One of the things our staff here at Boulder Property Management (BPM) love is that we are local to Boulder, and a part of the community. We see our tenants out and about in town-hiking, checking out a new brewery, or at a CU-Boulder football game. Being an active part of the local community is important to all of us here at BPM, and we walk the walk, too-both on a corporate level and individually, we are huge proponents of giving back.
Bridge House
Some of our property owners are also invested in giving back, and there’s no better example of that than our relationship with Bridge House.
Bridge House provides transitional housing for Boulder residents who are having a hard time going through traditional channels to find houses and apartments–the homeless, people struggling to save enough money for deposits and first month’s rent, and those who are dealing with a variety of issues that are a barrier to getting an apartment.
BPM partners with several property owners, among them Congregation Har Hashem, to provide this housing. We sign a master lease with Bridge House and then they place clients in bedrooms in the houses.
Residents of Bridge House rooms agree to abide by house rules that encourage developing the life skills that prepare them to live on their own. Bridge House staff check on the residents every day. The program is so successful that a second community has opened in Aurora, with a total of 94 beds available.
Bridge House focuses on a holistic approach to solving the problems of homelessness. Ready to Work is a one year program that offers housing, employment, and job training for participants. The central belief of Ready to Work is that given the opportunity to work, the overwhelming majority of the adult homeless will take the opportunity. Even in the local economy, which is booming, the unemployment rate of the homeless in the Boulder area is over 80%. Emergency shelters don’t provide the social services that this population needs to become self-sufficient; this is the spot that Ready to Work fills–transition to employment and independence.
Kenneth King Foundation
BPM is fortunate to have leaders in the community on our staff. Jared, our CEO-Director of Leasing and Employing Broker, is the incoming Chairman of the Kenneth King Foundation. This foundation provides grants for job creation, basic needs services, and entrepreneurship. The Kenneth King Foundation focuses on the at-risk population of Colorado, providing an integrated approach to transitioning individuals to jobs and housing–job training and readiness, adult education, child care, and case management support. The Board sets aside some monies yearly for arts and culture grants, too.
Kenneth King was a local banker and philanthropist who was well-known for his contributions to the Boulder community. He believed that the best way to better society and individuals is to create economic development by cultivating and supporting entrepreneurs, business ideation, and job creation. Kenneth King Foundation is completely private and fully in control of its grant-giving.
The King Foundation invests in opportunities that serve many communities in the greater Denver area. Recent recipients of Kenneth King Foundation grants are:
- Knotty Ties-employs immigrants in sewing custom ties, scarves, and accessories
- Bitsbox-children learn how to code with this subscription-based education system. The Foundation is helping Bitsbox reach underserved children all over Colorado.
- Altius Farms grows specialty greens from their rooftop greenhouses in Denver’s Rino neighborhood. The best restaurants in the area buy the produce. Part of their mission is to employ veterans and to educate Denver’s children about urban farming.
BARHA
Boulder Area Rental Housing Association (BARHA) is another organization with a BPM staff member, Ryan, coming onto the Board of Directors this year. BARHA is the area’s premier organization for anyone involved in rental properties, including property owners, managers, and service professionals. BARHA differs from other real estate associations in that they specifically address the issues unique to rental properties, and BARHA keeps members up to date on local regulations.
BARHA also provides members with free legal forms, including those that are specific to Boulder.
- Rental Use Disclosure-ensures the property meets the legal requirements for the City of Boulder
- Pest Addendum-addresses the yucky but necessary issue of bedbugs
- The Smart Regs Addendum-the City of Boulder has Smart Reg requirements for energy efficiency in rental properties
BARHA also advocates for the rental property industry. As industry experts, they work closely with local councils to ensure the rules and regulations that are enacted are to the benefit of the rental industry.
Make-A-Wish Foundation
Everyone knows about the great work the Make-A-Wish Foundation does for children with life-threatening medical conditions. Every year at Christmas, we fundraise for the Boulder Branch of the organization, and many of our property owners donate to the Foundation. Colorado Make-A-Wish has granted over 5,000 wishes since 1983. The positive impact of granting Wishes for these kids and their families is immeasurable in many ways, but health care professionals notice that the children are more positive, comply better with treatment protocols, and in general enjoy better health. Make-A-Wish volunteers say they feel better about their communities when they work on granting wishes together, and that they are more likely to be involved in philanthropy long-term.
The Greenwood School
Jared is an extremely busy guy. He’s also been pre-selected and approved to join the Board of Trustees at his alma mater, The Greenwood School, located in Putney, Vermont. Greenwood is an all-boys boarding school in Vermont that specializes in educating kids with dyslexia and other language-based learning challenges. Greenwood is intentionally small, so they can focus on each individual student and address their unique situations–attention, executive function, and learning differences are the primary challenges Greenwood students face.
Jared will become the first alumni in the history of the school to serve on this Board.
Boulder Property Management Is Committed To The Community
Boulder Property Management is not only a property management company, but we are also immersed in the Boulder community and committed to giving back any way we can. One of the reasons our staff can give back is that we have a fully-staffed maintenance department that’s available 24/7. We are Boulder, Colorado’s premier management company, where our experience exceeds your expectations.