Strategy in Action: Housing
These selected stories illustrate how thoughtful strategy and implementation support can influence outcomes that shape community wellbeing for years to come.​
Paloma Garden Senior Housing - Health Action Plan
Technical advising for multidisciplinary development teams seeking to align housing strategy with resident health, certification requirements, and long-term community vitality.
The Opportunity
Affordable housing developer Volunteers of America sought to renovate an existing senior housing building in Colorado Springs and add a new building to create a campus style setting. The new community, Paloma Garden, is adjacent to a golf course, has mountain views and was envisioned to be a health-focused community for seniors with low incomes.
The Approach
Equity Policy Solutions conducted a Health Action Plan to recommend specific design and program elements that will improve the health and wellbeing of residents and reduce historic socioeconomic, health and racial inequities. We analyzed health and demographic data, interviewed key stakeholders, and worked with the development team to incorporate evidence-based design and programming strategies to improve health for residents and connect to the surrounding community. Features include a walking loop trail throughout the campus with benches and shade, a community kitchen for cooking lessons and shared meals, onsite rooms suitable for vision and hearing screening and computer learning, and art installations by local artists.
The Role
Equity Policy Solutions was hired as part of the development team to conduct a Health Action Plan to inform design and programming for improved health outcomes. A Health Action Plan is a criteria for Enterprise Green Communities certification.
The Impact
This work helped the project win competitive Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) funding by ensuring that health considerations were incorporated into development frameworks rather than treated as an afterthought. By translating research into actionable steps, Equity Policy Solutions supported senior housing that fosters independence, health and wellbeing and connection to community. Paloma Garden opened in November 2024.
The Tapestry Multigenerational Housing - Health Action Plan
Source: Livable Cities Studio
Helping local leaders connect built environment strategies with measurable health indicators and practical planning actions.
The Opportunity
One of the Colorado Health Foundation’s investment priorities is affordable housing, a key driver of health equity and racial justice. When the site across the street from their Denver, CO headquarters became available, they purchased it with the vision for a multigenerational, family-centered affordable community.
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Community leaders participating in a healthy communities initiative were seeking ways to connect research on wellbeing with the planning decisions shaping their neighborhoods. While evidence linking the built environment to health outcomes was clear, practical implementation pathways were less defined.
The Approach
The site has nearby transit, parks, school, health care and a grocery store, offering opportunities to improve residents’ health with intentional, evidence-based design strategies.
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Gretchen engaged with potential new residents and service providers to understand residents’ health challenges that could be addressed through site design and programming at The Tapestry. Her research identified key health indicators that neighborhood residents face, including asthma, diabetes and disabilities as well as a lack of affordable child care and disproportional exposure to extreme heat.
The Role
Equity Policy Solutions was hired to join the development team to conduct a Health Action Plan, identifying and informing health and equity goals for The Tapestry. The vision for The Tapestry is centered on “healthy families” and includes the elements that support this, including community connection, personal agency, a sense of safety and belonging, and overall happiness.
The Impact
The Health Action Plan translated these findings into design and policy recommendations that can realistically be incorporated into the project, such as space for a child care center, improved sidewalks and tree canopy, community gardens, onsite healthcare access, and partnership with arts and youth education programs for onsite cultural enrichment. The Health Action Plan process also helped strengthen local capacity to integrate health considerations into planning conversations and encouraged decision-makers to view community design as a powerful lever for improving quality of life.
Housing Affordability in Northeast Denver -
Health Impact Assessment
Supporting regional conversations that link housing stability, youth wellbeing, and long-term community resilience.
The Opportunity
Denver Metro Community Impact is a local coalition in Northeast Denver, CO working to address the unique circumstances faced by legacy Black Denver neighborhoods which lack affordable housing, healthy food, transportation, and economic opportunity due to historic disinvestment. Youth in particular have been negatively impacted by a lack of safe, stable housing and a loss of community due to gentrification and displacement and as a result, are at higher risk of violence and substance misuse. A Health Impact Assessment (HIA) was initiated to better understand the links between stable housing and upstream health impacts and recommend evidence-based strategies to improve health equity in these neighborhoods, particularly among youth.
The Approach
Gretchen analyzed community health data and facilitated stakeholder discussions to identify feasible, actionable strategies to advance affordable housing development that meets the needs of residents as well as informing overall City housing policy. We sought out community and youth voices to recommend strategies to improve health outcomes and youth health and wellbeing. We also provided strategic advising to help link City and state housing policy and planning to community health outcomes.
The Role
Equity Policy Solutions conducted a Health Impact Assessment to advance housing affordability in nine legacy Black neighborhoods in Near and Far Northeast Denver.
The Impact
This HIA recommends feasible, actionable strategies for developers, policymakers and advocates to improve health outcomes, improve youth health and wellbeing, and reduce social, racial and economic disparities. This work helped elevate housing as a foundational component of community health strategies and supported conversations that recognize the built environment as central to long-term wellbeing.
Housing and Health System Partnerships - Action Plan
Innovative Partnerships to expand affordable housing development.
The Opportunity
In response to a growing shortage of healthcare providers often due to lack of affordable housing options, and the knowledge that housing stability can improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs, The Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) initiated a Housing, Health and Equity Partnership Plan to explore innovative partnerships between affordable housing developers and health system to build more housing.
The Approach
We conducted demographic and background research and analysis on workforce affordability challenges, designed a stakeholder engagement plan with multi-sectoral partners, and interviewed hospital and developer partners across the state. We developed a plan with replicable prototypes for the creation and preservation of affordable housing designed to promote equity for residents and the greater community.
The Role
Equity Policy Solutions served as Project Manager and Principal-in-Charge for the project. We worked with the client to identify developer and hospital and health care system partners across Colorado in urban, rural, suburban and mountain resort settings to understand the challenges of building housing within reach of healthcare workers and other workforce sectors.
The Impact
The Plan provides prototype affordable housing types for urban, rural, suburban and mountain resort settings as well as potential sources of capital for each. It serves as a roadmap for affordable housing development to serve the current and future healthcare workforce and results in improved health and equity outcomes for Coloradans through access to safe, quality housing.
Work With a Health-Informed Planning Specialist
Contact Equity Policy Solutions at GretchenA@equitypolicysolutions.com to discuss how health and equity strategies can strengthen your next project
or initiative.