Celebration of Success – Another Successful Year!
Eighteen AHA residents and their families were honored at the
9th Annual Celebration of Success held September 26, 2006 at the Arapahoe County CentrePoint Plaza.
This event is sponsored every year by the Aurora Housing Corporation, Aurora Housing Authority and STRIDE.
Most honorees are graduates of the Corporation’s Families in Transition (FIT) Program or the AHA Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program. Many have risen from homelessness to home ownership, or have achieved other goals such as furthering their education and getting better jobs to support their families. Preston Prince, AHA executive director said, “These are people who’ve overcome major obstacles to get themselves off assistance and moving toward a dream of home ownership.”
Two community service partners, Kim Rapier, Aurora Housing Authority, and Ramona Graves, A Home of Their Own, were also honored for their contributions to the community.
Under the theme of “Follow Your Dreams,” the
celebration started 
with a buffet dinner from
Katherine’s Catering followed by a motivational speech from Aurora City Councilwoman Molly Markert. The evening ended with a magic show from Ned’s Mile High Magic & More.
Preston Prince, Executive Director of the
Aurora Housing Authority and Master of Ceremonies for the evening, presented each honoree with a customized plaque and letter of congratulations from U.S. Senator Ken Salazar. Preston was assisted by Dave Hoover, Chairman of the Board of the STRIDE organization. Each honoree was recognized for their individual achievements.
Honoree Tracy Starkey was a single mom living on unemployment and unsure about her family’s future in 2003. While on the S
ection 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program she decided to take control of her life and open her own daycare facility. After going through the required training and licensing procedures, she was able to open her own childcare facility in 2004 and recently took herself off assistance. Starkey is now self sufficient and working toward her dream of home ownership.
Jeanetta McCain, a single mother of two was recognized for her achievements while on the FSS program, including completing Kaiser’s L.P.N. program, paying off debt and repairing her credit. After attending classes through the Colorado Housing Assistance Program and the Home Ownership Assistance Program she was pre-approved for a home loan and moved into her new home this past April.
Honoree Judy Moore commented after receiving her recognition that she’s thankful to the AHA, the AHC and Stride for “building communities one family at a time.”
Other honorees included Elijah and Rashaunda Bell, Janelle Bianchi, Candice Carr, Rachel Colorado, Debra Durst, Candice Few, Sybil Lewis, Sharita Link, Kecia Montague, Toia Nash, Sandra Ragland, Jennifer Rhoades, Rose Santana, Kari Shie and Angelic White.
Other special guests at the event included Erin Minks from Senator Ken Salazar’s office, Holly Ratzlaff from Congressman Bob Beauprez’s office, Aurora City Councilwoman Renie Peterson and Arapahoe County Commissioner Lynn Myers.
For more information, contact Jennifer Siegel. 720.251.2105
AHA Secures Innovative Financing
for Residences at First Avenue
The Aurora Housing Authority has entered into a new financing
structure and a new limited partnership with WNC & Associates (equity partner), USBank (lender), and the Aurora Housing Corporation for the benefit of Residences at First Avenue. This is an exciting public-private 
partnership that will
allow for distinctive renovations and upgrades to the property.
Residences at First Avenue is a 181-unit complex that has been owned and operated by the Aurora Housing Authority since 1984. The new partnership and financing structure will allow for a $4.1 million renovation.
Included in the renovations are new appliances, carpeting, blinds, furnaces, water heaters, exterior stairways, roofs and windows. Additionally, there will be 14 two-bedroom units that will be enlarged to make eleven 3-bedroom units and three 4-bedroom units. The exteriors will all be rejuvenated with new paint colors, a new laundry room will be created, and a computer lab for residents will be installed in the main office. The renovation is expected to take a year to complete.
For more information, contact Elizabeth Gundlach Neufeld. 720.251.2075
AHA Helps AHC acquire Townhomes
at Tollgate Creek
A $1 million renovation is planned for the 60-unit Eastpark Village development located near Iliff and Chambers, which the Aurora Housing Corporation (AHC) recently acquired. The complex will be renamed Townhomes at Tollgate Creek.
The Aurora Housing Authority assisted the Corporation by providing technical assistance during the acquisition and provided the Private Activity Bonds to allow for its acquisition and renovation. AHA also applied for, and received, federal HOME monies from the Colorado Division of Housing, which it then invested into the property.
AHC partnered with USBank and WNC & Associates for loans and private investment in the development.
For more information, contact Elizabeth Gundlach Neufeld. 720.251.2075
2nd Annual Aurora Home Ownership
Fair Helps Families
More than 100 families attended the second annual Home OwnershipFair at Arapahoe CentrePoint Plaza in August, sponsored by AHA, the City of Aurora’s Community Development Department and Arapahoe County Housing Authority.
Participants were able to visit with 20 different exhibitors including representatives from lenders, real estate agents, nonprofits, builders and insurance providers. Educational sessions for first-time homebuyers were also offered. Sponsors of the fair, which included presenting sponsor Wells Fargo, stated that they were very impressed by the quality of questions and genuine interest expressed by those who attended.
