by Staff

​     Beloved Community Village is the first village in a series of villages that the Colorado Village Collaborative (CVC) is in the process of developing.  It is the culmination of a long held dream by many, spearheaded by folks from the street advocating for such a housing option.
    It has not come with out a price to the villagers. In order to help generate support and good will with the city and the neighborhoods the first village, Beloved Community,  is inundated with interviews from local media, requests for documentaries, requests for tours plus the work villagers do in visiting other communities and civic organizations promoting this model of shared living.  It seems everyone want to get their photo op/story when it comes to the village.  The villagers have had to bravely endure the fish bowl of attention for being the first of its kind here in Denver.
    The villagers while making the decisions on what they feel they can bear have not been alone in this.  The community of Beloved Community Village extends beyond the villagers in the tiny homes and includes organizers from CVC and the local church from which they draw their name.   It has been a shared experience by many. 
One of the most notable developments with the village has been the love affair between the Beloved Community and the RiNo neighboorhood.  As this was a pilot project access to the land the village sets on was only temporary (6mo.)  But because the two communities havedrawn so close in the process, that as the end of the lease for the land the village was renting was up the folks from RiNo sent a letter to city officials asking to find a way to keep the village in their community.   Which after some effrt with the planning office and the land holder was worked out.  And that is the whole point of the project... developing communities.   Having those communities draw close and be supportive of each other. 
    We will see how the media responds to the next village that is now in the works.  The next village  will be at St.  Andrews Episcopal Church.  Planning and development of the 2nd CVC project is ongoing and they are hopeful to begin construction this coming spring.  Bringing with them all the lessons learned from the first village.

Yes dreams can come true … 

by Staff

    Thanks to a lot of advocacy work, there is now a legal path to build tiny homes here in Denver, Colorado. Many different organizations and individuals are showing interest in getting involved in this housing alternative.  First up, the Urban Land Conservatory will be providing land access to the the first such village here in Denver. The community will be sponsored by Beloved Community Church, and the village will bear its name, The Beloved Community.  Although the first run will only be 6 months, there is hope and expectation that there will be access to other parcels of land in many parts of the city. Expect these cute little bungalows to pop up all over the city, helping to ease the housing crisis we are experiencing here in Denver. Tiny Homes are not the only answer but are part of a broad-based solution of many types of housing needed especially for those experiencing poverty and homelessness.   To get an idea of the excitement about this, both the RiNo neighborhood organization and the Cole neighborhood organization voted unanimously to send endorsement letters of the project to the city.  The Mayor's office has been asking the city planning department to “make it so,” as they understand the need for something to happen quickly. This style of living is very community-based, and neighborhoods are looking forward to the opportunity to share in this kind of community-based housing plan. There are other projects on the horizon. Just look at these cute things!!!