Denver Housing Authority Programs

DHA does more than just housing. This is a list of programs offered through partnerships and conducted by DHA to help our residents and the Denver community to get the equitable upper hand needed to get ahead and to stay ahead. 

Family Self-Sufficiency Program
FSS (Family Self-Sufficiency) is a 5-year program designed to help participants achieve economic self-sufficiency goals. The goal of the FSS program is to encourage economic self-sufficiency through employment. When a resident enters the program, they sign a Contract of Participation which denotes their current income and rent. FSS Coordinators provide case management, referrals to outside agencies, job readiness training and assistance, and financial fitness services for low-income families with a Housing Choice Voucher or living in Public Housing. FSS Coordinators monitor a participants’ achievements and goals and provide guidance to help them continue to progress towards self-sufficiency. For more information call 720-956-3817.

Financial Fitness
This is a HUD Approved Counseling Agency program provides financial fitness education, case management, and financial benefits. DHA’s staff provides financial assessments to determine what barriers a person faces on their journey to financial independence. For more information on Denver Housing Authority’s Homeownership Program, call 720-956-3801.

Homeownership Program
This program provides educational and financial benefits to its participants. This program is designed to educate individuals on how they can become loan ready. Through this process we help establish goals a participant needs to meet before they are ready to apply for a mortgage loan and buy their own home.

ADU Pilot Program
The Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Pilot Program works with Habitat for Humanity and the City of Denver to help qualified homeowners design, finance, and build an ADU on their residential property. ADUs, or Accessory Dwelling Units, are small homes that can be built in your backyard. To improve equitable access to ADU development, our program provides design-finance-build services and significant cost savings for qualified homeowners to build a detached ADU. Learn more on https://www.mywdrc.org/adu-pilot-program.

Youth Employment Academy
Youth Employment Academy (YEA) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to empowering young adults in marginalized communities to reach their education and employment goals. YEA offers employment training in three core industry areas: Culinary Arts, Customer Service, and the Creative Industries. For each industry focus area, YEA has a revenue-generating social enterprise or program that provides training, certification, mentorship, and internships to youth participants. Learn more on https://www.denverhousing.org/youth-employment-academy-2/

Arts Street
As a program of the Youth Employment Academy, Arts Street uses the power of creativity to help young adults in breaking the cycle of generational poverty in Denver communities by gaining personal and economic stability through education, arts and technology, and employment training.

Academies to Work
This program provides low to moderate income individuals over the age of 18 years old in the City and County of Denver with training, support, and community resources in demand driven industries, to facilitate the achievement of a self-sufficient wage. The goal of DHA’s Asset Program is to create economic self-sufficiency for public housing residents through the creation of jobs and long-term employment opportunities, training and educational opportunities and contracts and business opportunities. For more information about the program please contact 720.956.3829.

Job Development
This employment programming assists DHA residents develop career building skills and seek and maintain employment. The program helps resident with resume development, computer classes, GED referrals and life skills classes, and more. For more information about the program please call 720-956-3824.

Public Housing Program
This program provides quality and safe affordable housing for eligible low-income families and individuals. DHA owns and manages approximately 3900 subsidized units. The properties range from townhomes to high-rise communities to scattered single family homes throughout the City and County of Denver. Learn more about this program, visit https://www.denverhousing.org/live-at-dha/.

Gold Star Renter’s Club
This program teaches participants lifestyle habits that will assist them in looking beyond the Housing Choice Voucher Program. They will learn about DHA’s Family Self Sufficiency (FSS) and Home Ownership program, debt reduction and budgeting, and long-term saving goals.

RCB Incentive
This program was created to increase resident participation in resident council meetings and activities. Through this program, resident earn points for online activities that can be redeemed for useful and fun items including computer devices, fans, shopping cart, puzzles, adult coloring books and colored pencils, and much more.

Housing Choice Vouchers
The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program is a lottery-based application process (formerly named Section 8). The dates of the lottery change yearly, however, these dates are announced in all local papers under the public notice section as well as our website. Once annually there is an online lottery process on our website for interested applicants, 18 years of age and older.

Family Literacy
This program emphasizes learning within a family context, enhances the relationships between parents and children, and strengthens parents’ roles as supporters of their children’s education. This program offers four comprehensive home-and-school-based literacy programs. Family Literacy Program is available at Quigg Newton and Mariposa communities.

Head Start
This program prepares children for kindergarten by enhancing their social and cognitive development through educational, health, nutritional, social, and other services. The program is available at Quigg Newton, Sun Valley, Mariposa, and Westwood.

Aging in Place
This program is for DHA’s aging and disabled populations. The goal of this programming is to help residents age in place and maintain healthy and productive lifestyles. Service Coordinators assist residents in finding services for home health care, dietary needs, social activities, and more.

Digital Inclusion
DHA’s ConnectHome Denver program addresses the digital divide. Many DHA residents do not have access to the internet, a critical tool in the 21^st century. Through a partnership of nonprofits and internet companies, DHA’s ConnectHome Denver program provides low-cost internet resources, computer devices, and computer classes. We strive to provide residents at DHA with the digital access and tools they need to reach their goals in education, healthcare, and employment.

Lifelong, Inc.
This program provides mental health, behavioral, assessment, evaluation, substance treatment, domestic violence treatment, and academic support to clients with disabilities and/or those who learn best outside of traditional learning and treatment environments. For more program information, contact Vanessa Pagan at 303-573-0839 or email Vanessa@Lifelonginc.com.

Mile High 360
This program serves teens and young adults to ensure that socioeconomic status does not define a child’s future.  Mile High 360 follows students from 6th grade through middle school, high school, college prep, and post-secondary education to provide ongoing academic support, health and wellness programming, and life skills resources and opportunities. For more program information, contact Eric Eiteljorg at 720-323-3608.

Friends of DHA
Friends of DHA is a nonprofit that raises funds to support self-sufficiency programming for the Denver Housing Authority’s (DHA) Resident and Community Services Department (RCS). The essential funding provided by Friends of DHA helps to sustain a wide variety of current programs and services to residents in and around DHA’s affordable housing communities. Friends of DHA is charged with pursuing new avenues of funding, expanding services to more households both within and outside of DHA’s subsidized housing properties, and creating new opportunities for more people throughout the Denver metro area. https://www.friendsofdha.org/about.

Colorado, I Have a Dream Foundation
DHA has partnered with the Colorado I Have a Dream Foundation (CIHADF) to provide youth and family programming in Denver’s Westwood community. CIHADF provides individualized tutoring and group programming focused on developing social and emotional skills, financial literacy, career readiness, and health and wellness support for the entire family.