Colorado Springs, CO – (Dec. 15, 2022) Catholic Charities of Central Colorado has purchased the Helen Hunt Campus from the Legacy Institute. Now work begins to raise $5.2 million to convert the historic two-story building on the property into 21 – 24 multisized family apartments offering homeless families a stable housing option. This project will significantly increase stable family housing in Colorado Springs.
“We have always been an agency that develops programs to fill the gaps in community needs,” said Catholic Charities President & CEO Andy Barton. “With the increase in families experiencing homelessness in our community along with other family-focused shelters closing, the opportunity to purchase the Helen Hunt Campus could not have come at a better time. Once converted to apartments, case managers working in our Family Connections program – located on the Hunt Campus and in partnership with Partners in Housing – will have viable options for helping homeless families regain stability through housing.”
Why Family Housing?
A shortage of housing for homeless families is one of the most pressing issues facing our community. Parents and children cannot thrive when they do not know where they will sleep at night.
- 124 families (241 children/127 adults) are on the waiting list for housing (ViSPDAT)
- The 2022 “Point in Time Count” identified 152 households with children as being homeless – a 21% increase over 2020
- Of the adults & children identified as homeless, 60% are persons of color
- The United States Department of Health and Human Services reports that compared to children who are housed, children experiencing homelessness have:
- twice the rate of learning disabilities
- three times the rate of behavioral & emotional issues
- twice the rate of illness
The Project
The campus, located in the Hillside neighborhood, was once owned by Colorado Springs School District 11 which sold the building to the Lane Foundation – now the Legacy Institute – in 2016. The foundation initially renovated the newer, one-story building to house four nonprofits and the Shandy Clinic. More recently, the larger, two-story building was retrofitted to accommodate three more nonprofit organizations as well as Switchback Coffee Roasters and Catholic Charities’ Family Resource Center.
While the one-story building will continue to serve as the nonprofit campus, the two-story building will accommodate a variety of apartments: 9 studios (studio apartments can be combined to form two-bedroom apartments), 4 one-bedrooms, 10 two-bedrooms, and 1 three-bedroom, plus common laundry rooms and offices. Switchback Coffee Roasters will remain in the building and the playground will continue to be a Hillside neighborhood community gathering space.
To learn more, schedule a tour, donate, or visit HuntFamilyHousing.org, call Matt Boyle, Catholic Charities Director of Advancement at 719-866-6440.
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