Equity & Community Resilience focuses on creating a more connected, vibrant and inclusive community for all. It includes taking a community-led approach to recovery, focusing on fostering a sense of belonging and taking action to ensure all who live here can thrive.
Outcomes:
- Foster a sense of belonging and community trust
- Accelerate the City’s Housing Strategic Plan’s vision that “everyone has healthy, stable housing they can afford.”
- Expand and leverage existing partnerships to quickly connect people experiencing homelessness (PEH) to resources and services
Recovery Project
Status
Metrics
As of Dec. 31, 2023
This program is contributing to housing stability for local individuals and families. Eviction and risk of eviction are still high even as other pandemic impacts subside. Local BIPOC community members, Spanish-speaking residents, people with disabilities and low-income households are disproportionally impacted as they experience higher rental costs, lower income levels and higher rates of poverty.
This program provides eviction prevention education and support, with the majority of funds going to local community partners who specialize in this work. This program supports both renters and landlords. Specific services provided through this program include:
- Eviction Legal Clinics
- “Know Your Rights” Training
- Direct Client Representation
- Inclusive Educational Outreach
- Eviction-focused training for Mediations and Restorative Justice staff and volunteers
This program has also been funded by ARPA dollars in the 2023-2024 budget.
In Progress
Spent to Date: $327,969
Allocated: $640,000
# of Renters Served: 2,102
# of Landlords Served: 102
# of mediation volunteers trained in eviction-related issues: 22
Achieved eviction avoidance in 94% of the cases that had support from an attorney.
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2023 Program Highlights
- An average of three families per week were kept in their homes through direct legal representation.
- Resolved 119 eviction/housing-related cases that required an attorney.
- Resolved conflicts through mediation in 11 cases and assisted 65 landlords and tenants through conflict coaching.
- Trained volunteers in 22 mediation training sessions.
- Offered 29 Know Your Rights Trainings and other educational events with 605 attendees.
- Provided 6 “Ask a Lawyer” legal clinics for 709 participants.
Impact Story
A couple with three young children living in a local mobile home park experienced a backup of sewage in the home, which made it unlivable.
The park management refused to take responsibility for the situation and the couple contacted the Eviction Legal Fund for assistance. Attorneys were able to step in to ensure the home was cleaned up, repairs were made, and the family received compensation for loss of use and expenses.
The City has used ARPA dollars to fund a variety of different programming related to homelessness in Fort Collins. This additional funding helped slow the growth of homelessness in Fort Collins since 2020, in contrast to many communities across the nation. It continues to provide critical support to those experiencing homelessness locally, providing shelter, resource and housing navigation and other core services.
The majority of this funding was granted to nonprofits and community partners who provide services and programming directly to people experiencing homelessness. The strategies being funded are proven to reduce the likelihood of prolonged or chronic homelessness. Specific initiatives funded include:
- Expansion of Outreach Fort Collins to include street outreach coverage of midtown and north Fort Collins.
- Increased Case Management and Resource Navigation to connect individuals with crucial resources and services, including housing.
- 24/7 Sheltering: Access to 24/7 shelter provides better outcomes for people experiencing homelessness because of increased stability due to daytime shelter access.
- Expanded Seasonal Overflow Shelter to support more individuals during extreme weather.
- Rapid Rehousing Programming: Short-term rental assistance and services so people can obtain housing quickly and increase self-sufficiency.
- Murphy Center: Funding to support expanded hours and general operations to increase access to core services.
This program has also been funded by ARPA dollars in the 2023-2024 budget.
In Progress
Spent to Date: $1,633,757
Allocated: $3,462,000
# Served in Shelters Through this Program:
2,896
# of Additional Individuals Participating in Case Management Due to this Program:
3,864
# of Case Management & Resource Navigation Clients Moved into Housing:
194
Individuals/Families Housed through Rapid Rehousing:
# of Individuals: 10
# of Families: 35
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2023 Program Highlights
- Outreach Fort Collins made 14,458 contacts within coverage area, 1,435 service connections and 460 agency referrals.*
- ARPA-funded Homeward Alliance Housing Specialist helped 61 households secure stable housing, prevented an additional seven households from losing housing.
- ARPA-funded Homeward Alliance Resource Navigator served an additional 250 individuals.
- Expansion of resource navigation services for people experiencing homelessness to new locations including the Larimer County Jail, Larimer County Courthouse and Fort Collins Rescue Mission.
*Total contacts. Program only partially funded by ARPA funds.
This program provides funds to support the City’s Land Bank. The Land Bank is a long-term affordable housing tool that helps ensure land will be available in the future to increase the stock of affordable housing units. With these funds, staff anticipate purchasing 5 acres to build at least 100 homes.
Funding this project with ARPA funds frees up additional City funding to support other local affordable housing initiatives. Allowing more housing projects Learn more about this program.
In Progress
Spent to Date: $0
Allocated: $1,000,000
Coming Soon
This program provides funding for the development of the Heartside Hill project in southeast Fort Collins. This development is being funded in partnership with local, regional and state partners and has already broken ground. The project will create 71 new units of affordable rental housing in Fort Collins.
