Inside Denver’s only micro-community for transgender, previously homeless people

DENVER —  After years of couch-surfing and moving between homeless shelters, Valentino Ortiz was doubtful that four walls and a roof were in his future.

However, on April 1, Ortiz received news that he had been offered a spot at Elati Village – Denver’s only tiny home village catering to women, transgender, and non-binary individuals.

“It literally saved my life,” Ortiz said. “It’s a miracle for me.”

Construction on Elati Village began in December 2023 as a pivotal aspect of Denver Mayor Mike Johnston's House1000 initiative, which aimed to provide housing for 1,000 formerly homeless individuals by the end of 2023. 

By May 2024, Denver’s House1000 dashboard showed 1,289 individuals are now housed either in non-group shelters or permanent accommodations. Currently, the city boasts three micro-communities and five hotels dedicated to housing those in need.

Operated by The Gathering Place – one of Denver’s two homelessness service organizations catering to women, transgender, and non-binary individuals – Elati Village comprises 44 tiny homes enclosed in a corner near Elati Street and 13th Avenue. 

D’Wanna Powell, The Gathering Place's residential program director, said that the village’s location is optimal because it’s in proximity to the Central Denver Public Library, bus stops and The Gathering Place’s hub on High Street.

“I like bringing people in to decompress and get things in order before they move into permanent housing,” Powell said. “They can’t maintain their housing if they don’t sustain employment, manage their mental health, and address all those different aspects.”

Elati Village opened several months after an emergency shelter at Rodeway Inn Motel – also operated by The Gathering Place – closed in August 2023. The village operates with a $1,451,142 grant from the Denver Department of Housing Stability. 

Residents are likely to stay around six months, but The Gathering Place will ensure they have a permanent housing option before they leave the village, Powell said.

“I worry about other people who are on the streets and don’t have anywhere to go,” Powell said. “Our number one goal is to get people permanently housed.”

Shelters around the city and police who sweep encampments can make recommendations for Elati Village. Representatives from the Department of Housing Stability transport residents to the village.

Ortiz, a transgender man, faced housing instability in 2015 after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. His disability checks were insufficient for rent and living expenses, and conflicts with family led him first onto the streets and then into the Denver Rescue Mission.

With a full beard and a deeper voice, Ortiz believes he “passes” as a man, but he mentioned that those at the rescue mission – which is exclusively for men – bullied and judged him for other feminine traits.

“It was very hard,” Ortiz said. “With the stares, the whispers, and not knowing when something was going to escalate.”

A case manager at the rescue mission referred Ortiz and another transgender man to their 48th Street location in northeast Denver, which the case manager deemed smaller and likely safer for transgender individuals. However, Ortiz noted that the judgmental behavior persisted.

“You wear a full beard on your face and you wonder why people are always scrutinizing you beyond that,” Ortiz said.

After nine days at the 48th Street shelter, Ortiz and his best friend – who is also transgender – received news that they would be among 11 formerly unhoused individuals welcomed into Elati Village.

Upon arrival, they received a welcome package containing blankets and hygiene items, and were assigned case managers to assist them in accessing health resources, employment opportunities, and eventually permanent housing.

“We have everything we need here to be able to focus on the things we need to, to eventually live the lives we’ve always wanted,” Ortiz said. “The fact that I don’t have to worry about basic needs or where I’m going to spend the night helps me with my medical issues.”

Powell emphasized the necessity of the village because transgender individuals often feel less safe on the streets and in traditional shelters.

“This is a community that specifically focuses on that population so they feel comfortable and can be with who they feel comfortable with, without having to conceal their identity for fear of being bullied or assaulted,” Powell said.

Cole Chandler, the mayor’s senior advisor on homelessness, said that the administration's goal in building micro-communities is to ensure they do not perpetuate the cycle of displacing unhoused people from one location to another without providing real solutions.

“Elati Village gave us an opportunity to do something for a population that is particularly vulnerable,” Chandler said. “The space is also not overwhelmingly large, which helps create an additional sense of safety.”

Units at Elati Vilage are bare-bones, with just a bed and desk. The property also includes two communal areas with restrooms, showers, a kitchen, laundry machines and on-site case managers. For Ortiz, the small units feel luxurious compared to life on a bunk bed in a crowded shelter shared with dozens of other men.

“It is such a beautiful thing that we get to have this,” Ortiz said while sitting on his Denver Nuggets-themed bed comforter.

Prior to receiving his bipolar diagnosis, Ortiz worked in non-profit communications. Though he’s currently taking steps towards securing his own housing and career, he aspires to serve as a case manager, specifically helping other transgender individuals. 

Tears streamed down Ortiz’s face as he envisioned a "sanctuary home" that embraces people from diverse backgrounds. His ideal space would be decorated with items of his choosing, and there would be shared laughter over dinners at a table large enough to accommodate all his friends.

“Not just a home, but a sanctuary,” he said.

Alison Berg is a multimedia journalist at Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach her at alisonberg@rmpbs.org.