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again, this time for making just $300 more than the cut-o . But, a slow month at work turned out to be a good thing. His income dipped just enough that by the third time he applied he made it on the waitlist.

at did not come with the guarantee of a home. Laney was in a line of people just like him and demand far outweighed supply. Number 10 was his position. Who knew how many more were behind him, he thought.

en it happened. Laney was made an o er, a 1,275-square-foot detached home near Ketring Park in of Detective Heath Gumm. Heath’s memory lives on and will never be forgotten.” central Littleton valued at $285,000, roughly a third of what similar properties sold for.

Gumm was 31 in January 2018 when he joined other deputies responding to a report of an assault in progress at about 87th and Dawson in unincorporated Adams County. e deputies searched the area, making contact with a man who ed, leading the chase behind a house in the neighborhood. Gumm was chasing the man, who turned, drew a weapon and red, striking Gumm in the chest and killing him.

Dreion Dearing, then 22, was later convicted of killing Gumm.

But the 2023 ceremony marking the fth anniversary of the shooting had little to do with the shooting itself. Instead, Sheri Claps, former Sheri Mike McIntosh, prosecutor Jess Redman and Gumm’s father Jim thanked the o cer for what he did, extending that gratitude to others police o cers and deputies.

“I can’t even express how happy I was,” Laney said. “I’ve been living and serving this community for 10 years and I want to live here.”

Still, the program has some drawbacks compared to traditional homeownership. Laney cannot build as much equity as many of his neighbors because he does not own the property the home sits on. Instead, it is owned by something called a land trust — a collection of entities.

“ e beauty of the land trust is it removes the cost of the land from the equation from the cost of the home,” said Kate Hilberg, director of real estate development for Habitat for

“I went through many di erent thoughts in my mind while trying to come up with this speech, but most of them ended up being sad and depressing. But I knew there would already be too much sadness and too many tears today,” Jim Gumm said. “So I started thinking about what Heath would want. He would not everyone being down today. He would want you to ll your thoughts with his memories and happy stories.”

Gumm had earned a reputation as a playful prankster and friend, something his father noted.

“He was the smartest person I have ever known and I believe that’s what gave him the amazing ability to come up with the most inappropriate comments at the most inappropriate times,” Jim Gumm said. “And I’m sure right now that all of you have one of those inappropriate comments in your minds.” e memorial ceremony was

Humanity. “It allows the homeowners to pay on that mortgage for that home and improvements to that home but not the land.”

Land trusts are crucial tools organizations like Habitat use to lock in the a ordability of homes even as property values rise elsewhere. e owners of these units will see some equity from their homes, Hilberg said, about 2% each year. But it won’t be enough to match the likes of homeowners who have used their growing property values to build decades of generational wealth.

“A lot of families use this as a starter home option and they do gain enough equity and stability to turn that into a down payment on a home in the open market,” Hilberg said of homes under bracketed with music, a Tom Petty playlist to open the memorial and the bagpipe dirge of “Amazing Grace” to close it. e song was playing nearly ve years ago as the pallbearers carried Gumm’s casket into Lafayette church for the former deputy’s funeral.

Former Adams County Sheri Mike McIntosh, now wearing his uniform as a Douglas County Chief Deputy, said he can no longer listen to one Tom Petty song, “I Wont Back Down,” without thinking of Gumm.

“I can’t hear that song anymore without thinking about Heath and thinking about the sacri ce he made and the fact that he didn’t back down,” McIntosh said. “He went into the face of danger not knowing what the outcome was going to be. He stood his ground and he didn’t back down.” e memorial service was also shown live on the Adams County Sheri ’s Facebook page. land trusts.

But fathoming a concept like equity is a luxury for those who still can’t buy a house on the market, Laney said.

While he’s thankful for what Habitat did for him, he fears the few dozen homes it manages in Littleton can only go so far to meet the demand of hundreds, if not thousands, of residents who have struggled as he has.

“ ere isn’t enough income-based housing for people … the people who live and work in this community can’t a ord a house,” Laney said. “We can’t all win the lottery.”

