MONUMENT • Monument’s Planning Commission and Town Council both have unanimously approved a reconfiguration of property that Lewis-Palmer School District 38 wants to sell, which gives the go-ahead for a local social services organization to proceed with a bid to acquire 2.8 acres of vacant land to build a new headquarters.

“We are currently in discussions and are under contract with Lewis-Palmer School District 38 for purchasing a piece of land,” said Haley Chapin, executive director of Tri-Lakes Cares. The nonprofit helps feed and improve life for homeless and low-income people in northern El Paso County.

During last week’s vote, Monument Town Council members praised the 41-year-old organization’s willingness to continue to meet the growing demand for services for needy residents.

“They’re grateful that instead of taking the approach that we’re going to max out at a certain number of households, and it will be first-come, first-served, we’re willing to rise to the occasion to expand to meet the need,” Chapin said.

If all goes as planned, the real estate deal will close this fall. The property is located south of Bethesda Gardens Monument and north of the community’s baseball field.

A new facility could be just a few or many years away, though, for the organization that operates under a $2 million annual budget.

“There’s no immediate plan for us to build at the moment,” Chapin said. “We want to strategically be thoughtful with our approach to what that looks like and are having conversations with community partners.”

Tri-Lakes Cares officials had a pre-application conference for future development with staff, Planning Director Dan Ungerleider said at the Planning Commission’s Aug. 13 meeting.

“But we have not received a formal application,” he said.

Tri-Lakes Cares’ no-cost grocery market is one service the organization offers in Monument. Due to increasing need, the organization wants to expand by buying vacant land and building a new facility. (Gazette file photo)

The organization’s existing offices and distribution center at 235 Jefferson St. in Monument has become too small to accommodate the increasing number of clients, Chapin said.

“Due to economic (constraints) people are feeling, and the cost of living rising and wages not keeping up, we see more community members who find themselves struggling to make ends meet,” Chapin said.

Clients range from people living in their cars, encampments, shelters or with relatives to people who have a roof over their heads but don’t earn enough income to keep up with bills or don’t qualify for government subsidies.

The organization’s statistics show that clients have increased from 60 to 70 households per week two years ago to today’s average of 170 households per week. Each household averages 3.2 people.

Tri-Lakes Cares not only provides free food at its no-cost grocery market but also personal case management that focuses on “getting them to a better tomorrow,” Chapin said. That could be transitional housing, identification, mental health treatment, public benefits or a GED or job certification.

“It just depends on what each individual needs,” Chapin said, adding that the organization has a good track record of fulfilling needs.

School District 38 is subdividing about 23 acres of the property it owns at 36 N. Jefferson St. into lots for public sale and future development.

The district has identified the nearly 3-acre portion that Tri-Lakes Cares hopes to buy as “underutilized” and therefore available for sale separate from the remaining 20-acre parcel, according to Planning Commission documents.

“Tri-Lakes Cares provide valuable services and resources for our community, including D-38 families,” said Melissa Andrews, director of planning, facilities and grounds.   

“By selling this plot of land, we are helping position a reputable community organization for future success, while also supporting our district’s commitment to managing resources wisely.”

Along with the land Tri-Lakes Cares is eyeing, the property D-38 is selling also accommodates several school district buildings, including the Grace Best Education Center, which was formerly a school, as well as the district’s main office building, a maintenance building, the grounds building and lot, and its transportation building and lot.

Although the land is zoned as single-family residential, current code allows for community usage as well. It’s unknown what development will be proposed and whether the existing buildings would remain or be razed, the town’s planning leaders said at last month’s meeting.

“As the district considers other options with the remaining land downtown, we will take a measured, strategic and collaborative approach to ensure any additional steps can produce the same type of value to the community and the school district,” Andrews said.

Tri-Lakes Cares officials began talking about expansion two years ago, when the organization reduced its twice weekly food distribution to once a week because “we couldn’t sustain the amount of food that was going out the door,” Chapin said.

For the past year, they’ve been looking at available buildings in the area as well as vacant property on which to build.

The organization has been housed at various sites, including a pole barn east of the current building and the basement of School District 38’s current administration building.

“We have a long-standing relationship with the school district,” Chapin said. “We’re looking for an investment in our future.”