WEEK OF DECEMBER 28, 2023
VOLUME 135 | ISSUE 21
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Process tough for Geneva Village INSIDE THIS ISSUE residents forced to move BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
For the past three months, residents of Geneva Village have been steering their way through bureaucratic red tape to figure out where and how they will afford to live once redevelopment starts on the Littleton apartment complex. As of mid-December, most of the 12 female residents have rent subsidies and pending plans to move to new homes in early 2024. But for many, the process of getting to this point was full of confusion and frustration, among moments of hope. In September, the city council voted to redevelop the low-income, senior apartment complex to create more affordable housing stock in the community and to activate the area as a “northern gateway” into downtown Littleton. The decision came after years of discussion about what to do with the aging property, as council members considered costs, the need for affordable housing in Littleton and the wellbeing of the women who live in the historical complex. Although the city council has not yet determined a specific timeline, staff
has proposed that residents vacate Geneva Village by the end of 2025. The city hired B-Konnected, a trauma-informed housing navigation company, to support the senior residents as they figure out their next steps. But as Brittany Katalenas, the CEO of B-Konnected, offers day-to-day support and helps the women apply for apartment units, she said the biggest challenge has been getting rental subsidies. “They don’t have the ability to pay rent. They’re all fixed income,” she said. “I can provide all of those services — but if we do not have an ability to pay for rent, then no one’s moving.” The need for rental subsidies and housing choice
The primary source of income for the women at Geneva Village is Social Security, with an average monthly income of $1,528, according to a survey conducted by B-Konnected. There are no housing options in the Denver metro market that are comparable to Geneva Village’s rents, which range from $300 for a studio apartment to $450 for a two-bedroom. For comparison, the fair market rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in Arapa-
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hoe County in 2023 is $1,538. The fair market price is set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD. “Those women (have) to increase their income in order to afford any unit in Colorado,” Katalenas said. Without a subsidy, the women at Geneva Village do not qualify for any apartments in Littleton outside of public housing, she added. With no rental subsidies offered by the city at this point in the process, Katalenas has been working to find help through federal programs. Taking a hands-on approach to assist the women, Katalenas helped them apply for several housing complexes through South Metro Housing Options, also known as SMHO. SMHO is Littleton’s public housing authority that implements federal housing assistance programs. If selected for these units, Geneva Village residents would have their rent subsidized through project-based vouchers, meaning they would get rental assistance for as long as they live there. But in that scenario, they would have little housing choice, Katalenas said. SEE GENEVA, P8
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