Partner Spotlight: Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA)

Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) has been a longtime supporter of Women’s Bean Project. As part of our Partner Spotlight series, we interviewed the team at CHFA about their work in the community and why their partnership with organizations like the Bean is important. CHFA is a sponsor for this year’s Ready, Set, Grow, our annual graduation celebration and fundraiser. Its support provides programming to women we serve. Continue scrolling to learn more about CHFA and their work! Thanks for all your support!

For those who are unfamiliar with CHFA can you share a bit about what your company does? Company values? Origin story? Services provided?

CHFA’s mission is to strengthen Colorado by investing in affordable housing and community development. Over the past 47 years, CHFA has invested more than $25 billion into Colorado’s economy. CHFA invests in affordable homeownership, the development and preservation of affordable rental housing, and helps small- and medium-sized businesses access capital. CHFA also engages with communities to learn more about unique needs, inform investment, and build capacity to further strengthen Colorado.

CHFA supports its local community in a lot of ways. Share some of the projects and efforts you do to support local initiatives.

Supporting community partnerships is a significant part of CHFA’s work to strengthen Colorado. This is especially crucial now when communities are facing new and increasing challenges as a result of the pandemic. In 2020, CHFA supported 234 organizations with direct and in-kind donations, grants, and volunteerism. CHFA contributed $3.1 million to support nonprofits providing critical services and affordable housing and economic opportunities in communities throughout Colorado. This included over $500,000 donated to more than 50 organizations working in direct response to COVID-19 by providing food assistance, rent and mortgage assistance, and/or services for the homeless.

CHFA has also been honored to support community-led initiatives in various parts of Colorado. Examples include:

• The Colorado Ute Mountain Ute Helping Hands program provides home improvements and renovations for up to 18 homes in Towaoc, preserving housing for families of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. CHFA invested $300,000, which was matched by the Colorado Health Foundation and Colorado Division of Housing for a $900,000 total investment to support the programs.
• CHFA awarded $7,500 in capacity building grants to support Pueblo Rescue Mission, Habitat for Humanity of Pueblo, and Christlife Ministries to support strategic planning, program development, process improvements, and training for staff and board members.
• CHFA donated $74,000 to support staff coordination and home renovations for San Luis Valley’s off-grid housing community, and winterization of Alamosa’s homeless camp.

Why is partnering with Women’s Bean Project important to CHFA?Can you share how your company and its values align with Women’s Bean Project’s mission?

As a long-time partner, CHFA has seen the power of how Women’s Bean Project has changed women’s lives though its programs to foster self-sufficiency. It is CHFA’s vision that everyone in Colorado will have the opportunity for housing stability and economic prosperity and Women’s Bean Project provides such opportunities by helping the women it serves come out of poverty, secure stable employment, and pave the way towards a stronger future.

In addition, CHFA is proud to advance equity by investing in organizations that support diverse populations who have historically been underserved including women and people of color. In 2020, 32 percent of businesses and nonprofits supported with CHFA’s lending programs were women owned and 20 percent were minority owned.

As a company, what are you most looking forward to in the year ahead? Do you have any exciting updates you want people to know about?

In the year ahead, CHFA will continue to meet its mission and serve Coloradans in this exceptional time of need. CHFA looks forward to launching innovative housing solutions and outreach initiatives to help ensure that equitable opportunities are made available for all Coloradans to thrive.

Where can people go to learn more about CHFA and your community work?

To learn more about CHFA, please visit chfainfo.com. We also invite you to view our digital, interactive 2020 Community Report, and subscribe to any of CHFA’s eNews lists for ongoing updates in various areas of focus.