We are excited to be recipients of a $50K Nonprofit Infrastructure Grant funding award that allows our hard work and important cause to be recognized, and supported. The Colorado Department of Local Affairs, in partnership with the Community Foundation of the Gunnison Valley, is responsible for administering the Nonprofit Infrastructure Grant Program. Through a competitive process, nonprofits across the state …
We are excited to share that our River Walk Rental Project in Ouray (sketch drawings below – which were recently approved by the Ouray Planning Commission of this 13 unit affordable rental project) received a full funding request from the State’s More Housing Now initiative, of $297,450 – whoop! The funding, through the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), will be …
Nothing like a lovely spring day to celebrate big dreams coming into fruition…big thanks to On Sight Construction crew for their hard work!
We like to share our funding success with our supporters to help assure you that we are working hard to grow our impact and our organization. Below are 3 such recent successes… Happy New Year to Affordable Housing! Home Trust was just awarded $350,000 from the Division of Housing for our Ouray 6-plex at 734 4th Street. This grant funding …
The Colorado State Housing Board awarded Home Trust of Ouray County a $100,000 grant for construction costs of the North Laura Street Duplex construction project (image above). Western Colorado Community Fund granted $5000, through the Dave and Mary Wood Fund, and another $3000, through the Ouray County Community Fund, to the Home Trust for general operations. Thank you WCCF! And, …
Wednesday December 6th, 5:30 PM – Ridgway Town Hall Community Room Please join us for our final meeting of 2023! Meet the Board, learn about our 2023 progress, our current projects and funding needs, and share your ideas and input…
You are Invited: Thursday November 9th, 1 – 2.30 PM Ridgway Town Hall Community Room Or Wednesday November 15th, 1 – 2.30 PM Region 10 Colorado,145 S Cascade Ave, Montrose, CO The Home Trust, in partnership with Colorado Humanities, invites you to a conversation on potential usage of its affordable rental project that includes around 3400 square feet of ground floor …
We are so excited about our successful Parkside Duplex Groundbreaking Ceremony that took place yesterday – launching this affordable housing project was so exciting and it felt wonderful to have so many supporters turn out. It takes a community…! Big Thanks to: Patrick and Marti O’Leary for donating the land for this project The Funders who helped bring this project …
Channel 5 News aired a story on City of Ouray, with an emphasis on Ouray’s housing crisis. Home Trust Board Secretary Marc Hitchcox was interviewed regarding the housing crisis in the region and Community Outreach Director Kelly Goodin responded with some of the projects the Home Tour is pursuing to address the issues… Watch Here
We loved the 2nd Annual Home Tour so much! So many people to thank for their generous support – from our presenting sponsor Alpine Bank to our list of sponsors who helped us to raise over $20,000 for our affordable housing projects! Thank you homeowners for opening your extraordinary homes! Thank you vendors and musicians for providing such amazing food, …
The Colorado Housing and Finance Authority has selected Home Trust’s Ridgway Childcare and Rentals project for CHFA’s small-scale technical assistance program. The next step will be a scope of work meeting with the TA team but we are looking at utilizing their assistance with stakeholder outreach meetings to determine the use of the ground floor commercial space to best benefit the community, conceptual design with community input, and financial modeling. …
HIf you are interested in affordable housing, you may have heard of Proposition 123. This bill was approved by Colorado voters in 2022 and sets aside a portion of annual state income tax revenue from the General Fund, up to 0.1% of annual taxable income, for affordable housing programs. The annual amount available is estimated to be roughly $300 million. …
Home Trust of Ouray County was selected to participate in the Preservation Next Colorado Academy Cohort and will utilize a $65,000 grant to build the organization’s capacity to preserve affordable housing. The funds are being directed toward staffing, capacity consulting, and contracting a grant writer to pursue additional funds toward the restoration/rehabilitation of the Ouray 6-plex, repayment of the bridge …
The Board of County Commissioners approved a $100,000 grant for the Home Trust last week, again showing strong support for our efforts (this is in addition to the $100,000 funding toward our Ouray 6-plex purchase). This latest funding will be used to leverage a matching grant from DOLA for infrastructure improvements for the 6-plex and the Home Trust’s Ouray Oak …
The Ouray County Plaindealer published an article this week regarding the Home Trust’s purchase of the six-unit apartment building in Ouray. The article noted the Home Trust’s impetus of the purchase was to preserve it in an effort to keep the tenants — who work in local businesses and some who have lived there for decades — in their homes …
The Home Trust received good news from Helen Katich, Senator Hickenlooper’s Western CO Regional Director, that Senator Hickenlooper has chosen our Childcare and Rentals project in Ridgway to be included in the draft bill going before congress for congressionally directed spending. It won’t be until December when Congress would vote on the final spending draft so it’s neither guaranteed that we …
We closed on a 6 unit apartment building in the city of Ouray. Many thanks to our partners who helped us preserve existing affordable housing: the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority, DOLA, the city of Ouray, Ouray County, and our local community members who donated to this project! We were awarded a $350,000 grant by the state housing board to …
All three local governments have agreed to contribute $20,000 each for a total of $60k to the Home Trust for 2023 operational funding. These operating funds were approved by the Home Trust Board to be used to hire Andrea Sokolowski as its full-time Executive Director. The Board has also added a representative from each of our local governments: Josh Smith …
The Home Trust was accepted into Enterprise Community Partner’s Preservation Next Academy Cohort. This opportunity includes training for preserving affordable housing, a $50,000 grant, and an additional $15,000 in technical assistance.
