Some unhoused young people in Colorado Springs will soon have apartments to call their own through a first-of-its-kind housing project for the Pikes Peak Region.
Developers hosted a ribbon-cutting for “The Launchpad” complex on the city’s west side on Tuesday. It offers 50 apartments for youth ages 18 to 25 earning less than 30 percent of the area median income, which is about $22,000 per year. Tenants will commit to at least a one-year lease and agree to take part in onsite programs that help with job placement, life skills and health care.
"It's more than a roof over a young adult’s head,” Mayor Yemi Mobolade told the dozens in attendance Tuesday. “It's permanent supportive housing designed with dignity, compassion and resources that young adults need to find stability, heal from trauma and build confidence."
About half the cost of the $21 million facility comes from the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit system, according to a press release. Remaining funds come through grants and loans ranging from the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority, to the state department of local affairs, to the city of Colorado Springs and El Paso County.
Approved applicants will begin moving into the approximately 450 square-foot studio apartments in the first week of June. The building also contains three 800-square-foot two-bedroom apartments for couples. Organizers hope to have the building fully leased by the end of July.
The Place, a local nonprofit focused on young people experiencing homelessness, has been spearheading The Launchpad initiative since 2021. Residents will meet with case managers, take writing and resume-building classes and host community meals, all geared toward self-sufficiency.
“Partners from across our community will gather here under this roof to provide the kind of support that says ‘You matter. You are not alone,’” said The Place CEO Becky Treece.
Tenants will pay 30 percent of their income, whatever that may be, toward rent. Organizers said the goal is for tenants to “graduate” the program, become financially independent and move out on their own. However, residents will not be asked to leave their apartment, even if they age out of the building’s target demographic.
“Nobody is getting kicked out of this project,” said project Development Director Nick Emenhiser.
Some neighbors have worried the project will amplify problems the area has seen from homelessness. One resident, along with local interest groups, unsuccessfully sued the city over the proposal in 2023.
Emenhiser said he hopes for the opposite result.
"This will really take a site that was blighted and really causing a lot of the problems that this community has been fearful of and really transform it into an activated and positive part of the community," Emenhiser said.
A recent state report estimates more than 500 people age 24 and younger are unhoused in the Pikes Peak Region.
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