Pathways Home Colorado
Dedicated to the hope that future generations
will not experience homelessness
“By reviewing the policies and practices that prevent individuals and families from
rising out of homelessness and by pursuing bold, innovative and collaborative
solutions we can ensure that every Coloradan has a place to call home.”
– Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper
State Plan
Adopted 2013
Collaborative partnerships - Building
effective working relationships among housing
providers, human service agencies and other
community partners generates sustainable
solutions.
Prioritized resources - Prioritizing available
resources helps communities discover efficient and
effective ways to provide housing and supportive
services. Deploying measurable strategies ensures
helps determine what programs are effective.
Effective policies - Aligning practices and
resources that prevent Coloradoans from rising
out of homelessness. The needs of each population
are significant, diverse, and specific.
Engaged political leadership - In this time of
competing concerns and limited resources it is an
imperative that we engage local elected officials
and community leaders in information sharing,
regional capacity building, and best practice
replication.
Jennifer
Lopez
Director of
Homeless
Initiatives
Governor
John W.
Hickenlooper
New position in Governor’s Office made possible
through a unique public/private partnership
• Foundation Funded
• Works with state agencies to implement outcomebased policies and programs that prevent and end
homelessness in Colorado.
• Directs Pathways Home implementation
Homelessness in Colorado
The 2012 statewide Point-In-Time
counted 16,768 homeless households and
individuals in Colorado in a given night.
189 Colorado school districts reported
23,293 homeless children and youth in
2013.
Key Strategies
Increase Permanent Supportive
Housing (PSH) Statewide
– Change PSH funding process at
CHFA and DOH
– Increase capacity through
Pathways Permanent
Supportive Housing Toolkit
Process
– Complete a Medicaid Crosswalk
to increase funding for services
– Maintain Fort Lyon Residential
Community
– Increase state funded vouchers
The Fort Lyon Supportive Residential
Community in Las Animas, Colorado
-
Ending veteran
homelessness in
Colorado.
-
Reducing chronic
homelessness
throughout Colorado.
-
Sustaining an
economic driver for
Southeastern
Colorado.
The Fort Lyon
community provides
recovery oriented
transitional
housing to
individuals who are
experiencing
homelessness.
The 550-acre facility, which previously served as a
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospital,
sanatorium and prison, provides supportive
housing with access to mental health and health
care services, substance-abuse treatment and
counseling, as well as educational and vocational
training.
Residence prior to program entry
Fort Lyon is a new component of
Colorado’s existing continuum of
care for a specific, hard to serve,
population.
Since September 2013, 221 individuals
experiencing homelessness, 23% of which
are veterans, have enrolled at Fort Lyon.
Supportive Housing
A more humane solution
to ending homelessness
for individuals struggling
with addiction, mental
health and/or other
disabilities who lack the
social support, resources
or ability to sustain and
maintain housing without
supportive services and
subsidized housing.
Services
Targeted: Based on
populations served
Flexible: Responsive
to residents’ needs
Voluntary:
Participation is not
a condition of
residency
Fort Lyon Finances
- FY13-14: $2.78M of General
Fund for capacity to serve 200
residents.
- FY14-15: $3.22M of General
Fund for the capacity to serve
300 residents.
- Supplemented state funds
with $5M Attorney General
settlement dollars from the
"big five" banks.
Fort Lyon
Education &
Job Training
Time Frame
December 31
2013
September 1
2014
Target Outcome
Actual
60% receive
▪ 61 clients (87%) enrolled in preeducational/vocational
employment modules
training annually
▪ 14 clients (20%) enrolled in classes
at Otero Junior College (OJC)
▪ OJC has donated 20 laptops for the
computer lab
▪ OJC will begin teaching 4 classes
on-site January 27, 2014 (two
English classes, Computer Basics,
and Health Navigator)
Provide 5 on-site job 3 job training programs established:
training programs
food service, grounds keeping, and
facilities maintenance
Program participants fully engage in the overall operations of the
campus including food services, facilities maintenance, grounds
maintenance, housekeeping and waste water management—in
conjunction with their daily participation in group and individual
counseling.
Otero Junior College and Lamar Community College provide
customized educational and vocational training in computer technology,
construction industries, health services, agricultural sciences and more.
Fort Lyon: Lessons Learned
• Statewide coalition critical for
political support
• Re-integration planning key.
• As in PSH models residents leave
when they are ready.
• Onsite Fed Qualified Health Clinic
helps with access to services and
funding