In Progress
Spent to Date: $0
Allocated: $1,100,000
Coming Soon
This program aims to provide accessible opportunities for community members to experience and engage with local arts and culture. It also supports the local creative sector by engaging artists from varied social, socio-economic, and ethnic identities and communities. The following approaches are used by the program:
- Pop-Up performances: Artists and creatives pop-up in public spaces such as along trails, in parks or within neighborhoods so community members can experience art where they already are. Example: Let’s Ride musicians and artist pop ups at Transfort stations and bus stops.
- Supporting events: Hiring artists to support events planned by nonprofits and other community groups whose event aligns with the Cultural Community Program’s mission. Example: Compensating artists performing during the Latiné and Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration at the Gardens on Spring Creek.
- Co-Creation: Working alongside community members and artists to co-create initiatives that meet program goals. Example: Our Animal Body, a collaborative community poetry project led by a community-based artist team.
- Curation: The program seeks to highlight a diverse range of creative people and artistic disciplines.
This program has also been funded by ARPA dollars in the 2023-2024 budget.
In Progress
Spent to Date: $229,142
Allocated: $468,394
# of Attendees at Program Activities:
7,473
# of Hours of Programming:
260
# of Events Held:
158+
# of Artists Hired:
250+
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2023 Program Highlights
- Continued partnership with Boys and Girls Club of Larimer County to bring local artists into clubs and engage students in art-centered activities.
- Coordinated several pop-up series featuring music, literary arts, print making and more.
Testimonial
“I didn’t believe the City cared about artists like me until now”
– Local artist and program participant
Art to Live provides grants to local creatives (artists, designers, musicians, etc.), who were significantly impacted by the pandemic. The goal of this program is to financially support and foster local working artists, who then offer free opportunities for community members to experience art.
In Progress
Spent to Date: $72,192
Allocated: $170,000
# of Grants Awarded:
46
# of Applications Received:
162
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Testimonial
“[This program] not only supports local artists who were negatively impacted by the pandemic, but also provides free art viewings/participations for the community. Art brings people together, and we are proud to be a resource for artists as they recover.”
– Solara Clark, Art to Live Project Coordinator
This program provides grants to organizations hosting local events to help cover security and safety costs. Many events continue to struggle to return after cancellations in 2020 and 2021 since they often rely on funding generated from a previous year’s event to fund subsequent years. This model was disrupted by the pandemic, and increased costs persist.
Events – be it a marathon, music festival, craft fair, or Earth Day celebration – are a vital part of the culture of Fort Collins, helping create a more vibrant community. Subsidizing costs of required safety and security measures through this grant enables them to be held.
In Progress
Spent to Date: $85,462
Allocated: $125,000
Cumulative # of Attendees at Events:
60,000+
# Grants Awarded to Local Events:
27
13 in 2023
Funding to expand, systematize and enhance engagement with diverse groups, including those who have been historically underserved and most impacted by the pandemic.
These efforts not only support the recovery outcome of fostering a sense of belonging and trust within the community (specifically between the City and the public), but also help those who have been historically left out of decision-making have their voices heard.
Thus far, funding has been used to purchase upgraded interpretation equipment for use at engagement events and meetings. It is also being used to support the development of updated Community Engagement and Language Access Guides.
Staff and consultants are working with local community partners to vet these guides and ensure they align with community needs to have more inclusive and accessible participation with local government.
In Progress
Spent to Date: $9,107
Allocated: $55,000
Coming Soon
This program provides funding for Spanish interpretation at City Council meetings and high-priority civic engagement events. This work helps create more equitable civic engagement, facilitating collaboration on local projects, problem-solving and collective decision making.
In Progress
Spent to Date: $16,114
Allocated: $26,294*
*Budget for this program was reduced in Q1 2023 after some funding moved to DEI Professional Services Program.
Cumulative # of Events Supported with Interpretation:
47
This program works directly with the Fort Collins Native American community and local Native-serving nonprofits to build relationships, conduct community engagement, and support community-led initiatives.
The Native community has been disproportionally impacted by the pandemic and has historically been underserved by the City. Building strong and trusting relationships with Native community members to address impacts from the pandemic and issues that have long impacted the local Indigenous community is a priority.
In Progress
Spent to Date: $147,589
Allocated: $313,217
Milestones:
- Hired Native Nations Community Advisory Panel.
- Development of City Land Acknowledgement with Native Nations Community Advisory Panel.
- Hosted City’s first Tribal Consultation with Kiowa and Northern Cheyenne Tribes.
- Supported Soapstone bison herd blessing.
- Collaborated with community partners to host Indigenous Peoples Day celebration.
- Supported founding of First Peoples Community Center non-profit.
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Testimonial
“This program has opened up lines of communication between multi-generational Native community members to meet and connect. The program has also connected staff to the Native community to start establishing stronger ties to city programs and services.”
– Claudia Menendez, City of Fort Collins Equity Officer
The Equity Grant Fund provides awards to local individuals, nonprofits and community partners to support community-led work that assists those impacted by the pandemic, including youth, older adults, LGBTQIA+ individuals, veterans and other historically underserved groups.
