HCL Newsletter - 10-12-2008
Holistic Community Living Home Update
On May 19, I purchased a home in the University Hills neighborhood in Denver. I subsequently received a Zoning Use Permit to operate an 8 bedroom, 12 bed Assisted Living Facility in the existing 3200 square foot structure. The home will be run as a nonprofit and is called “Holistic Community Living” (HCL) I am very appreciative of the great support I have received from the neighbors, the University Hills Neighborhood Association, and the Monaco South Optimist Club. Without your support, this project would not be possible.
Earlier this month we began the demolition phase of the renovations with volunteers from the neighborhood. Glenn Scott, a professional plumber in the neighborhood contributed four hours of time removing plumbing fixtures and preparing pipes for further work. Other neighbors also contributed food and drink for the volunteers who spent the day getting dirty as they removed doors, closets, molding, carpeting, and flooring. The volunteer work was overseen by the local general contractor on the job, Paul McLean, of A-Quality Artisans. Even HCL staff members volunteered for the demolition effort, as did Andrea Adler, my friend and marketing consultant from HolisticPR.com, who donned gloves, safety glasses, and hard hat to put her prybar to the task of removing formerly decorative, cedar shingles from a wall. This week the demolition phase will be completed. The heating and plumbing engineering review will also be completed soon. Then the building permits will be obtained.
I have been funding this project mostly myself to this point, and monetary donations are starting to come in. Private funding and further donations will be required to complete the job. Due to the economy, the banks are too skittish to fund the first Holistic Community Living home, although they assure me it will be easier to underwrite the next home which will be in another neighborhood, after the University Hills home is on solid footing.
For further information, please visit our web site: holisticcommunityliving.com. If you would like to donate money to the project, the web site has a list of some of the items that need to be purchased, so you can understand how your donation will be used. I am also forming a board of directors and advisory committees to oversee the planning, construction, operation, and regulatory compliance of the nonprofit home. If you would like to serve as a board member or advisor, please contact me.
While we are pursuing the renovations of the new home, I have a staff that is caring for a neighbor on the same block, in her home with two other elderly residents. I'm very grateful for the opportunity to serve as a volunteer helping the elderly in University Hills.
I invite you to sign up for our email updates so we may continue to inform you of the progress of the Holistic Community Living Home in University Hills.