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We Served Over 30,000 Coloradans This Year, Helped Pass Eight Priority Bills, Received Funding for Our Just Bus, Saw Many Big Colorado Supreme Court Wins, and more!
We Served Over 30,000 Coloradans This Year, Helped Pass Eight Priority Bills, Received Funding for Our Just Bus, Saw Many Big Colorado Supreme Court Wins, and more!
2024 was a big year here at CEDP! Looking back at the year, we accomplished so much in our fight to build economic and racial equity. Here are just some of the highlights from this year if you’re short on time:
Across our legal, financial, and stability programs, CEDP served over 30,000 Coloradans, distributing over $77 million in financial assistance and support.
CEDP led campaigns and coalitions that passed 8 bills during the 2024 Colorado Legislative Session, creating stronger protections for renters, consumers, and homeowners
We received $840,000 in federal funding for our Just Bus mobile office. The Just Bus will provide legal aid and financial assistance to families across Colorado
CED Law’s Appellate Program saw many big wins including the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling in Miller v. Amos, the Court of Appeals’s ruling in VOA Sunset Hous. LP v. D’Angelo, and the Denver District Court’s ruling in VOA Sunset Hous. LP v. D’Angelo.
We hosted FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser at our Denver office to discuss the profound challenges renters face in Colorado.
CEDP expanded our services, adding eight new programs to better serve our clients this year — and we’re still growing!
CEDP was approved as a housing counseling agency through HUD.
We opened an office in Durango and expanded work from our office in Colorado Springs.
We attended, hosted, and collaborated with partners on numerous events. Thanks to all of our staff at CEDP who showed up to support each other and our clients in the community!
To close out 2024, CEDP staff gathered in person to celebrate our accomplishments in 2024 and look ahead to 2025.
We served Coloradans across the state, providing resources, financial assistance, and support
Across 17 different legal, financial, and stability programs, we provided over $77 million in financial assistance and support to people across Colorado. We’ve expanded our services and served more Coloradans than ever before. This included:
Opening nearly 3,000 cases at our law firm, CED Law, and assisting over 1,600 people with Know Your Rights information at clinics,
unlocking over $180,000 in back benefits for 150 clients through our benefit enrollment program,
disbursing over $12 million in mortgage assistance,
supporting nearly 200,000 Coloradans who contacted our CARE Center for assistance,
assisting more than 6,800 clients with transportation assistance through the RTD LiVE program,
helping almost 200 community members in the Denver Metro area find permanent supportive housing,
expanding our services in Fort Morgan, Durango, and Sterling,
stabilizing nearly 14,000 Coloradans through the state’s Temporary Rental Assistance Grant (TRAG) program,
launching our Peer and Clinical Support Program,
providing housing navigation and voucher services to over 700 households,
connecting over 200 clients with cell phones, Lifeline, and other digital support,
expanding our rental assistance programming in Commerce City and Westminster,
and disbursing over $64 million in rental assistance.
This was a landmark year for our work, and we’re dedicated to continuing the fight for economic justice and racial equity. While the needs of our communities here in Colorado continue to evolve, we’ll continue to work to keep Coloradans in their homes and provide support to those in need of assistance.
Eight of CEDP’s Priority Bills Passed Both Chambers of the General Assembly and Are Now Law in Colorado
We led and supported over a dozen bills during the 2024 legislative session, and all eight of our priority bills passed and became Colorado law! All of these new laws have taken important steps to better protect Colorado tenants, homeowners, and consumers. Read on for a brief rundown of each of our eight priority bills and the impact they will have on Coloradans:
HB24-1098, ourFor Cause Evictionbill, stops non-renewal evictions without a valid legal reason, giving renters greater security and stability.
SB24-094, ourWarranty of Habitability bill, holds landlords accountable for fixing uninhabitable conditions in a tenant’s residence, improving health and safety.
HB24-1337, placing strong guardrails around HOA foreclosures, places meaningful guardrails around HOA foreclosures by capping attorney fees and creating a viable, post-foreclosure redemption process for homeowners.
HB24-1267,prohibiting Metro District foreclosures for unpaid assessments, requires covenant-enforcing metro districts to adopt written policies on fines and fees. It also prevents metro districts from initiating foreclosures based on unpaid charges.
HB24-1051,which regulates Colorado’s towing industry and keeps predatory towing companies in check, prohibits for-profit towing companies from patrolling residential lots and provides more thorough mechanisms to allow the Public Utilities Commission, District Attorneys, and the Colorado Attorney General to hold predatory towing companies accountable.
HB24-1438, legislationupdating insulin and EpiPen regulations,increases penalties for pharmaceutical companies that do not comply with Colorado’s EpiPen and insulin caps and also clarifies reimbursement pathways.
Governor Polis signing HB24-1098 alongside bill sponsors, CEDP staff, & fellow Keep Coloradans Housed Coalition members.
CEDP staff at the bill signing for HB24-1267.
Governor Polis signing SB24-094 alongside bill sponsors and advocates.
As part of our policy work this year, we hosted an event in July, The Future of Housing: Landmark Tenant Protections in 2024 and a Vision for 2025. This event wrapped up the 2024 legislative session and, more importantly, launched visual art exhibits that brought to life how the housing crisis impacts Colorado families. There was a great turnout and it was impactful to reflect on everything we accomplished this year and look ahead to the work to come.
We’re incredibly proud of the work our team did during the 2024 legislative session to help change unjust systems that impacted our clients and our communities. We’re excited to continue our policy work as we head into 2025 and the next legislative session — stay tuned for more details on our 2025 priority bills in future newsletters!
