Our week in Denver!
We got higher than we’ve ever been before this week: that’s right we were in Denver, Colorado where we were with housing innovators, meeting with community based partners, and evangelizing the link between housing and health.
Over the last 5 years, Denver’s homeless population rose by almost 44% , 12 times faster than the city’s total census in the same time period. We visited Denver during a tumultuous Mayoral race and campaign that has candidates directly challenged to solve the city’s homeless plight. While the methods that each candidate espouses might vary, each states that something must be done amidst existing policy failures. Regardless the political soundbites drowning the airwaves, we spent part of our time meeting with colleagues and the organizers attempting to change this status quo.
For example, we were able to visit with our friends at Ananeo, who are specializing in housing for people who are in re-entry and recovery. They’re work is fairly impressive: they’re connecting directly with the Department of Corrections, Behavioral Health, and other important stakeholders to get individuals who have been institutionalized re-integrated with structure and support into society. While their co-founders don’t consider their work directly housing first (or actually, it’s specifically not) or homelessness alleviation, we see it as critically homelessness and crime prevention. They touted interesting stories about the members who’ve come through, and the transformation that the neighborhood has seen as formerly incarcerated folks seek a path to renewal (see a few pictures below of their space).
We were invited by the Housing Innovation Alliance to participate in their Pitchfest for Environmental, Social + Governance (ESG) solutions that build towards Resilience in Home and Business. We were up against some environmental and clean energy solutions like our friends at Aris Hydronics, Urban Machine and LumenCache. There was also another social contender called Up&Up, a wealth building tool that allows renters to reduce landlord operational costs while growing their own ‘wallet.’ It was a competitive category that was helping expand the way stakeholders in the housing world reconsider the impact of their offerings, while ensuring profitability. Important, also, was the fact that these solutions were so disruptive and diverse, that the Housing Innovation Alliance will be breaking the ESG category into separate Environmental and Social ones moving forward.
Sameer, during the closing portion of our presentation at Denver Pitchfest!
And we’re honored to say that we won! We talked about our supportive housing model, that enables individuals to get housed through the connection between Medicaid and Housing-First Community Based Organizations. While the story about Steve, a former patient whom Sameer got to know very well as he worked in hospitals, compelled a room of real estate experts to consider the Maslowian, human-needs around housing, we pushed them one step forward. We challenged all of the innovators, developers and investors in the room to think about how to increase community capacity, expand access to stable housing, and eliminate the need for a “Discharge to street” button but considering health as the alternative.
Josh, Sameer and Jeremy at the Housing Innovation Alliance’s Pitchfest reception, after winning!
The conversations and discussions were friendly reminders that even leaders in these spaces are looking for new sparks of change. But beyond the events, FwdSlash took it’s trip to Denver as a signal around the new potential that exists all over the country. While we have a number of existing markets already, emerging proposals based on corporate needs - it was a reminder that every community is looking for new, sustainable solutions to these unfortunately endemic problems. We were reminded that we all need to challenge what the status quo should be if we want to end this problem for good!
(and note to the mayoral candidates: whatever you do, don’t sweep up encampments!)
