Nonprofit to turn hotel into housing for adults with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities

By CONOR MCCUE

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    DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colorado (KCNC) — A Douglas County nonprofit will soon begin tackling a seldom discussed but very important issue in our state: providing housing for adults with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities.

Castle Rock-based Wellspring Community is now working with the county and other partners to transform an old hotel into permanent housing for people with I/DD. Colorado Community Media first reported on the plan in November.

“This isn’t just an issue for Wellspring and our families, it’s an issue across the state right now,” said Nicole DeVries, Executive Director for Wellspring Community.

With each scoop of flour and brown sugar, Matthew Bunn gets one step closer to making the perfect cookie. It’s a job he’s become quite good at in the Wellspring Bakery.

“I just like everything I make,” Brunn said.

For five years now, the 22-year-old has returned every Friday, gaining pride, purpose, and a paycheck with his part-time gig.

“You can see the pride in them when they do something that other people are willing to pay for or other people find value in,” said Peter Barber, development director at Wellspring Community.

Located on Park Street in Castle Rock, Wellspring Community serves adults with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities from five counties in the south metro area, including daily programming and jobs in their bakery and coffee shop called the Castle Rock Collective.

One thing the non-profit has always wanted to provide is housing, a need Executive Director Nicole DeVries sees every day.

Neuro-Inclusive Housing Solutions, LLC recently reported there were more than 20,000 adults with I/DD in Colorado living with caregivers over the age of 60, who are at risk of involuntary displacement or homelessness.

“The biggest concern that families and caregivers express is what’s going to happen to my loved one when I no longer can care for them?” DeVries said.

That’s why now, the non-profit will take over La Quinta off Park Street in Castle Rock with plans to renovate it to have permanent, affordable housing. The purchase was made possible by American Rescue Plan Act funds approved by the Douglas County Board of Commissioners.

“Wellspring housing will convert it from a 63-unit hotel into a 42-unit apartment complex,” DeVries said.

According to DeVries, the goal is affordable, independent living with a 24/7 support staff inside the building. While still a work in progress, Wellspring plans to make rooms available to some people in their program, other adults with I/DD, and some people in need of affordable housing. The goal is to have an “intentional integrated community.”

“It is for those participants in our program who are able to live independently, given the right resources and supports and tools to do so,” DeVries said. “It provides a sense of peace and assurance that their loved one is going to be cared for in a way that they would do so themselves.”

While costly renovations must still be done, there are already more interested families than eventual rooms. Still, this small solution could have an immeasurable impact on some.

“We know that this is just the first step, so we’re not going to stop here,” DeVries said. “We will take the next step and find more creative solutions so we can help address the issue.”

Wellspring hopes to start renovations in the next few months. The whole process could take up to a year.

The goal is to open the doors in late spring or early summer of 2024.

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