The first thing you notice when you visit the Redtail Ponds housing community in Fort Collins is how many residents have dogs. There are big ones and small ones, bulldogs and collies, mutts and mixes. Residents of the community proudly walk their pets in and out of the building’s front door, into a brisk fall Colorado day. Not long ago, the majority of the 60 residents of Redtail Ponds were spending all of their time outside – or in vehicles, temporary shelters, or on the streets of Fort Collins. Some were homeless for years, other for decades. Now, they have homes. “For 46 years of my life I struggled, and in the past two years I feel like I have probably come farther in my life than I ever have. And I owe that to Redtail Ponds,” said Tom Campbell, a resident of the community. We were visiting Redtail Ponds to make a video about the community’s life-changing impact on the local homeless community. You can view that video here: There’s much more to the Redtail Ponds story, and it starts with the story of Housing Catalyst, the non-profit affordable housing developer that constructed Redtail Ponds and is working on more permanent supportive housing for Northern Colorado. Zachary Penland, Program Manager at Redtail Ponds and a dedicated advocate for the homeless in Fort Collins, explained: “People sign a lease, and they can stay as long as they want, as long as they are abiding by that lease. What makes it different is supportive services. It is specifically tailored for individuals who have experienced homelessness and have a long term disability. We recognize that with those additional barriers, simply handing them a set of keys, saying good luck and walking away isn’t going to be enough. They need that ongoing support to be successful in their housing. We provide that onsite support so that they can ultimately be successful in their new homes.” On site supportive services include mental health counseling, job assistance, veterans services, AA meetings, benefit consultations, a women’s support group, art and gardening activities and more. Redtail Ponds is conveniently located a block away from MAX, Fort Collins’ central transit hub, so those without cars can easily get to jobs and offsite appointments. A bike storage area on site is packed full. Housing Catalyst Yardi client Housing Catalyst was formerly called the Fort Collins Housing Authority. The organization changed its name in 2016 because it wanted to more broadly reflect its efforts to make change in residents’ lives. “There were several reasons why we chose the new name. First, we purposely left out the words ‘housing authority’ because they can unfairly bring to mind large, outdated apartment buildings and perhaps misconceptions of unsafe living conditions,” said Carol McGrath, Senior Accountant for Housing Catalyst. “Second, we felt that Housing Catalyst better reflects how we challenge the status quo. We exist because everyone deserves a place they are proud to call home. We take care of our residents and our properties by providing quality homes that defy negative stereotypes. The name Housing Catalyst helps us to portray those core values of our agency.” Housing Catalyst owns and manages 357 affordable housing units funded with Low Income Housing Tax Credits, 196 Public Housing units, and 1,216 Housing Choice Vouchers. ““While we aren’t the biggest PHA out there, we are the largest, most active affordable housing developer in Northern Colorado,” said Carol. Two more supportive housing developments are planned. Transforming Lives Carol, Zachary and Property Manager David James spent time telling us the story of the development of Redtail Ponds and sharing some of the differences that the community has made in residents’ lives. “We’ve seen some really amazing transformations since people have moved into Redtail Ponds. We have seen people gain employment, in some cases enough employment that they have been able to afford to get their own place. We’ve...