Alliance Construction Solutions to Build Housing for Denver Homeless

The Cornerstone Residences will be a five-story, 42,000-sq-ft building comprised of one-bedroom and studio units that will serve homeless individuals and couples in the Denver area.

Rendering courtesy of VTBS Architects

Loveland-based Alliance Construction Solutions has partnered with St. Francis Center and the Rocky Mountain Housing Development Corp. to provide GC/CM services for the St. Francis Cornerstone Residences for homeless individuals and couples in the Denver area.

In November, St. Francis Center and the Rocky Mountain Housing Development Corp. selected VTBS architectural firm to design the residences as a response to the rising need for more local transition housing for the homeless.

The new five-story, 42,600-sq-ft, 50-unit building is comprised of one-bedroom and studio units. The building will be located on the corner of Park Avenue West and Curtis, in the Curtis Park neighborhood.

"The premise of the design was to create affordable housing of this magnitude without the stigma from the public eye associated with this type of housing," said Gary Prager, partner-in-charge of VTBS. "The design was well received by the city because the goal of this development, to house Denver’s homeless, is consistent with the mayor’s initiative to eliminate homelessness."

Rocky Mountain HDC, a faith-based, nonprofit housing development corporation created under the auspices of the United Church of Christ, exclusively builds "services-enriched," affordable housing in Denver.

"Rocky Mountain HDC is excited to be a partner with St. Francis to create this critically needed housing resource for formally homeless persons and couples in downtown Denver," said Joyce Alms-Ransford, executive director of Rocky Mountain HDC.

There currently is no resource other than Rocky Mountain HDC that has focused on helping homeless couples, Alms-Ransford said. Couples are usually segregated by gender when they go to homeless shelters, and most homeless housing is single-room occupancy.

"So, the Rocky Mountain HDC and St. Francis worked with VTBS Architects to create a building that will allow couples to live together and work together to get their lives back on track," added Alms-Ransford.

Through the many amenities featured in the building, the project represents a mutual concern between VTBS, its clients and the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative. Amenities include a community room, television and fitness rooms, a computer learning lab, an employment center, clinic and case manager offices, all of which will help residents improve their lives.

VTBS’ primary goal is to design a building that will create a new identity in the neighborhood while connecting the area to the historic district just to the north of Curtis Park. The design not only will incorporate sustainable components but also provide homeless housing that appears to be a market-rate facility, Prager said.

The project is slated for completion in January 2009, with construction set to begin in April.

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