By Mayor Michael B. Hancock
Denver was recently rated one of the top 10 cities for gains in jobs and income for its people since our economy was toppled by the 2007 recession, but I know that doesn’t necessarily translate into widely shared prosperity in our city today. While jobs are available, there may not be enough job seekers ready to fill them. And while incomes are increasing, housing prices have also continued to rise especially in neighborhoods in central Denver. It’s left our families struggling to make ends meet, and left many of our residents feeling left behind.
I don’t want to see anyone in our city pushed out because of housing costs, and no one should be forced to decide between paying their mortgage or providing for their families. While we’re pulling every lever we can to build and preserve affordable housing across the city, there’s more we can do—we can also help Denver residents better afford their monthly bills through financial empowerment and access to better paying job opportunities.
The city has squarely focused our workforce development efforts on helping connect residents to good-paying jobs that lead to long-lasting careers. Our workforce services provide in-demand skills training, individual career coaching and paid trainings in businesses and industries that are in demand and in need of skilled employees. We do this at no cost to our residents.
Over the next several years, we are going to ensure that public projects—from the expansion of the Colorado Convention Center to the National Western Center to the 2017 General Obligation Bond projects—are part of these skill- and career-building opportunities for our people. The projects are public assets that will not only boost tourism and provide more transportation and recreation options, they’re also an opportunity for those in our city who are in need of a good job with good pay, a job that could lead to a good career.
We can and will build more affordable homes for our residents, but it’s just as important to help our neighbors build their lives so they can stay in their homes. We’re going to keep working hard so that our residents can continue to stay in this great city of ours.
It is my goal that when the people of Denver look back at these projects, they don’t just see a building or a redesigned street—they see the communities they enhanced, the careers they launched and the futures they secured.
However, more than just having a good paying job, we want residents and their families to have the solid foundations upon which to build their lives and build their futures. One of our Financial Empowerment Centers, located at Warren Village in the Cheesman Park neighborhood, helps residents every day manage their finances, reduce their personal debt, increase their savings and more.
Marsha Brown found herself in dire straits when medical bills following her son’s car accident caused her to lose her home. With the support of financial coaching and resources at Warren Village and the Financial Empowerment Center, Marsha was able to improve her credit score, build her savings and get back on her feet. Marsha now has a stable job, and, back in October, she purchased a new home.
Ninety residents have so far been served through the Warren Village Financial Empowerment Center since August 2016, and they’ve been able to reduce their collective debt by over $165 thousand, all while building up over $33 thousand in new savings. It’s successes like these that led us to expand resources to the Office of Financial Empowerment in the 2018 budget so that we can help more residents and families secure their financial futures.
We can and will build more affordable homes for our residents, but it’s just as important to help our neighbors build their lives so they can stay in their homes. We’re going to keep working hard so that our residents can continue to stay in this great city of ours.
