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Week of April 20, 2023
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
LittletonIndependent.net
VOLUME 134 | ISSUE 39
South Metro Housing Options opens voucher waitlists this month — for one day First-come, first-serve basis waitlist only. BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
For the first time in several years, South Metro Housing Options will open its housing choice voucher
It will also open a waitlist for two weeks for one-bedroom apartments at Sierra Vista Apartments in unincorporated Arapahoe County. SMHO is a public housing authority based in Littleton that administers voucher programs and provides
housing for families, students, professionals, seniors and disabled adults. Applicants may be from any jurisdiction, must be 18 years old or older and must have a valid email address, according to SMHO. At least one member in a household that receives a voucher must
be a legal resident of the United States. Two waitlists
Housing choice vouchers, which are federally funded, subsidize rent and allow recipients to choose SEE VOUCHERS, P10
Littleton council divided on land use bill Some adamantly opposed, others see positives BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
a “provider of support services for secure facilities, processing centers, and reentry centers” — reported total revenues of $2.38 billion in 2022. The Aurora-based facility it operates, however, has faced criticism over the years regarding its conduct. The American Civil Liberties Union alleged in 2019 that the facility “violates the basic human
Disagreement arose at an April 11 study session, where Littleton city councilmembers discussed whether to draft a resolution against the land use bill unveiled by Gov. Jared Polis and other Democrats in March. According to its authors, the goal of Senate Bill 23-213 is to improve the growing housing crisis by eliminating local zoning that prohibits the construction of multifamily housing. The bill’s main deliverables would be setting state mandates for greater housing density and reduced parking requirements in Colorado’s larger cities and resort towns. As several Littleton city councilmembers expressed adamant opposition to the bill, mainly citing its “preemption of local control,” others highlighted its strengths and were less eager to state overt disapproval.
SEE CROW, P4
SEE LAND USE, P8
Andrea Loya, executive director of Casa de Paz, and Rep. Jason Crow smile in the garage of Casa de Paz’s home on April 3.
PHOTO BY TAYLER SHAW
Crow visits nonprofit serving immigrants Calls to end detention centers BY TAYLER SHAW TSHAW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Along a residential road in Aurora sits a home that aims to be a place of peace for people released from the nearby immigration detention center.
Casa de Paz, meaning “House of Peace” in Spanish, is a nonprofit that offers free resources and services to those leaving the Aurora-based U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing center. The ICE facility is operated by the GEO Group, which NPR reported is one of the nation’s largest for-profit prison operators. In February 2023, the company — which describes itself, in part, as
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 14 | LIFE: PAGE 16 | CALENDAR: PAGE 19 | SPORTS: PAGE 28
SIBLING CONNECTION
Sisters lead way for Vista tennis P28