COVID-19 Community Partners and Resources

Estes Valley Resiliency Collaborative

The Estes Valley Resiliency Collaborative is a Town-led team working on COVID-19 recovery. EVRC is focused on planning for a sustainable recovery. The group is focused on sharing resources with each other and the business community; and strategizing specific ways to support a faster and more robust economic recovery.

The EVRC includes the voices of the members,  constituents, employees, customers and stakeholders. Partners include Visit Estes Park, the Town of Estes Park, Estes Chamber of Commerce, Estes Park EDC, Estes Area Lodging Association, YMCA of the Rockies, Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park Nonprofit Resource Center, the Estes Park Housing Authority and Estes Park School District.

The EVRC (then known as the Accelerated Recovery Team) began meeting on March 30 and its members have worked and collaboratively on several initiatives to support business and economic recovery in the Estes Valley. For more information, please contact EVRC facilitator Vanessa Solesbee at vsolesbee@estes.org. 

Community Relief Funds

In a short period of time, COVID-19 has had a major impact on the residents and businesses in the Estes Valley. After learning about some of the challenges faced by members of our community, the Town of Estes Park Board of Trustees appropriated $380,000 for community relief efforts focused on needs related to food insecurity, housing, and support for local businesses and organizations. The goal was to disperse these funds to local partners whose organizations address these needs and could demonstrate how the funds will be used to address challenges resulting from the impacts of COVID-19. The Town recruited members from the Estes Chamber of Commerce, Estes Park Economic Development Corporation (EDC), Estes Park Housing Authority and Estes Park Nonprofit Resource Center to help review requests and made funding recommendations to the Town Administrator. The funds have been dispersed as follows:

• $28,000 to the Estes Park Nonprofit Resource Center and American Legion Post 119 to address food insecurity through the preparation and distribution of meals.
• $27,000 to Crossroads Ministry to provide food, temporary lodging or housing assistance to prevent eviction or foreclosure, and transportation assistance. 
• $300,000 to the Estes Park Economic Development Corporation and Estes Chamber of Commerce for small business assistance (to assist with employee retention and meeting payroll and overhead obligations such as rent payments, utilities, and insurance)
• $25,000 to the Estes Park Housing Authority to provide rent relief for tenants with demonstrated financial need. The Housing Authority is matching this amount, so the total value in rent relief will be at least $50,000.