OUTREACH
The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless has been delivering street outreach to homeless people in Denver since 1986. The Coalition is the lead agency in one of the most effective collaborations serving chronically homeless individuals – the Denver Street Outreach Collaborative. As part of Denver’s 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness, the Coalition, Saint Francis Center, Urban Peak, the Denver Police, the Veterans Administration and the Downtown Denver Partnership work together to engage street homeless persons, connect them to services and find permanent housing.
Engaging with a chronically homeless individual can be a time-consuming process; for some it can take five minutes, for others, it may take years. As the relationship develops, the outreach worker can provide connections to housing; healthcare; mental health and substance abuse treatment; respite care; acquisition of official identification and public benefits; transportation; food and clothing. Long-term housing for the individual is the ultimate goal.
Outreach services were provided to more than 4,458 individuals, and 326 people were placed in housing in 2009.