In a survey taken at the Fair, 90% rated the event good or excellent. One participant said, “This was a great experience for me.” Another respondent said, “I was pleasantly surprised how everyone seemed to really want to help.” More than half of those responding were Aurora Housing Authority program participants.
For more information, contact Linda Jaster. 720.251.2067
Trolley Park Breaks Ground
The Aurora Housing Authority held a groundbreaking ceremony in July for the new Residences at Trolley Park, at 14th & Dallas St. in Aurora.
The 38-unit development will feature three 4-bedroom townhomes facing 14th Ave., and 35 two- and three-bedroom units in an L-shaped building facing Dallas St. The complex will be home to residents earning 40% to 60% of the Area Median Income. The .7 acre site was formerly a parking lot for the police sub-station that was moved to the new Martin Luther King Library. The land was deeded by the City of Aurora to Dallas Street Affordable Housing LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the AHA.
Preston Prince, AHA Executive Director, announced that the AHA has received a grant 
for $228,000 from the Federal Home Loan Bank as part of their Affordable Housing Program (AHP). Other key financing partners include: City of Aurora HOME Funds, FirstBank of Aurora permanent mortgage financing, and MMA Financial.
Local, state and national housing industry officials attendedthe event, which also helped kick off the 2006 Summer Conference of the National
Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO).
Don Cameron, President of NAHRO,
noted that the Residences 
at Trolley
Park project is a good example of the entrepreneurial trend toward creating partnerships with financial institutions, city agencies and developers to create housing for families of modest income.
Aurora Mayor Ed Tauer applauded the AHA’s efforts in creating the partnership with the City of Aurora and Medici Communities to develop the Residences at Trolley Park. “The important thing to remember is that we are not just creating housing, we are creating homes for families,” Tauer said.
Other special guests included: John Carson, Regional Director of the US Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD); Cris White, COO, Colorado Housing & Finance Authority; Aurora City Council members Larry Beer, Bob Broom and Brad Pierce; and representatives of Senator Wayne Allard and Congressman Bob Beauprez. Councilmember Deb Wallace and former councilmember Nadine Caldwell were also in attendance.
Odell Architects designed the Trolley Park complex, which will feature balconies on the upper floors, a secured “bike barn,” and a 70-space underground parking garage. Amenities will include a courtyard with playground and bench seating, a large community room,
a computer lab and security entrance gates. The exterior will be clad in brick and stucco.
Each residential unit will have large storage closets and washer/dryer hook-up. Half the units will have built-in desks near the kitchen/living room area, and most will have a breakfast bar for casual dining.
Another AHA project, Florence Square, was also selected as a tour site during the NAHRO Conference held in Denver, July 14-16. NAHRO is the nation’s oldest and largest membership organization of 21,000 housing and community development agencies and professionals. Preston Prince serves as the President of the Mountain Plains NAHRO.
For more information, contact Elizabeth Gundlach Neufeld. 720.251.2075
AHA Participates in Section 8 Landlord Fair
Over 50 landlords and eight outside agencies attended the Annual Landlord Fair in September held by the Assisted Housing Department at the Arapahoe County CentrePoint Plaza.
The agencies participating in the Fair included:
- HUD
- OIG
- Aurora Police Department
- Aurora City Attorney
- Aurora Community Relations
- Aurora City Code Enforcement
- University of Denver— Gordon Von Stroh
- Colorado Legal Services
AHA had booths on the following topics:
- HQS Inspections
- Rent Reasonableness
- Rent Increase Process
- Portability Process
- New Client Process
- Annual Reviews of Client’s Rent Portion
- Interim Client Changes
- Client Move Process
- Property Management
- General Questions and Answers
The Fair featured an open house format that allowed landlords to talk personally with AHA staff and other agency staff, obtain answers to questions and discuss issues. Handouts were available on each topic at each booth.
For more information, contact Preston Prince. 720.251.2077
Construction begins at Plaza Townhomes
at Macon and Moline
Construction is underway on the Plaza Townhomes at Macon and Moline, the Aurora Housing Corporation’s new development located
in north Aurora.
The development will offer 30 two-story townhouse
style units in three buildings with
a mix of one, two, three, and four-bedroom units. Additionally, each building has one handicapped accessible unit that is located on the ground level.
The Moline Street location will have a leasing office and a community room available for use by all neighborhood residents. Each location will also have 17 spaces
of parking located on the ground level below the units, with one handicapped accessible space per building.
Ten units will be set-aside for families participating in the Families in Transition program. The remaining 20 units will be available for individuals and families at or below 60% of the area median income. Proposed rents for those units will range 
from $395 for a one-bedroom, one-bathroom unit up to $875 for a
four- bedroom, three bathroom unit.
Pre-leasing will begin in the spring
of 2007.
Enterprise Community Investments is the Aurora Housing Corporation’s partner in this development. Construction financing is being provided by Citywide Banks and permanent financing is being provided by the Colorado Housing and Financing Authority. Additional funds came
from the City of Aurora’s HOME program and the Federal Home Loan Bank’s Affordable Housing program. Construction will be completed in June of 2007.
For more information, contact Elizabeth Gundlach Neufeld. 720.251.2075