West Denver COMMUNITY PRIORITIES

TOP COMMUNITY PRIORITIES & NEEDS

The top community-identified priorities that emerged were housing, displacement, and density; evolving community engagement; and equitable access to opportunity.

1. Housing, displacement, and density: Affordable housing and housing-related needs continues to be the most prevalent priority for the past five years. Community residents expressed concerns about the increasing rent and housing prices noting a need to support residents with stabilization programs and affordable housing that support diverse communities.

2. Evolving community engagement: Many WDRC neighborhoods are undergoing change that require more creative collaboration between organizations. Residents communicated a need to utilize gathering spaces to elevate local voices, provide people access to resources, help residents feel safe, and build community.

3. Equitable access to opportunity: West Denver neighborhoods often experience limited access to resources due to financial, language, mobility, or technology barriers. Residents not only mentioned the need to promote safer and more accessible pedestrian and public transit for opportunities outside of their neighborhoods, but also a need to create more accessible resources and services within west Denver.

Additional NEIGHBORHOOD topics

Neighborhood-identified needs are reviewed to find if priorities are district-wide or specific to an area. Understanding needs by neighborhood helps determine if a solution-based strategy can draw more community champions, provide equitable access to west Denver residents, and create a desired community outcome.

Additional widely held neighborhood priorities have been:

• Safety (Athmar Park, Barnum/Barnum West, La Alma/Lincoln Park, Villa Park, West Colfax, Westwood)

• Health & Food (Barnum/Barnum West, Sun Valley, Valverde)

• Youth & Education (Athmar Park, La Alma/Lincoln Park, Sun Valley)