Thu 2/02

Family Makerspace

@ 1am Feb 2nd - Feb 1st

Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 E. Parkway Dr., Commerce City. 303-2893760

Boot Camp Feb 2023 @ 1am

Feb 2nd - Feb 27th

Fort Lupton Recreation & Parks De‐partment, 203 S Harrison, Fort Lupton. 303-857-4200

Parent/Tot - Farm Animals (Bilingual) @ 4pm

Feb 2nd - Feb 23rd

Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 E. Parkway Dr., Commerce City. 303-2893760

Los Mocochetes in Concert @ 7:30pm / $25

Parsons Theatre, 1 East Memorial Parkway, Northglenn. mstricker@ northglenn.org, 303-450-8888

Sat 2/04

Daddy Daughter Dance- A Night in Paris

@ 1am

Feb 4th - Feb 3rd

Bison Ridge Recreation Center, 13905 E. 112th Avenue, Commerce City. 303-2893760

Brushes and Brunch

@ 5pm

Bison Ridge Recreation Center, 13905 E. 112th Avenue, Commerce City. 303-2893760

Denver Nuggets vs. Atlanta Hawks

@ 7pm / $42-$5040

Ball Arena, 1000 Chopper Circle, Denver

Denver Nuggets vs. Golden State Warriors

@ 7pm / $62-$6705

Ball Arena, 1000 Chopper Circle, Denver

Anavrin's Day: Thurdsay Night @ Hoffbrau @ 9pm Hoffbrau, 9110 Wadsworth Pkwy, West‐minster

Fri 2/03

Breakfast Out "Doug's Café" (2/3) @ 4pm Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 E. Parkway Dr., Commerce City. 303-2893760

Tiny Treks @ 4pm

Feb 3rd - Feb 17th

Bison Ridge Recreation Center, 13905 E. 112th Avenue, Commerce City. 303-2893760

"Doubt: A Parable" by John Patrick Shanley @ 7:30pm / $12.50

Armory Performing Arts Center, 300 Strong St, Brighton

Sun 2/05

Forest �oor frames @ 5:30pm

Anythink Wright Farms, 5877 East 120th Avenue, Thornton. mhibben @anythinklibraries.org, 303-4053200

Hearts and Friends @ 8pm

Feb 6th - Feb 27th

Bison Ridge Recreation Center, 13905 E. 112th Avenue, Commerce City. 303-2893760

Love and Friendship @ 9pm

Feb 6th - Feb 27th

Bison Ridge Recreation Center, 13905 E. 112th Avenue, Commerce City. 303-2893760

American Sign Language- Beginner @ 11pm

Feb 6th - Mar 1st

Bison Ridge Recreation Center, 13905 E. 112th Avenue, Commerce City. 303-2893760

SOAR Social @ 11:30pm

Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 E. Parkway Dr., Commerce City. 303-2893760

Tue 2/07

Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves @ 8pm / $12-$3970

Ball Arena, 1000 Chopper Circle, Denver

Sports Conditioning Feb. @ 10:30pm

Feb 7th - Feb 28th

Fort Lupton Recreation & Parks De‐partment, 203 S Harrison, Fort Lupton. 303-857-4200

Thu 2/09

Colorado Mammoth vs. Georgia Swarm @ 7pm / $20-$999

Ball Arena, 1000 Chopper Circle, Denver

Basic Archery Instruction @ 11am

Barr Lake State Park, 13401 Pica‐dilly Road, Brighton. Dnr_bar rlake.Naturecenter@state.co.us, 303-659-6005

Mon 2/06

For the love of training 2023

@ 12pm

Feb 6th - Feb 27th

Fort Lupton Recreation & Parks De‐partment, 203 S Harrison, Fort Lupton. 303-857-4200

Legal Self-Help Clinic @ 2pm

Anythink Wright Farms, 5877 East 120th Avenue, Thornton. morgan@ hayday.org, 303-520-6088

Gambling Lodge Casino (2/7)

@ 4pm

Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 E. Parkway Dr., Commerce City. 303-2893760

Youth Climbing Feb 10-15 Years @ 6pm

Feb 7th - Feb 28th

Fort Lupton Recreation & Parks De‐partment, 203 S Harrison, Fort Lupton. 303-857-4200

2023 USA Curling Men’s & Women’s National Championships @ 9am

Denver Coliseum, 4600 Humboldt Street, Denver

Hammond's Candy Factory Tour (2/9) @ 3:45pm

Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 E. Parkway Dr., Commerce City. 303-2893760

Drunken Hearts: Andrew McConathy @ 6pm

Odde's Music Grill, 9975 Wadsworth Pkwy N2, Westminster

Lunch & Movie @ 7pm Fort Lupton Recreation & Parks De‐partment, 203 S Harrison, Fort Lupton. 303-857-4200