Jane's Place

Jane’s Place 

Located near the heart of downtown Salida, Jane's Place is residential and nonprofit multi-use complex owned by the Chaffee Housing Authority and a legacy project honoring the vision of the late Jane Whitmer.  Jane's Place includes:

The Jane's Place Apartments: 13 apartments offering 3-12 month leases for our workforce at 30%-100% of Area Median Income.

The Nonprofit Community Hub: Managed by Chaffee County Community Foundation, the space is offered to local nonprofit organizations needing low-cost access to meeting or event space and shared co-work space.

Achieve Coffee Shop: A nonprofit social enterprise managed by Achieve, Inc. that provides valuable work experience and job training to program participants with neurodivergences.

Molly House: A 4 unit apartment building to house families and seniors experiencing housing instability and working to obtain permanent housing. Molly House will provide a bridge between the need for short term housing while waiting to move into long term affordable housing in Chaffee County.  

After years of making this community driven project a reality, Jane's Place is set to open its doors to tenants on January 1, 2026. Thank you to all who have been part of this journey!

2025 Giving Goal: Support Molly House 

Your donation to ChaffeeGIVES 2025 will provide a portion of the financial resources necessary to provide effective programming and services for the residents of Molly House including:

1. A housing fund to cover CHA costs for housing families and seniors at Molly House who need emergency, short term shelter while transitioning to long term affordable housing. 

2. Resources to reimburse partner organizations who can offer support services to residents of Molly House.

3. Support for CHA's Housing Navigator and Housing Case Manager who support residents of Molly House (and the entire county) with identifying long term stable housing.

What Is Molly House? 

Molly House, grounded in Jane Whitmer's vision and implemented with Bob Grether's architectural skills, will offer support to unsheltered Chaffee County families and seniors. Over the past year, CHA has been integrating best practices in trauma informed care to develop Molly House into a well designed program.

The Stable Families Program

The Stable Families Program is a partnership between the Chaffee County Department of Human Services and CHA which offers case management, housing navigation, emergency housing, and rental subsidies for local families who are currently experiencing homelessness due to a financial crisis, personal circumstances, domestic violence, or transitioning out of chronic homelessness. Participating families receive support for up to 24-months including case management by DHS social workers who connect them to additional community support services. For the past three years, emergency housing have been in hotels with stays often extending up to 3 months. Molly House provides a more cost effective approach and offers furnished apartments greatly enhancing a family's transition to housing stability.

Bridge Housing for Seniors  

Often living on a fixed income, many Chaffee County seniors are experiencing housing instability after being displaced due to increasing rents, costs associated with health care challenges, and/or housing that is no longer inhabitable. Until now, the only options for these seniors has been the warming shelter operating by Chaffee Hospitality. While Chaffee County does offer very low costs apartments for seniors, wait lists for these properties are often 3-8 months or up to 7 years for the City of Salida’s Public Housing Authority. Molly House will provide Chaffee County's first shared living apartment to bridge the gap for unhoused or housing insecure seniors who are making a transition from independent living to one of Chaffee County’s low income qualified senior housing complexes. 

CHA Housing Navigation Services

CHA's Housing Case Manager and Housing Navigator support Stable Families Program participants and seniors with identifying both short and long term housing solutions. The offer support completing complex rental applications, connecting individuals to community resources to help with reducing living expenses, and connecting them to community partners to address specific needs. The ongoing support offered by CHA staff is critical to navigating  an emotionally intense life experience in a complex and challenging housing environment.

Other Options for Donations to Jane's Place

Chaffee County Community Foundation also hosts a Jane's Place Fund that offers donors the ability to make tax deductible gifts via personal donations, qualified charitable distributions, family foundations, stock gifts, or other donations requiring a 501c3. The funds are transferred to the Chaffee Housing Authority via a restricted grant for Jane's Place. 

Achieve, Inc. is a ChaffeeGives participating nonprofit and also accepts donations on their website https://www.achievelifeskills.org/