Arroyo Village is the first project of its kind in Colorado to encompass under one roof a continuum of care for people experiencing housing instability. The project contains a 60-bed homeless shelter for women and transgender individuals, 35 one-bedroom apartments of permanent supportive housing, and 95 one-, two-, and 3-bedroom affordable housing units. The community is a transit-oriented development located at a light-rail stop and just blocks from a main thoroughfare leading into downtown Denver.

The affordable housing apartments are designed to serve families. The amenity space for these units includes a community living room, a kitchen, a multipurpose classroom with a garage door to outdoor space, a food pantry, and staff offices. The Delores Shelter provides 60 beds for women and transgender individuals experiencing homelessness. The shelter was designed in conversation with current guests to ensure that the building met their needs, a first for Denver. It includes significant flexible amenity space (a living room upon entrance, a quiet library/yoga room, a multipurpose room, and so on), a kitchen, and a dining room that leads to a private outdoor courtyard. Counseling and support services are integrated into both indoor and outdoor amenities.

The permanent supportive housing apartments are for those who were experiencing homelessness, and were conceived, designed, and built using a trauma-informed design (TID) perspective, a cutting-edge facet of design. This affected every aspect of the building, from what spaces to design to the furniture provided. TID centers on the belief that spaces should be designed for healing, especially as it relates to mental health, meaning a focus on the following values: dignity, hope, and self-esteem; empowerment and personal control; safety, security, and privacy; peace of mind; community and connection; and joy, beauty, and meaning. Arroyo Village is one of the first affordable housing developments in Colorado to implement trauma-informed design.

Location: Denver, Colorado
Developers: Rocky Mountain Communities and BlueLine Development
Owner: Arroyo Village Apartments LLLP
Partners: The Delores Project, Shopworks Architecture, I-Kota Construction, Boston Capital, Ally Bank, Sugar Creek Capital, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Colorado Federal Savings Bank, Walker and Dunlop, Freddie Mac, Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA), City of Denver, State of Colorado Department of Local Affairs Division of Housing, Federal Home Loan Bank Topeka, and Winthrop and Weinstine, PA