Anchor House Prepares for First Residents This Summer

By Megan Mayes

Back on August 19, Anchor House broke ground on a project to provide affordable housing to teenagers who are leaving the foster care system. Now, almost nine months later, the end is in sight. The brand new transitional housing facility is expected to be finished by the end of June. John Bosio, board president for the Anchor House project, gave us an update in April saying “We are about 50% complete … all of the mechanical trades are working now. They will be working for another month, one month for drywall, and then final finishes will take a month.” While there only seems to be a few steps left to the finish line, many teams of volunteers will be putting in a heroic final effort to bring the project to fruition.

The project was started in 2014 by clergy from the Lutheran Church of Hope, who wanted to address housing needs in the Broomfield community. The formerly vacant plot of land will soon be home to an eight unit apartment building. Anchor House will provide safe and affordable transitional housing to young people who will be newly emancipated from the foster care system in Broomfield, Boulder, and Adams counties. Of the more than 500 kids who will turn 18 in these programs in the next four years, most will be without support systems and an affordable place to live. Anchor House can help meet these needs for some by providing a roof over their heads, case managers, and mentors who will help them learn valuable life skills. Each apartment will be fully furnished and equipped with every necessity, including kitchen utensils and linens.

A tremendous number of volunteers were responsible for nearly all of the work to build Anchor House. According to John, the volunteers have come from a variety of metro area cities with “some just being interested in what [they] are doing, and others having a connection to the foster care system.” Besides mechanical jobs which were done by contracted professionals, groups of volunteers have completed framing, installing windows, siding, roof trusses, and much more.

Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountain will be making the selections for the first set of tenants with the help of Anchor House committee members. After the waiting list has been created, people will begin moving in over a period of two to four months so the new residents can become acclimated to their living situations. The tenants will be provided with everything they need to have a safe and secure home life so they can focus on secondary education and transitioning into the workforce. Through a multitude of support systems in the apartment building, they will be able to create their own productive and successful lives.

There are many opportunities still remaining for those in the community who would like to contribute to Anchor House, both now and in the future. If you have the time and a team who like to use tools, John would love to see you on the construction sight. Monetary donations towards furnishings are also greatly appreciated. After the project is completed, donations will go towards the continued operation and upkeep of the building. For more information on how to support Anchor House, or to see pictures and videos of recent progress, visit anchorhouseco.org.