UCC’s Archway Housing and Services, Inc., constructs affordable housing in Colorado

Architect’s rendering of Archway’s new 40 West affordable housing complex.

The United Church of Christ’s Archway Housing and Services, Inc., a key mission affiliate of the Rocky Mountain Conference-UCC, is making noteworthy progress in in its efforts to construct and manage affordable housing units in Colorado.

Established in 1995, by 2014 Archway had created and was operating six apartment communities containing 361 units in Metro Denver. Significant additional construction and acquisition is now underway. New Projects include:

40 West Apartments – 60 units at Colfax Avenue and Gray Street in Lakewood, with 25 reserved for Disabled Veterans. Construction is almost fully completed, with leasing beginning in July.

The Flats at Two Creeks – 72 units at Gray Street and 14th, immediately adjacent to 40 West Apartments. Financing is completed and construction will begin this year. This building is very similar in appearance to the 40 West structure.

Fountain Ridge (36 units) and Fountain Ridge South (75 units) are two existing adjacent properties in Fountain, south of Colorado Springs.  Archway is under contract, and is completing financing, to purchase them before Fall. Some upgrading and repair work will be included.

Villa Verde – 29 units just north of Archway’s Greenleaf Apartments in the western section of Aurora north of Colfax Avenue. Villa Verde is currently owned and operated by the Aurora Housing Authority which has been hoping to find an owner that can more efficiently manage a small facility. Archway hopes to combine Villa Verde with Greenleaf in a single management and social services operation before the end of 2017.

2275 Wadsworth – This is a vacant land opportunity for which Archway has received a loan commitment, and on which it will eventually construct an apartment community of 75 to 100 units.

Archway’s Cornerstone affordable housing complex in Denver.

Archway’s six communities created prior to 2014 include Foothills Green in Lakewood (72), Arapahoe Green in unincorporated Arapahoe County near Denver and Aurora (60), Willow Green in Arvada (59), Cornerstone in Denver (50), Sheridan Ridge in Arvada (65), and Greenleaf in Aurora (55).

Unlike most low-income housing providers, in addition to providing safe places to live for at-risk families, Archway also provides social services and afterschool programming for kids.

Joyce Alms-Ransford, ARCHWAY’S inventive executive director for 20 years, says, “Once these properties are occupied, we will have over 700 first class apartments dedicated to occupancy by people needing our help just staying afloat.”

In addition to being an affiliate of the Rocky Mountain Conference, Archway is a member of the United Church of Christ’s Council for Health and Human Service Ministries.  Archway makes the Rocky Mountain Conference a, if not the, leader among all UCC Conferences in the ministry of housing our land’s otherwise homeless people.