community spotlight: mancos

Mancos is a rural town in southwest Colorado, located in Montezuma County, between Cortez and Durango and five miles from Mesa Verde National Park. In recent years, CHFA has had the opportunity to engage with multiple stakeholders and community leaders in Mancos to understand their local needs and ideas for solutions. As a result, CHFA has been proud to invest in some of these solutions, including:

• pre-development technical assistance to Mancos Common Press for its mixed-use commercial artist space and three to four affordable rental housing units on Main Street in the heart of the downtown area;
• a $35,000 grant to the Mancos Creative District to support youth and community-identified creative projects, including youth suicide prevention and capacity building within the organization; and
• a $37,000 grant to Mancos Trails Group to support completion of the Aquaduct Trail system, development of an economic impact report, and capacity building for the organization.

In August, members of CHFA’s staff and Executive Team toured the southwest Colorado region, which included a visit to Mancos to further engage and collaborate with the community. An event was held that included members of the Mancos Town Council, who highlighted how local organizations and community members are collaboratively working together to address the issues and challenges being facing in the southwestern part of the state.

Photo courtesy of Betsy Harrison, Mancos Common Press