We Received Congressionally Directed Spending Funds to Launch Just Bus
(From left to right) CEDP’s Karla Rivas, Cesar Jimenez, Antonio Bendezu, and Rebecca Cohn; DMTU’s Eida Altman; CEDP’s Lois Lupica and Zach Neumann; U.S. Representative Jason Crow; and CEDP’s Christina Garcia and Melissa Mejía at an event to announce funding for CEDP’s Just Bus.
CED Law’s Appellate Program Saw Many Big Wins at the Colorado Supreme Court
CED Law’s Appellate Program saw many big wins including the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling in Miller v. Amos that a violation of the Colorado Fair Housing Act can be used as an affirmative defense to eviction; the Court of Appeals’s ruling in VOA Sunset Hous. LP v. D’Angelo that Colorado’s anti-SLAPP statute, which protects First Amendment free speech rights, applies to defendants in eviction cases; and the Denver District Court’s ruling in VOA Sunset Hous. LP v. D’Angelo which clarified the notice and due process that must be afforded to a project-based Section 8 tenant in an eviction proceeding.
Spencer Bailey, Senior Attorney & Appellate Supervisor at our law firm, CED Law, at the Colorado Court of Appeals.
CEDP Hosted FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser at Our Denver Office
In July, we hosted FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser at our Denver office. During their visit, Chairwoman Khan and Attorney General Weiser met with tenants, CEDP staff, and non-profit partners to discuss the profound challenges facing renters across Colorado.
Some of the issues facing tenants in the state include affordable housing, exorbitant late fees and fines, security deposit theft, algorithmic price-fixing, and corporate investors buying up mobile home parks and rental properties. At CEDP, we’ve seen firsthand how the current landscape for renters does more harm than good amidst record-breaking eviction filings, skyrocketing rental costs, questionable junk fees added on to many Colorado renters’ monthly expenses, and price-fixing in the rental market.
FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser visiting the CEDP Denver Office with Zainab Adib, Vice Chair of Denver Metro Tenants Union; CEDP’s Zach Neumann, Sam Gilman, and Melissa Mejía; and Colorado State Representatives Andy Boesenecker and Javier Mabrey.
CEDP Expanded Our Programs and Services This Year and We Continue to Grow — We’re Hiring!
This year, our organization continued to grow and evolve as we expanded our programs and services. We launched eight new programs and continue to expand in response to the needs of our community.
While this growth is significant, it’s not over yet — we’re currently hiring for over 15 roles. If you’re interested in joining our team, visit the Careers page of our website. Open positions include:
Service Coordinator (3 openings)
Temporary Bilingual CARE Supervisor
Bilingual Clinic Paralegal
Clinic Paralegal
Community Law Legal Assistant
Homeowner Affirmative Litigation Supervisor
Homeowner Defense Attorney
Homeowner Defense Supervisor
Homeowner Legal Intake Specialist
Mobile Home Project Supervising Attorney
Specialized Paralegal
Staff Attorney
CDFI Loan Officer — Contractor
Housing Navigator
Bilingual Clinician
Case Manager
Bilingual Rural Colorado Case Manager (Sterling, CO)
CEDP is Now Certified to Provide Housing Counseling Services
This year we received certification from HUD to provide Housing Counseling services out of our Denver and Colorado Springs offices! We’re excited to begin offering housing counseling services to our clients and expand our housing counseling team. Check out our official certification below:
Our Durango Office Opened and We Expanded Work from Our Office in Colorado Springs
We’re so excited to have opened an office in Durango this year! The space is set up to be a welcoming place for collaboration, creativity, and connection. We’re so excited for the Durango team to have this incredible new space where CEDP can continue to serve clients and implement new programs. This new office is part of the expansion of our programming in rural communities across the state. Check out some pictures from the new office below:
Our Durango office — now open for business!
We’ve also expanded work from our office in Colorado Springs, adding new staff members and collaborating with community partners to serve our neighbors in the Pikes Peak Region. At the end of October, CEDP’s Colorado Springs Programs Operations Manager, Alisa Rizo, participated in a trunk or treat event at the Family Success Center in Colorado Springs! Our office in Colorado Springs is located at the Family Success Center, and the event was a huge success.
CEDP’s Colorado Springs Programs Operations Manager, Alisa Rizo, at the Family Success Center’s trunk or treat.
CEDP Staff Attended, Hosted, and Collaborated on Events Throughout the Year
Our staff have helped organize events, attended conferences, spent time in the community with clients and partners, and continued to get the word out about CEDP and our work this year. It’s been wonderful to learn new things and meet new people through our events in 2024.
CED Law staff at the Housing Justice Network Conference in Minneapolis.
CED Law staff at a baseball game.
CEDP staff assisting clients with the pre-application for TRAG funding.
The Integrated Supportive Housing Team at a celebratory breakfast for CEDP’s first Permanent Supportive Housing lease signing for a client.
CEDP staff at an event in Rifle, CO in partnership with Voces Unidas.
CEDP staff offering free breakfast burritos to clients and the community at our Denver office.
We Celebrated 2024 and Looked Ahead to 2025 With Our December All-Staff Event
As 2024 came to a close, we celebrated all of the amazing work that has happened at CEDP this year and looked ahead to 2025. We’re so grateful for not only our incredible staff but the support of people like you who help us serve Coloradans every day. See you next year!
CEDP staff at our winter all-staff event and happy hour.
Get Help
The Community Economic Defense Project provides rental assistance, legal assistance/representation, and resource navigation for clients facing eviction, housing insecurity, and other types of economic hardship. If you need assistance, pleasevisit our website to get help.