Home Trust board members, Shirley Diaz and Marc Hitchcox handed out cookies and chocolates in the Space to Create community room for Ridgway’s Noel Night. It was a great community engagement opportunity. On December 12th, the Beanstalk Foundation awarded the Home Trust $16,000 for the construction of the Parkside duplex. And on December 22nd, the Home Trust was awarded $50,000 …
The Home Trust was awarded a $5000 grant from the Ouray County Community Fund for the construction of the Parkside duplex – our first homeownership project. We also closed on 660 Sherman Street on November 18, 2022 thanks to Frank and Jeanne Robertson. Funds to purchase the property were obtained from DOLA’s Operation Turnkey loan program. The Robertsons generously offered …
The inaugural Home Tour last Sunday was a fantastic success and a ton of fun! Together we raised over $18,000 between our sponsors and 100 attendees. Thank you to everyone who attended and supported affordable housing in Ouray County and special thanks to our sponsors who made this event successful. And to our volunteers Carolyn Ford, Jen Donovan, Sandra Boles, …
The Home Trust of Ouray County hosted the 39th annual Ourayce 10k this year. Thank you to the volunteers who made the race possible, and particularly Nancy Nixon. We also thank the Ouray Police Department and everybody who registered and purchased T-shirts. Results: https://ultrasignup.com/m_results_event.aspx?did=94025
The Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) awarded the Home Trust a bridge loan for the purchase of land at 660 Sherman Street in Ridgway for its proposed Ridgway Childcare Facility and Rental Housing development. The $360,000 loan comes from the State and Local Recovery Fund (SLFRF) Operation Turn Key 1329 Housing Development Grant. The Home Trust also submitted a Congressionally …
All three local governments contributed $10,000 each for a total of $30k to the Home Trust for operational funding. Ouray County on April 5, Town of Ridgway on April 13, and the City of Ouray on April 18. These operating funds were approved by the Home Trust Board to be used to hire Andrea Sokolowski as its Executive Director. The …
The Home Trust of Ouray County is currently composed of all volunteer board members, and our volunteer Executive Director, Andrea Sokolowski. Managing construction projects, negotiating land purchases and donations, grant writing, and administering the “Homebuyer Opportunity Fund” are all currently being done pro bono. If you would like to make a tax-deductible charitable contribution to Home Trust operational funding, click …
The Home Trust of Ouray County has recently become the administrator of Ouray County’s Homebuyer Opportunity Fund. This fund will assist qualified homebuyers with purchasing an affordable home in Ouray County. The initial funds are earmarked for four specific deed-restricted units in the town of Ridgway however the Home Trust is campaigning to the grow the fund to $250,000. We …
The Home Trust of Ouray County has applied for land acquisition funding through the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) Operation Turn-Key program. The two properties, one in Ouray and one in Ridgway, will provide rental and homeownership opportunities as well as an integrated child care facility. The Home Trust’s goal with this funding is to line projects up for …
In December 2021 the Home Trust of Ouray County received its first land donation thanks to Patrick and Marti O’Leary. The duplex lot is located in the Parkside subdivision in the town of Ridgway. We have partnered with Habitat for Humanity of the San Juans to be our general contractor and we are working with Impact Development Fund on architectural …
The Home Trust is officially a tax-exempt organization under IRC Section 501(c)(3) .
Some Home Trust Board members helped out with a Habitat for Humanity build day in Ridgway. We look forward to partnering with Habitat on future projects. We are happy to announce the launch of this website. New updates will appear here and through the mailing list when they become available.
