Loretto Heights Community Center will provide job training, mental health support, food equity
Funding comes from Inflation Reduction Act
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, and Congresswoman Diana DeGette celebrated the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement of $20 million dollars to fund the construction of Commún Denver’s Loretto Heights Community Center. The funding is provided through the EPA’s Community Change Grants program, which received $2 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act to implement projects that help disadvantaged communities reduce pollution and increase climate resilience.
“South Denver is changing, and longtime residents deserve to be a part of its future,” said Hickenlooper. “This space will be the beating heart of a community by Southwest Denver residents, for Southwest Denver residents. We’re grateful EPA heard us out on why this is such an important project to fund.”
“For too long, parts of the South West Denver Community have been under resourced and left behind. As Colorado faces increasingly severe effects of climate change, immigration, the housing crisis, and more, we must provide resources to help our communities meet these challenges,” said Bennet. “I was glad to help secure this investment in the Loretto Heights Community for a Resource and Resiliency Center, which will benefit Southwest Denver’s economy, promote public health, and bolster community-led solutions.”
“The Loretto Heights Community Center is an incredible example of what we can achieve when communities and government come together to tackle the challenges of climate resilience and environmental justice. This EPA grant will provide critical funding to help establish a vibrant hub that provides residents of Southwest Denver with essential resources, workforce development opportunities, and innovative sustainability programs. I’m grateful to the EPA for supporting this transformative project, which will uplift a community disproportionately affected by climate change and serve as a model for resilience and eco-friendly infrastructure across the nation,” said DeGette.
“Environmental inequity, disproportionate environmental impacts, and the need for just, sustainable redevelopment are persistent challenges,” said EPA Regional Administrator KC Becker. “Projects like the Loretto Heights Resiliency Hub help overcome those challenges, serving not just the community needs of today, but into the future.”
Commún Denver is a nonprofit based in Southwest Denver that addresses the growing challenges of displacement and climate change by connecting Southwest Denver residents with job training, mental health care, and access to healthy, sustainable food.
The $20 million in funding will go towards construction of the Loretto Heights Community Hub — an eco-friendly community center and emergency disaster hub where residents can access dental care, a donation-based grocery store, mental health services, job training, and shelter during emergencies.
The hub will serve more than 12 disadvantaged communities in Southwest Denver. The area is in the highest percentile for poor air quality, and primarily low-income, with 44% of residents speaking Spanish and 71% identifying as people of color. More information on the community center is available HERE.
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