Thistle Community Housing is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable nonprofit organization committed to ending the growing displacement of Front Range residents who can no longer afford to live here – working families, single parents, seniors, and people with disabilities – by acquiring, renovating, and building quality, affordable rental and homeownership opportunities.

Thistle is the largest private non-profit provider of permanently affordable housing in Boulder County, and is expanding its services to surrounding counties. Over the last five years, Thistle has greatly expanded its affordable housing portfolio, growing from 140 to over 1,000 homes (784 permanently affordable rentals and 222 Community Land Trust (CLT) affordable homes). Thistle is committed to acquiring and developing homes that meet the escalating need for affordable housing while enhancing the surrounding neighborhoods.

A leader in innovative affordable housing, Thistle has been the recipient of a range of excellence awards in operation and design, including awards from United States Housing and Urban Development, National Association of Home Builders, American Planning Association-Colorado Chapter, Colorado Office of Energy Conservation, Colorado Cross Disabilities Coalition (for accessibility), and E-star and EXCEL Awards (for green building). These commendations reflect Thistle’s long-term commitment to:

• Stopping the Displacement of Front Range Residents – Thistle’s permanently affordable rental and homeownership opportunities allow teachers, nurses, firefighters, police officers, social service workers, librarians and others who form the backbone of our community to live in the communities that they serve.
• Smart Growth – A member of a national effort to combat sprawl, Thistle is a proponent of “smart growth,” whose principles include preserving open space, natural beauty, and critical environmental areas, providing access to a range of transportation resources, creating distinctive and attractive neighborhoods, and encouraging community collaboration.
• Green Building - Thistle is invested in building earth-and people-friendly homes. Green building involves creating environmentally sound structures that use renewable resources, recycled and recyclable resources, reusable materials, and sustainable development practices.
• Accessible Design - A sponsor of Affordable and Accessible Housing Options (AAHOP) since 1995, Thistle is committed to acquiring and developing accessible properties for people with disabilities and their families. In addition to serving as a member of the AAHOP committee, approximately 10% of Thistle’s rental properties are accessible.
• Community Investment - An investment in Thistle is an investment in permanently affordable housing for the Boulder County community. When a corporate or individual donor invests money in a Thistle home, they are investing in the future of many families – current and future residents and homeowners. Permanent affordability is a long-term commitment to the ongoing health of the community.

Since 1989, Thistle has served over 13,500 people. More than 95% of Thistle’s residents are employed in roles that constitute the backbone of the Front Range service economy – teachers, nurses, police officers, firefighters, social service and public health workers, forest rangers, librarians, carpenters, laborers, printers, editors, small business owners, musicians, food servers, office administrators, and retail clerks.

Current housing conditions along the Front Range are displacing many residents. Historically, Front Range real estate has appreciated at an annual rate between 10% and 20%, while wages in 2002 increased by less than 5%. Thistle’s average rental household income is 40% of the Area Median Income (AMI)-- $31,600 for a family of 3. The average income for a Thistle homeowner is 55% of AMI --$43,500 for a family of 3.

1989
Sage Court: 19 Accessible homes for residents with disabilities in Boulder

1992
Valmont Square: 36 one and two-bedroom town homes in Boulder

1994
Spruce Street Apartments: 4 three-bedroom homes in Boulder

Parkside Village: New construction of 34 large, 3 and 4- bedroom town homes (received national Fannie Mae Award in recognition for design), 4 Accessible homes

1996
Laguna Apartments: 8 two-bedroom apartments in Boulder

1997
Terry Apartments: 24 one and two-bedroom homes in Longmont

1999
Parkville Apartments: 75 one and two-bedroom homes in Longmont, (up to 8 Accessible homes) plus Thistle's Longmont Offices

2000
English Village: 32 two-bedroom homes in Longmont
18th Street House: Independent living with 3 accessible units for people with disabilities in Boulder; Sold to Imagine!

2001
Pinewood Apartments: 23 one and two-bedroom homes in Boulder, Up to 3 accessible homes
Correll Apartments: 21 one and two-bedroom homes in Boulder

2002
Village By The Park: 286 one and two-bedroom apartments plus Thistle's Northglenn Offices

2004
Goss Street: Thistle's most recent acquistion - August 2004. 13 apartments and 13 rooming units in central Boulder

2005
Uptown Broadway: 32 one and two bedroom apartments, including 8 accessible units, in a mixed use, mixed income village in north Boulder

2006
Fairways Apartments: 70 one and two bedroom apartments next to the city golf course in east Boulder.

2008
The Cannery: 94 one and two bedroom apartments in a historic building near downtown Longmont.

Thistle’s Community Land Trust (CLT) is currently one of the largest in the country. A cutting edge homeownership program, the CLT works closely with Thistle development staff on all homeownership deals, provides resident training and support services, and offers technical support to other organizations and groups interested in replicating the CLT model.

1991
Sunnypoint Condominiums: 15 two and three-bedroom Northeast Boulder condos. The community backs onto open space and has a shared deck area with barbecue facilities and personal storage areas.

1995
Scattered Sites Homes: 9 scattered-site homes in Lafayette and Longmont. These existing homes were acquired by Thistle and put into the CLT to assure affordability. They range in size from two to four bedrooms, and all have yards.

2000
Buena Vista Community: New construction in Boulder of one, two, three, and four- bedroom condos, town homes, and detached homes serving 49 families with a 1,300 square foot community center, community gardens and a half acre central green space.

2002
Iron Flats: Thistle’s first turn-key development collaboration, with 3 two-bedroom town home style condos in a mixed use community in downtown Boulder

2004
Mapleton Mobile Home Park:Thistle’s largest CLT community. Of 135 existing homes, over half the homes serve households at 30% AMI and below—(a $6.1 million acquisition and renovation).

2005
Uptown Broadway: $5 million dollar new construction tax credit deal in Boulder providing permanently affordable rental housing for 38 families within a mixed-use development that has 140 market rate homes

2007
Blue Vista: 198 new home community in Longmont with 51% (100 homes) permanently affordable – a $32 million mixed income national development model.