Dianne bought her tri-level home 16 years ago. It was a foreclosure and needed a lot of work — but Dianne lives on a limited income. She’s now retired after spending 30 years as a family service worker in Denver Public Schools. She also has a son, Michael, who is a paraplegic. Because Michael uses a wheelchair, he lives on the ground floor of the home but couldn’t access its upper floors — ruling out participating in family activities upstairs, like movie nights or big holiday family dinners.
The list of necessary improvements to keep Dianne’s home safe, and make it more accessible for her son, was long and would add up to a price that was out of reach — plumbing upgrades, a new kitchen floor and sink, and of course, a mechanical chair lift for her son.
Help came from Dianne’s City Councilperson, Stacy Gilmore — who in an encounter with the Montbello resident, told her about the services offered by the Denver Urban Renewal Authority. DURA offers home rehabilitation services to low- and moderate-income Denver residents through its housing rehabilitation programs in the form of grants, 0%, and low-interest loans that don’t need to be paid back until the home is sold.
Program financing allowed the family to complete the full list of updates. Michael can enter the home through the front door for the first time in over a decade. Because the chair lift was funded through a RHAMP program grant, the money doesn’t need to be paid back. And the other upgrades were paid for through EHR loans that can be perpetually deferred until the house is sold.
“It was a task to get all the paperwork together to become qualified,” said Dianne, “but working with DURA staff, those people were really helpful, they really helped me. They explained the program and let me know that for as long as I stayed in my home, I didn’t have to pay back the money. That experience was really good.”
And like many other housing program participants, she has qualified for more than one program. Next on the agenda? Adding a new addition to the home so Michael can have a space for physical therapy and the machines that go along with it.
“He can come upstairs now whenever he wants,” said Dianne, “especially for our weekend family movie nights. DURA truly is a blessing.”
To learn more about DURA housing programs and to see if you qualify, call 303-534-3872, or visit our website at RenewDenver.org.