In 2016, a community group made up of English, Spanish, Somali, and French speakers came together to identify the greatest needs facing Fort Morgan. Three areas were identified: housing, education, and recreation. Of the three, the resettled East African community emphasized housing. A recent Housing Needs Assessment noted that African/Black households are more likely to live in apartments, Latinx households are more likely to live in mobile homes, and White households are more likely to live in single family homes. In fact, 95% of African/Black households live in apartments. The average stay in rentals is 5 – 10 years, with little access to home ownership. We know that home ownership is one of the ways in which generational stability is created as people move from forced displacement to the recovery of place and integration with their new community.

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The Opportunity

Serve 1. Financial Investment: property owner, sponsoring church, donation to operations fund. 2. Volunteer: technical skills as needed (carpentry, electrical, plumbing, landscaping, etc.) Give The Northern Colorado Housing Initiative is 100% donor-funded. Individual, church, and other financial partners play a vital role in making this ministry possible.

The Goal

Our desire is to rehab an existing multi-unit building that increases the standard of living for residents and offers them a pathway to homeownership if that is their desire. Beyond the physical space, we are seeking to create a community that supports one another in recovery and integration. To accomplish this, we will need investors to purchase the property, churches to sponsor the rehab and subsidized rent of units, donors to support the operations fund, and volunteers to offer a variety of services. This is an endeavor that will only come to fruition through a Spirit-led collaborative effort of the people of God. As it does, we are a witness to Christ and his kingdom as we love one another and our neighbors well.

The Strategy

We are creating a two-year residential program providing safe and stable housing that leads to home ownership. The program will be rooted in a supportive community environment with opportunities to address additional aspects of recovery and integration for residents who have experienced forced displacement. Additionally, there will be opportunities for churches, interns and short-term teams to serve with IAFR Northern Colorado staff in a manner that facilitates relational discipleship and increased understanding of the realities of forced displacement.