Funded initiatives include:
- Bilingual navigation programming for immigrants at Alianza Norco.
- Subsidized rent for local community organizations at United Way of Larimer County Community Impact Center.
- Yarrow Collective youth Seed Circles and Xinachtli programming.
- Increased staffing support at Vindeket Foods.
- Support for Fuerza Latina programming including Community Empowerment Clinics.
- Neighbor to Neighbor housing assistance program.
- ISAAC Adelante Youth Fellowship Program expansion.
In Progress
Spent to Date: $193,000
Allocated: $400,000
# of Grants Provided:
20
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2023 Metrics and Impacts
- Alianza Norco provided 317 hours of additional bilingual navigation programming.
- Rent subsidized for eight BIPOC and LGBTQ+ partner organizations housed at United Way of Larimer County’s Community Impact Center.
- Sound Affects Music put on 40 live performances in long-term care settings, reaching more than 500 older adults.
Closed Projects
Funds for this project support activities to connect community members together and create a sense of belonging. Dollars support improvements to the popular Adopt a Neighbor volunteer program, allowing community members to more easily connect with those in need, and funds Asphalt Art projects, activities that increase connection in neighborhoods.
Adopt a Neighbor: Funding was used to update software for the City’s volunteer site (Engage) to establish a “bulletin board” matching system. This system is more efficient than the previous manual staff matching process. Overall, the time to match volunteers has significantly decreased since this upgrade – allowing residents in need to get connected more quickly to volunteers willing to serve. Learn more about this program.
Asphalt Art: Asphalt Art is an outdoor, community-led project that fosters connection between residents and enhances the unique character of neighborhoods – building a stronger sense of place and community
Complete
Spent to Date: $33,113
Allocated: $40,000*
*Program completed under budget
# of Volunteer Hours – Adopt a Neighbor Program
145+
# of Participants – Asphalt Art Programming:
130+
This program provides subsidies to developers building affordable housing projects within Fort Collins, increasing the amount of affordable housing available. The homes supported with affordable housing fee credits will be deed restricted for at least 30 years, some for 40 years, providing homes to generations of low wage-earning households.
The dedicated ARPA funding for this program allowed staff to pilot the administrative processing of affordable housing fee credits. This saved time and effort by City Council, developers and City staff. This pilot program was considered a success and City Code was amended to include this process when funding is appropriated. More Information about this program.
Complete
Spent to Date: $350,000
Allocated: $350,000
# of Affordable Housing Units Funded by this Program:
25*
*In 2022 and 2023, this funding provided fee offsets for 25 newly constructed homes targeting households earning 30% (20 homes) and 40% (5 homes) area median income at three affordable housing communities.
This program provided direct financial assistance to Fort Collins Utilities customers struggling to pay bills due to the pandemic. ARPA funds were combined with funds from Platte River Power Authority to support both residential and commercial customers in need.
Complete
Spent to Date: $459,029
Allocated: $460,000
# Customers Provided Utilities Pandemic Assistance:
2,052
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Additional Metrics and Impacts
- More than 95% of all utility accounts (residential, commercial and property management) became current after receiving assistance
- City received dozens of thank yous from customers who received assistance
- Majority of those who benefited from the program were renters with an annual income of less than $50,000.
As of 2023, ongoing work for the Equity and Inclusion Office is being funded by non-ARPA dollars.
Complete
Spent to Date: $33,266
Allocated: $33,266*
*Budget increased as some funds were moved from Language Access Services program
# of Individuals Benefited:
Nearly 5,500
# of Community-led Events Supported:
Additional Information
Additional information about these ARPA-funded projects, along with all of the programs funded in the City’s 2023-2024 Budget can be found on the City’s Budget Website.
Non-ARPA Projects
In addition to the many ARPA-funded programs that relate to the Recovery Theme of Equity & Community Resilience, there are many other projects and programs supported by the City through non-ARPA funding that relate to the theme.
View Additional Equity & Community Related Offers >
About Recovery Dashboard
This dashboard is a snapshot of the Fort Collins community’s progress in achieving recovery as laid out in the Resilient Recovery Plan and includes projects funded by the City’s $28.1 million of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF).
Key
- Status: Defines if the project is complete, in progress or no started. Please note many projects in progress may not have spent funds but are in the planning and launching phases.
- Spent to Date: Amount of funding spent on the project thus far.
- Allocated: Amount of ARPA SLFRF dollars budgeted for a particular project.
- Metric: Piece of data that demonstrates the outcome and impact of a project.
Glossary
- ARPA: American Rescue Plan Act, federal act passed in March 2021, established $1.9 trillion in COVID-19 relief funding. The City received $28.1M of ARPA funds in 2021.
- ARPA Funds: ARPA Funds or American Rescue Plan Act Funds refers to the funds the City of Fort Collins has received from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. In the majority of cases, ARPA Funds is used as shorthand to refer to the $28.1 million SLFRF received by the City
- SLFRF: State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). $360B was allocated via SLFRF to state and local governments to assist with recovery. The City of Fort Collins received $28.1 million SLFRF funds for pandemic response and recovery.