Affordable Housing
“Clara Brown Commons represents a longtime dream come true for this city block: Community-focused, supportive, truly affordable homes.”
Affordable housing is a sacred place. Clara Brown Commons is a beautiful housing community with 61 apartments offered at truly affordable rental rates. The story of the perseverance in building Clara Brown Commons reflects the personal, spiritual, and entrepreneurial story of Clara Brown, whom the building is named after.
The land on which Clara Brown Commons now provides supportive and affordable housing was neglected for decades. In 2004, Jeff Johnsen, Executive Director of Mile High Ministries, began paying attention to the property as he would walk past and pray. “God deliver this land from its bondage. And… if by some chance you find a way to give it to Mile High Ministries, we would do something good for the neighborhood.”
Mile High Ministries is a faith-based community development corporation with a simple, and incredibly expansive, vision. “We think God wants people – all people – to flourish to be connected; to be surrounded and supported by a caring community.” Jeff Johnsen wrote about his love for the people and place in a commemorative book on the construction of Clara Brown Commons, “We didn’t begin as property developers eyeing vacant land; we began with care for this sacred place and its residents’ aspirations.”
In 2016, the city of Denver foreclosed on the neglected property with over $1 million in liens. Ten years of praying for the land to be delivered laid the foundation for the next ten years of dedicated work to building something beautiful. What followed is an inspiring story of generosity and tenacity by Mile High Ministries. The next decade would be intentional engagement: listening to the neighbors and neighborhood, tireless work to secure financing, and developing beautiful partnerships with developers, designers, and builders. Over 20 years of prayers and perseverance culminated with breaking ground for Clara Brown Commons on April 8, 2022.
Clara Brown Commons is a place where neighbors are invited to weave a fabric of community for all residents to thrive. The beauty of Clara Brown Commons unfolds in the common areas of a community room, sunroom, fitness room, children’s playroom, mail room, garden, and chapel. On each of the four floors there are inviting gathering spaces for residents and their family and friends. Overlooking the apartments is the gracious gaze of Clara Brown in a remarkable multi-story mural on the south side of the building by the artist Detour.
Beyond providing affordable housing, a shared sense of home is what sets Clara Brown Commons apart. It is living and belonging to a place that feels welcoming, supportive, and connected. It is what Mile High Ministries calls “Housing That Heals.” Clara Brown Commons is a sacred place.
