Denver Housing Authority sees increase in ADU assistance program

A Colorado law requiring cities to allow accessory dwelling units on properties with single-family homes went into effect back in June, and a Denver Housing Authority program that helps Denverites build ADUs is already seeing an influx in interest.

Tish Gonzales invited CBS Colorado into her new home that's currently under construction. She's building an ADU in the back yard of the Denver home she's owned for more than a decade.

"I'm looking at creating generational wealth for myself and my children, and my family," said Gonzales. "This contributes to that. Right now, my son-in-law and daughter are expecting a new baby. She will be our seventh generation in the Denver area."

They will rent the main house from Gonzales, who will move to the ADU.

"They could not afford to purchase a home in this neighborhood," Gonzales added. "It keeps us together as a family. It keeps us close in where we want to be in Denver, and I have a place to age in place."

The multigenerational living setup is a dream made possible by the Denver Housing Authority's ADU program.

"They help all of the way through with helping you to find a person who fits with how you can finance it, the design package, all of the support that we need," Gonzales said.

The program helps walk people through the process and, thanks to partnerships with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, they're also able to help reduce the cost.

"Savings that range between $50,000 and $75,000 off of base rate of cost," said Chala Mohr, who runs the program that's helped build dozens of ADUs in Denver.

The demand is also on the rise. DHA recently announced a new partnership with a modular home builder that will help meet this new demand.

"Our capacity has been 12 a year with our current builder, but we are now expecting to be able to double that with our modular builder," said Mohr.

That will help more people like Gonzales and her family live in the Denver neighborhoods they love.