Denver's rental assistance preps for record year
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Denver's housing department is bracing for a busy year for its rental and utility assistance program.
The big picture: The $29.1 million is the most the city has ever made available, housing stability director Melissa Thate tells us.
By the numbers: Last year, 3,509 households received assistance totaling roughly $22 million.
- Funding came from federal and city resources, but the program still ran out of money.
Why it matters: The financial assistance plays a critical role in keeping people housed and preventing evictions.
Zoom in: Since applications reopened in January, the city has already provided roughly $5 million in direct assistance to 626 households.
The intrigue: While a spike in eviction filings last year prompted the Denver City Council to significantly increase program funding, data shows most evictions were not carried out.
- 12,910 evictions were filed in county court, the sheriff's department completed roughly 14%, according to data from those offices and agencies.
- Thate says the sheriff's department works with the city in some cases where a person faces imminent eviction to verify a renter has applied for resources to avoid getting kicked out.
Between the lines: Dan Brooks, whose company Pomeranz Realty includes six local rental properties, tells us some tenants have thanked him after he filed for an eviction because it allows them to apply for assistance.
- "It's kind of backwards," Brooks tells us. He says people should get help before it gets to that point.
- Thate confirms eviction assistance — in the form of legal representation — is usually only available after someone has an eviction filed against them, though people can still apply for assistance prior to a filing.
Zoom out: Qualifications for rental and utility help include:
- Living in Denver or displaced from the city in the past 90 days.
- Making at or below 80% of the area median income (for a single person, this would be making $66,300 or less) and experiencing an unexpected financial hardship, like a landlord deciding not to renew a lease.
Yes, but: Despite existing resources, people are still being evicted, struggling to make rent, and being priced out of Denver.
What they're saying: Christina Valentine said a recent rent increase in her Sunnyside duplex — from $1,875 a month to $2,250 — led her and her partner to make the difficult decision to leave the state after living in Denver for nearly five years.
- The two are moving to Madison, Wisconsin, to attempt to buy a home.
- "It's sad because we have a community here and we feel part of it, but it's not realistic for us in the long term," Valentine said.