Message from Our Executive Director – April

In 1994, our founders and still current board members, Robb Lapp and David Nestor, founded what is now Archway Housing.  As active members of the United Church of Christ (the UCC), Robb and David embody the UCC’s commitment to active ministry focused on social and economic justice.  And so, animated by this spirit, they created Rocky Mountain Housing Development Corporation, which in 2013 was renamed Archway Housing & Services.

I first met David and Robb in early 2020, when I began working as a consultant to Archway to assist with a leadership transition that was underway.  I was taken by their commitment to service, their humility, their curiosity, their courage, and their joy in their work.  Our paths converged around the idea that Archway could continue to play an important role in serving our communities and be an active voice in the policy discussions around affordable housing and social services.  Though my intention was to work with Archway as a consultant, we eventually began talking about a more formal relationship, and on April 1, 2020, I began to serve as Archway’s Executive Director.  I am honored to be able to contribute to this organization and have been grateful for the chance to serve in this capacity.

One year later we continue to wrestle with many challenges related to the pandemic.  Many of our residents live paycheck to paycheck, & with the loss of jobs have little to no reserves available to feed their families or pay rent.  We have expanded our food bank services considerably to meet our residents’ needs and we have been working diligently with the Colorado Division of Housing to help cover our residents’ rent shortfalls where needed.  As always, our top priority is caring for our communities.

Notwithstanding the many immediate and urgent challenges relating to COVID 19, we have also worked hard to focus attention on the longer term and have taken important steps to position the organization for growth and continued service:  we have expanded fundraising efforts to bolster our social services;  we have deployed new operating and technology systems to make our work more efficient;  we have laid important groundwork for new projects in Denver, Lakewood, Pueblo and Colorado Springs; we have strengthened ties with the Rocky Mountain Conference of the UCC, and we have improved our financial position to better support our ambitious growth plans.  And yet… there is still so much more to do!

I look forward to working with the Archway team as well as our supporters to continue meeting the challenges of the day while laying the foundation for a long and successful future where we can serve more families and expand our impact in Colorado’s most vulnerable communities.