Welcome to Jane's Place
Chaffee County is a special place built around an incredible landscape and close-knit community. Yet, our valley faces myriad challenges, and principal among these challenges is access to housing for the diverse and growing workforce, families and individuals in crisis, Americorps volunteers, and more who all strive to call this place home.
The Chaffee County Community Foundation (CCCF) together with the Chaffee Housing Authority (CHA) propose an innovative and flexible housing project near the heart of downtown Salida at the intersection of 3rd & Highway 291 in Salida called Jane’s Place.
What is
Jane's Place?
Jane's Place is a legacy project honoring the vision of the late Jane Whitmer. This project will bring 17 housing units to the Salida community, designed to serve immediate local needs. Seasonal employees, new recruits to our workforce, families and individuals in crisis, & Americorps volunteers will be directly served through Jane's Place. In addition, the project will include a nonprofit incubator and social enterprise coffee shop.
Jane's Place Updates
February, 2022
Dear Friends of Jane’s Place,
On behalf of the Chaffee County Housing Authority (CHA), and the Chaffee County Community Foundation (CCCF) we would like to sincerely thank you for the support you have offered the Jane’s Place project over the past twelve months. This future development would not be possible without our partners and generous community members like you.
Jane’s Place is moving forward to be an innovative adaptive housing project near the heart of downtown Salida on the corner of 3 rd Street and Highway 291. Jane’s Place will provide 17 rental housing units, a nonprofit incubator meeting space, and a social enterprise coffee shop. Housing units will serve the needs of our diverse and growing seasonal workforce, households in transition or in emergency need, AmeriCorps volunteers, new recruits to our workforce, and families who are striving to exit homelessness.
Funding & Cost Estimate
Updates Jane's Place is currently estimated to cost $4.5 million. While a portion of this cost will be paid for using traditional debt, community support is needed to ensure affordable rent levels and programming for tenants who need it most. As of this date, Chaffee Housing Authority and Chaffee County Community Foundation have partnered to secure:
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$2,645,000 through grants, foundations, and contributions from the City of Salida and Chaffee County.
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$375,000 in contributions from individuals, households, and local businesses.
Next steps
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The CHA and CCCF have clearly defined their roles, and CCCF will continue being the organization that hosts the Jane’s Place Fund, where all donations will be deposited. We have established a clear reporting structure, so that CHA and the Capital Campaign Committee can offer timely appreciation to donors, and CCCF can offer those same donors the tax documentation they need to benefit from their contribution.
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CHA will work with donors who contribute $40,000 or more to establish naming rights for portions of the project, when applicable.
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The CHA is presently seeking an Owners Agent for Jane’s Place, and will then seek a General Contractor, with the hope of breaking ground during the summer of 2022. We are happy to report the CHA currently has 5 applications to review for the Owners Agent role.
A Legacy to Remember
This development will not only serve diverse and acute community needs, it also incorporates the vision and passions of the late Jane Whitmer, whose deep legacy was centered in providing stability and care for children and families so they may prosper. Despite the pandemic we have been able to achieve many milestones in bringing Jane’s Place closer to ensuring a flexible housing option will exist in our community. Our work would not be possible without the generous support of our funders and partners.
Upcoming Opportunities to Support
Over the next several months, the CHA will secure the Owners Agent, secure the General Contractor, finalize construction costs, and secure construction and permanent financing. We will be seeking community partners to help with the installation of the outdoor courtyard, weigh in on the community space within the non-profit development center, seek contributions to furnish the rental units, and weigh in on the tenant selection criteria for the overall project. We look forward to your continued participation and interest in this project Please follow our progress at www.housinghealthchaffee.org/janesplace .
If you have any questions, would like to make a further contribution or join our campaign efforts please
call Becky Gray at 719-530-2590.
Sincerely,
The Chaffee Housing Authority
Chaffee County Office of Housing
Touber Building 448 East First Street
Salida, Colorado 81201
chaffeecounty.org/housing
Jane's Place
Project Overview
The Chaffee Housing Authority (CHA) and the Chaffee County Community Foundation (CCCF) have teamed up to tackle a spectrum of Salida's Housing and nonprofit space needs. Watch the video for an
overview of the project.
Jane's Place project support with $350,000 Donation from Chaffee County Department of Human Services
MEDIA RELEASE: February 10, 2022
The Chaffee County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) and Department of Human Services (DHS) were recently able to make another positive financial impact for a priority project within the community, approving a donation of $350,000 to support Chaffee Housing Authority’s Jane’s Place project.
The contribution is a special, one-time budget reallocation that will transfer funds from the DHS reserves to support construction of the adaptive housing project at the intersection of 3rd & Highway 291 in Salida. Jane’s Place will bring 17 apartments to the Salida community, designed to serve immediate local housing needs for seasonal employees, local workforce, families and individuals in crisis, and Americorps volunteers. In addition, the project will include a nonprofit shared working space and social enterprise coffee shop.
DHS Director Dave Henson commented, “Housing continues to be an area of great need for the families and kids we serve through DHS. The creative model that is being implemented through Jane’s Place can help us provide housing stability for our clients and improve on-going access to other supportive services through this direct partnership with the Chaffee Housing Authority.”
The Department of Human Services and BOCC budgeted a total of $1 million for one-time local project support in 2022, leveraging the DHS fund balance reserve to support mission-aligned initiatives in the county. In addition to this funding provided to Jane’s Place, DHS supported a $500,000 contribution to the Boys and Girls Club of Chaffee County in December for its Buena Vista facility. The BOCC also continues to evaluate ways to support early childhood-related needs within the County and expects to apply the remaining balance of the one-time DHS allocation to this cause in the coming months.
Jan Schmidt, DHS’ Finance Manager, explained, “DHS is pleased to have the opportunity to support other local human services needs - including solutions like Jane’s Place - through use of our reserves. We consider these projects to be complementary to our core work and believe they will help deepen DHS’ positive impacts.”
Chaffee Housing Authority (CHA) Director Becky Gray shared her appreciation, “This contribution to Jane’s Place demonstrates significant commitment and support for innovative affordable housing interventions like Jane’s Place. Our partnership with DHS continues to grow more collaborative, and I look forward to how these collaborations will play out at Jane’s Place.”
The Chaffee Housing Authority estimates that development costs for Jane’s Place will be approximately $4.55 million. With the Chaffee County contribution, CHA has secured nearly $2,645,000 in support to through grants, foundation support, donations and contribution from the City of Salida. The Jane’s Place Capital Campaign Committee reports that many local donors have contributed to the project, totaling more than $375,000 in community contributions.
Information & Public Forms
Completed Pledge Forms or any questions about this project can be emailed to Becky Gray
