn’t extend it. For example, the state order protected tenants who pay rent monthby-month. “The governor is trying to balance tremendous need and challenge. I would have preferred to see him extend his executive order,” LiFari said. State officials can decide to reinstate the moratorium, though. Complications with the moratoriums add to the larger issue of peoples’ ability to pay rent. In October, Maiker closed its rental assistance application queue after a pile-up of applications. Per-month applications rose to 450, with an average wait time of four weeks, Drew O’Connor, Maiker’s deputy director told the Northglenn City Council at a Dec. 31 meeting. “We couldn’t meet the demand that was needed in the queue. The team was moving as fast as they could, but we had so man. There was so much need in the community,” O’Connor said. Despite that, Maiker provided $4,399 in rental assistance per household in 2020, according to
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OBITUARIES LOCAL SPORTS LEGALS CLASSIFIEDS
Hopes high for second semester
BY LIAM ADAMS LADAMS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
A rendering of the Caraway, an affordable housing project that Maiker Housing Partners will construct in Adams County. The Caraway is one of several long-term projects Maiker is working on to address the housing crisis in Adams County. In the short term, the housing agency will continue providing much-needed rental assistance to residents. COURTESY OF MAIKER HOUSING PARTNERS
Peter LiFari, executive director of Maiker Housing Partners. COURTESY OF MAIKER HOUSING PARTNERS
data from Maiker. The money came from federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act money that Adams County, Northglenn, Federal Heights, Commerce City, Westminster and Thornton allocated to Maiker. Of those who have received support, 43 percent are Caucasian, 10 percent are black, 10 percent are
multiple races and 23 percent chose not to respond. Forty-seven percent identify as Hispanic or Latino. LiFari and O’Connor both said that the new federal stimulus package will help, but only so much. Much of the federal funding will be for rental assistance. Meanwhile, LiFari highlighted Adams County’s partnership with Colorado Legal Services for residents at risk of eviction. Residents can apply for funding from the county to help them afford legal representation. With legal representation, tenants can reach better agreements with landlords, whether that’s wiping an eviction from someone’s housing record, preventing eviction, or developing an agreeable repayment period. Meanwhile, Maiker will continue partnering with “organizations that have the intrinsic values and resources on the street,” LiFari said. That involves further allocating federal stimulus money to organizations like Brighton Housing Authority and Almost Home, Inc. A little further out, Maiker plans to complete the construction of affordable housing projects such as Crossing Pointe South in Thornton, The Caraway in Adams County and ALTO in Westminster.
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EDUCATION
2 •27J touts increase in 3 grad rates, drop-outs drop 7 • Page 9 11
CULTURE
• Forget the controversy, just enjoy your green chile • Page
School districts in Adams County are returning for their second semester with new optimism and plans. Westminster Public Schools and Brighton’s 27J Schools returned to hybrid learning Jan. 11 and 12, respectively. Adams 14 in Commerce City and Adams 12 in Thornton plans to return Jan. 19 and 25, respectively. The 14-day COVID-19 case incidence rates per 100,000 people, a key metric districts use to guide their decisions, in the Adams 12 area is 517 cases, according to recent TriCounty Health Department data. In Westminster, it’s 714 cases, 27J, it’s 621 cases, and in Adams 14, it’s 764 cases. Rates in the Adams 14 area actually led district officials to push back an earlier return to in-person learning. In some districts, about the same number of students decided to enroll in either the online-only learning or hybrid learning as last semester. Approximately 71 percent of Westminster’s students are learning in-person and 29 percent are online-only, Superintendent Pamela Swanson reported to the WPS Board of Education at a Jan. 12 meeting. Slightly more elementary students enrolled in in-person learning at 27J this semester, while middle and high schools saw slight decreases in in-person students. With area districts moving to all virtual learning in November after a spike in cases, boards, staff and students are eager to return to the classroom. “I’m really excited for it (in-person learning) and also, I just want to make sure that we’re keeping SEE SCHOOLS, P7
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