Daniel Stange de Acatl
Sun Valley Projects have a long history in West Denver. Four generations of Lucero’s were raised there. Veterans of World War II and founding members of the G. I. Forum remember the projects and attended Denver’s Fairview Elementary as far back as the 1920-30’s. Chicanos that were displaced from Auraria when the college was built moved there. The rec center was certainly a hub for residents and displayed our Chicano roots when Nick Vigil painted that large Aztec Calendar that was hung above the entrance.
Anybody that has been down Federal Blvd. between Colfax and 8th Ave. recently, has noticed the towering cranes and the cube-like apartments that are replacing the former housing. Vertical housing is becoming a real answer to the growing population.
The Denver Housing Authority (DHA), Denver City Council President Jamie Torres and other strategic partners broke ground Nov. 2, on Phase 3 of the Sun Valley neighborhood.
The current project will boast a 12-story apartment complex that overlooks the Platte River, just where 10th Avenue ends at the Platte River. There are also going to be some small business restaurants closer to the water, when the construction begins to wrap up in 2025. Keep our fingers crossed that local entrepreneurs who grew up here will be prioritized when the lots are sold.
The Denver Housing Authority are the key planners and motivators on this project that has been almost 10 years in the making. They are the city’s largest property managers and despite the many complaints they receive, they are doing their best to keep families sheltered. Denver’s Mayor Mike Johnston ran his campaign on the promise of housing for all. So, DHA does prioritize displaced families from Sun Valley for placement in the new facilities when they are complete. Not to mention they did a fair job getting families relocated for the time during the reconstruction.
Tina Villalobos, who is now at Westridge just across Federal near Paco Sánchez Park had great things to say about the DHA staff.
Transformation is a part of the cycle of life and many of the DHA supporters highlighted that on Nov. 2 at a groundbreaking ceremony. “Evolution” was the deeper comment made by Susan Powers at the groundbreaking ceremony, representing Denver Mayor Mike Johnston.
Susan has been involved in housing development for several years and is the current interim for the Mayor’s Department of Housing Stability – HOST. Her 25-year-old Urban Ventures LLC specializes in real estate projects that include mixed commercial and residential developments. Denver Mayor Mike Johnston was not able to attend, because traveled to Washington DC with other mayors to push for better federal funding for local housing.
Many of the same people doing the same things has not impacted the community enough to reverse the trend of increased homelessness. People are consistently outpriced in being able to afford a roof over their head. And Denver has about 27,000 empty housing units in the city! The issue is not the lack of housing as much as the cost of housing. With capitalist ideals at the core of property development and private property ownership, what else do we expect? When the government can and does bring in these safety nets, such as what DHA’s been doing, there is not only tremendous red tape and social restrictions that are challenging for people in trauma, but there is little that is ever considered in the healing process.
Our society has built too many silos that separate the Holistic reality of human beings. Linking people to housing is fruitless when they require mental health support, language and culture barriers to navigate, sometimes substance abuse and victimization creates an impermeable barrier for people to maintain stability. Coupled with low wage-earning jobs that will never allow a person to save money for a down payment, let alone pay the high rent costs that push people into homelessness. It has become a vicious cycle of impoverished communities at the mercy of over-privileged, land-grabbing, corporations and individuals who only focus on the profit margins.
We need an old approach to social engineering. Native communities always ensured that people were sheltered. In an interview with Chief Red Cloud of the Oceti Sakowin by the Harper Weekly newspaper in New York back in 1850’s, he remarked about beggars in the street. “Keep your civilization” was the response of many American Indians that watched the greed of Anglo settlers that would do little to ensure that others were treated with respect. To Native Americans, the buffalo was a symbol of respect and the whites nearly killed every last one of them. It has taken almost a century of efforts to revitalize the herds that now exist on our continent. Some of the champions for saving the Bison from extinction were the same buffalo hunters that would shoot up to hundred in one day.
We have seen that healing does affect the errors of the past and that with good efforts, the work of tomorrow can be reimagined. The staff at DHA have a good heart for what they do. They take the time to learn about the residents like Tina. The Sun Valley has a community advisory committee for resident concerns and goals. The DHA resident Commissioner, Mr. Craig Allen, is also a Sun Valley resident and was present at this groundbreaking ceremony last Thursday morning. Denver City Council President Torres described her recollection of what our families have struggled with for generations just to be able to envision a possible future.
Sun Valley is one of the most diverse communities in the country with people from over 40 nationalities living there and so many languages and cultures blending. A long-time evolution from the predominately Chicano populations back in the 1970-80’s. The DHA planners also have been very open to public input and feedback, giving presentations and partnering with a variety of community organizations that are listed in their webpage under community engagement. They already have the Decatur Fresh Market open for business!
The DHA staff organizing the groundbreaking ceremony made space for a Native Land Acknowledgment and blessing of the shovels. They symbolize the tools used in building these shelters and this type of ritual can ensure that everyone involved is treated with respect and shows the intention of this effort to have a more inclusive and diverse approach.
Many people in the native communities are on the fence about Land Acknowledgements because it feels like tokenizing. People recognize the native nations that once stewarded these lands, but are they going to give the Land back? It can feel like it’s just being done to sanction further actions that are motivated by greed. But there’s a mutual respect in most cases where real healing is trying to take place. When the person giving the blessing is well compensated and given time to reflect and learn about the intentions that are being set. Land acknowledgements can facilitate an opportunity for dialogue and give young people the motivation to keep that diversity of ideas and practices forward.
People that grew up in Sun Valley and worked with the changing community for a long time, now have experience with Denver’s evolution. There are potential improvements for new housing changes that will be forthcoming. There are considerations that deserve attention from the early planning stages that we can now expand. Don’t ever doubt that the actions of a few individuals can have a big impact. Whenever you are feeling negatively impacted by changes around you, there’s an opportunity for growth and healing. Remember to move forward because that is what raises your ability to see over the horizon. Giving our Gente a trifecta to stay engaged economically, involved residentially and capable to make decisions.
Danny Stange de Acatl is a Denver Native and Cultural activist that serves his community on various levels.
