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Colorado Coalition for the Homeless Opens “First-Of-Its Kind” Stout Street Recuperative Care Facility
Posted: November 11, 2022
Colorado Coalition for the Homeless Opens “First-Of-Its Kind” Stout Street Recuperative Care Facility – Transforming Lives and Community
Milender White (MW), in partnership with Colorado Coalition for the Homeless (CCH), Renaissance Housing Development Corporation, and Christopher Carvell Architects celebrated the grand opening of the Stout Street Recuperative Care & Legacy Lofts facility in person and with a live virtual ceremony on Thursday, October 6th, 2022 at 11 am (MST). Attendees of the event included Mayor Michael Hancock, Councilwoman Diana DeGette, Councilwoman Robin Kniech, Colorado State Representative Dominique Jackson, and Executive Director of the Department of Housing Stability and Chief Housing Officer at City and County of Denver Britta Fisher, CCH board members, as well as many CCH staff, architect Chris Carvell, and many other highly invested community members. This project is the first of its kind and will no doubt have an incredibly transformative, positive impact on the homeless community in Denver, CO.
The MW construction team created jobs and changed lives through the Renaissance Legacy Lofts and Stout Street Recuperative Care project. The team hired and trained Section 3 residents, including persons experiencing homelessness and citizens returning home from incarceration, to help build the project.
Stout Street Recuperative Care and Legacy Lofts is Denver’s first integrated recuperative care facility for people experiencing homelessness. The project is located on a .43-acre site at the 2100 block of California Street, directly behind CCH’s Stout Street Health Center and near local transit in the Arapahoe Square Neighborhood. The facility provides 75 medical respite beds for those who have been hospitalized and require continued care for medical or behavioral needs. The nine-story building also provides 98 units of rental housing, dedicated to residents who benefit from onsite supportive services as well as Section 8 residents in need of affordable living.
The community is thoughtfully designed to provide a bridge for those who are ready to move from the Medical Recuperative Care floors to the Legacy Lofts. Amenities of the Recuperative Care Facility include a commercial kitchen and dining room, commercial laundry, medical exam suites, and “step-down” hospital beds in semi-private spaces. The Renaissance Legacy Loft amenities feature a business center, case management and counseling services, bike storage and community spaces.
The project was funded through cooperative and unique sources, including Denver Housing Authority’s D3 Bond Program, New Markets Tax Credits, the Corporation for Supportive Housing, and the Colorado Growth and Revitalization Fund, as well as many private foundations and individual capital donors.
At the celebration, Mayor Hancock presented CCH’s retiring president and CEO, John Parvensky, with a Denver Challenge Coin honoring his contribution to the city. “No one has done more for our city and for the people of our state than you have,” the mayor noted. “Thank you for standing in the gap for all of us.” The recognition continued as Mayor Hancock proclaimed October 6th to be known as “John Parvensky Day” in Denver. In addition, the CCH board recognized John’s legacy by the addition of his name to the building. John’s work will live on appropriately for years to come at the John Parvensky Recuperative Care & Legacy Lofts facility.
As Parvensky closed today’s celebration, he left attendees with incredible hope for the future by sharing his own humble words. “We all collaboratively came together to solve a problem; it’s been a collaboration all through the years. As my retirement approaches, we are not slowing down. We are committed to continuing to reach for and achieve goals and milestones for the community and we hope to count on your support for the future.”