Getabetcha “Gete” Mekonnen: 40 Years of Creating Affordable Homes in Northeast Denver

By Daryn A. Fouther

officials, and organizations in Denver. Gete gradually worked his way up and in 1982 became the Co-Founder, then in 1984, the Executive Director of the Northeast Denver Housing Center, a nationally respected non-profit 501(c)3 community development corporation.

Under his leadership, NDHC his upbringing, and nurtured by his life experiences and education,” says Roy Alexander, NDHC’s Board Chair. “I’ve enjoyed knowing and working with him the last 30 years.”

Gete’s drive for providing the means for people to be able to create these homes for themselves and their families has development of affordable housing. Through his work, NDHC has had the pleasure of receiving the UN Habitat Award for its sustainable program and the first Gold LEED and Enterprise Green Community certification in Colorado.

Gete has also taken the lead in forming collaborative efforts with other for-profit and nonprofit organizations and working with the public sector in formulating policies and program guidelines that support sustainable and affordable housing efforts. Gete has served on the boards of several local and

Getabetcha “Gete”

Mekonnen was born in 1953, in Ethiopia, East Africa. He lived and attended school in his home country until moving to the U.S. for his second year of college. Gete received his bachelor’s degree from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio and later, his master’s degree in community development and city planning from Ohio State University. He went on to receive several other professional certifications.

Creating Homes

Gete started his career as a grassroots organizer, explaining, “I moved to Denver in 1979 and got my first professional job aligned with my dream at the University of Colorado –Center for Community Development and Design.” There, he worked in one of the program’s community design centers gaining experience, providing development assistance to communities, and collaborating with community groups, has grown from a two-person operation to a multimillion-dollar asset-based organization. Its mission is to create and provide sustainable, healthy housing opportunities for underserved households through outreach, education, counseling, and housing development. “A home is a sanctuary that plays a pivotal role in helping design and define who we, and the bigger community we live in, are,” Gete says. “It provides the space where life defining experiences, feelings, education, relationships, love, perspectives, and values are crafted. Having a safe, affordable, and predictable home is a basic need and necessity all of us have. And yet, not all of us have the opportunity.

“One of the most passionate and effective leaders in the Colorado affordable housing sector, Gete has exhibited the most genuine commitment to NDHC’s mission, and lead the organization with a set of core values that are deeply rooted in helped NDHC serve approximately 16,000 households and produce more than 2,500 housing units—rental and homeownership combined—during his tenure. “As a community, we need to recognize the disparity between what the marketplace provides on one hand and takes away with the other. I have been working for over 40 years to redress this imbalance. It’s not easy, but also not impossible,” Gete says.

Sustainability in the Affordable Housing World

Gete’s focus has always been to bring sustainable solutions to the challenges of urban development, particularly for the needs of low to moderate income households. “Providing affordable and well-designed, well-built, and well-placed housing has generational rate of returns worth the investment for brighter futures for all of us,” he says. He played a leading role in integrating green and sustainable design in the national public and private sector organizations and in 2018, received an Eagle Award for his service to the community from Housing Colorado, a prominent statewide organization with a mission in affordable housing, education, and advocacy. Leaving his Mark “Gete’s 40-year long career may be coming to an end this year as he retires, but his influence in the community development world of Colorado and beyond lives on,” says Rev. Dr. James Fouther, who has served on the Board of Directors for NDHC since 2012. “The legacy of Gete will always remind us that the well-being and health of a community is directly reliant upon its meeting affordable and sustainable housing needs, and those investments create a better future for all.”.

Editor’s note: For more information about Northeast Denver Housing Center and its portfolio of developments, visit www.nedenverhousing.org.