Brandon Leuallen, The Business Times

The City of Grand Junction says approximately $19 million in direct city funding and grants has leveraged an additional roughly $43 million in outside-partner investment tied to housing and homelessness projects since 2022.

According to the city’s funding breakdown, direct city funding and grants included:

• $5,043,495 for Grand Junction Housing Authority projects.
• $3.2 million for the Salt Flats Project.
• $2 million for Pro Housing-LAP grants.
• $1,846,765 for Grand Valley Catholic Outreach.
• $1,302,025 for the Resource Center.
• $1,161,667 for Housing Resources of Western Colorado.
• $1,152,133 for remaining ADU and unassigned 2024 housing funds.
• $1,123,825 for Housing Division operations and programming.
• $947,707 for the Joseph Center.
• $367,500 for HomewardBound.
• $359,713 in nonprofit and Community Development Block Grant funding.
• $300,000 for Hilltop Family Resources.
• $217,014 for Habitat for Humanity.

The City of Grand Junction Housing Initiatives page says: “This funding encompasses capital projects, operational support for service providers, emergency assistance during COVID, funding for housing and homeless projects, matching and securing grants for housing initiatives, and actively expanding the City’s role in addressing housing and houselessness issues.”

Grand Valley Catholic Outreach received approximately $1,846,765 in city-related housing and homelessness funding, according to the City of Grand Junction’s housing-investment breakdown. Much of that funding appears tied to the organization’s downtown permanent-supportive-housing project near the Catholic Outreach campus area.

Grand Valley Catholic Outreach officially opened the 40-unit Mother Teresa Place permanent-supportive-housing complex near Fourth Street and Ute Avenue on April 24, 2025. The project was developed specifically for chronically homeless individuals and combines subsidized housing with supportive services. 

Catholic Outreach also operates several major homeless-service programs in Grand Junction, including the day shelter on North Seventh Street, meal services, showers, laundry access, mail services and outreach assistance for homeless individuals.

Another major subsidized-housing development currently under construction is The Current, a 54-unit project being developed by the Grand Junction Housing Authority. 

The project is located just west of the newly completed 24 Road corridor near Community Hospital and the nearby Club Car Wash commercial area. According to development materials, the four-story project will include 38 one-bedroom apartments and 16 two-bedroom apartments for households earning between 30 percent and 60 percent of area median income.

The project is also expected to receive eight project-based housing vouchers intended to help serve low-income residents.

Another major long-term subsidized and workforce-housing effort tied to the city’s housing strategy is the Salt Flats redevelopment area located near the I-70 Business Loop and 28 Road east of downtown Grand Junction.

The redevelopment area is projected to support between approximately 324 and 550 future housing units, depending on final density and phased development approaches. The plans envision a mix of workforce, market-rate and subsidized housing integrated into a larger mixed-use redevelopment district near downtown and the Colorado River.

As of May 2026, major vertical construction had not yet begun on the Salt Flats redevelopment area, with the project still in pre-development and infrastructure-planning phases. 

Subsidized housing costs keep rising

While subsidized housing typically reduces monthly housing costs for renters, developing subsidized housing has historically cost more to build than many market-rate projects. 

According to the City of Grand Junction’s proposed linkage-fee presentation from Nov. 19, 2024, the rounded, weighted cost per unit for subsidized housing projects the city has participated in was approximately $388,000 per apartment.

At roughly $388,000 per apartment, some subsidized-housing units are approaching or exceeding the price of some newly built single-family homes currently selling at full-market value in Grand Junction.

At that rate: A 50-unit project would represent roughly $19.4 million in development cost; 100 units would equal roughly $38.8 million; and 500 units would exceed $194 million.

For additional details and project breakdowns see the City of Grand Junction Housing Initiatives webpage: www.gjcity.org/353/Housing.