Redlining, Fair Housing, and Our Commitment to Homeownership for All
From the 1950s through the 1980s, Denver, like many cities across America, was shaped by redlining and discriminatory housing practices that created deep barriers to wealth-building for Black families. Federal lending policies and private real estate practices drew invisible boundaries around neighborhoods, limiting access to mortgages and opportunity. Communities such as Five Points and Park Hill became hubs of Black culture and resilience, but they were also sites of disinvestment, steering, and exclusion.
Even after Colorado passed its own fair housing law in 1959, years before the federal Fair Housing Act of 1968, structural inequities persisted. Many families were denied fair financing, steered away from certain neighborhoods, or displaced by redevelopment projects. The result was a loss of stability and opportunity that still reverberates across generations.
The story is not only one of exclusion. Black real estate leaders and community advocates worked tirelessly to open doors that others tried to keep closed. They stood for fairness, educated families, and created pathways to homeownership that allowed thousands to build security and pride in their communities.
At Colorado Homeownership.org, we stand on this history. Our mission is to expand access to homeownership for all people in Colorado, recognizing that housing justice is not just a civil rights issue of the past but an urgent responsibility today. We know that Fair Housing in America is under attack once again, and we are committed to ensuring that every individual, regardless of race, background, or income, has the opportunity to buy, own, and keep a home.
Homeownership is more than a transaction. It is the foundation for stability, generational wealth, and community strength. As a nonprofit organization, Colorado Homeownership.org is dedicated to advocacy, education, and direct support for families across our state. We carry forward the legacy of those who fought for fair housing in Denver and across the nation, while ensuring that all Colorado families, Black, White, Latino, Asian, Indigenous, and beyond, can share in the promise of homeownership.
This is our charge, our commitment, and our vision: a Colorado where access to housing is fair, equitable, and attainable for everyone.
Muriel Williams-Thompson, Director, ColoradoHomeownership.org
