Leadership
The Coalition is led by a team of talented and dedicated staff and board members, committed to creating pathways to greater stability for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
John Parvensky has served as President and CEO of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless since 1985. Under his leadership, the Coalition, which began as a single health center, has grown to serve over 18,000 people experiencing homelessness per year through comprehensive housing and healthcare. John has been a leader in developing integrated housing for people experiencing homelessness and low-income families and individuals, developing the state-of-the-art Stout Street Health Center, and bringing the Housing First approach for those who chronically experience homelessness to Colorado.
John was instrumental in creating the Denver Housing First Collaborative (DHFC) in 2003 with funding provided by the federal Chronic Homeless Initiative which provides housing and supportive services to more than 200 people with disabilities experiencing chronic homelessness. The program uses a Housing First strategy combined with assertive community treatment (ACT) services, providing integrated primary care, behavioral health care, substance treatment, and supportive services. DHFC has demonstrated success in maintaining housing stability for 85% of those housed under the program after two years, while improving health and mental health outcomes, decreasing substance use, and reducing costly emergency services by $40,000 per person.
During his tenure, John has received local and national recognition for his work. John was awarded the 2018 Philip W. Brickner National Leadership Award from the National Healthcare for the Homeless. In 2016, the ACLU of Colorado presented him with the Carle Whitehead Memorial Award for 30 years of dedication to furthering civil liberties and social justice for Colorado’s homeless population. John received the 2012 Be More Award from Rocky Mountain PBS for his outstanding, innovative leadership and direction in social justice benefiting the entire community. To see a full list awards for the work at the Coalition, please click here.
John serves as the President of the Board of Directors for the National Coalition for the Homeless and was past board president of the National Healthcare for the Homeless Council.
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John Parvensky Learn more about John in the tab above. |
Cathy Alderman "I've always considered myself to be a social justice advocate and CCH's mission of providing lasting solutions for people experiencing homelessness really spoke to me. In one of the richest countries in the world, everyone should have access to safe, affordable housing and quality healthcare." |
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Mandy May "I wanted to support a community organization focused on lasting solutions to homelessness, social justice, and serving the underserved. I believe that healthcare and housing are human rights and wanted to leverage my experience in public health, data, evaluation, and quality improvement to promote those rights." |
Meg Mullen "I feel strongly called to make a difference in solving important problems in our society, and I have been most interested in health, mental health, and how the lack of care in these areas impact every area of life. Working in this role at the Coalition allows me to engage others in our important work to address whole person health, and, in doing so, end homelessness." |
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Pete Stoller
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Lisa Thompson "Seeing someone's face light up when they move into their new home, hearing about how someone's life was transformed by the many services we offer, or listening to how moved my colleagues are when they see the positive impact of our work, really inspires me. I feel fortunate to work at a place where people are striving to make a positive difference in the world each and every day. I'm passionate about living a life with purpose and working here at CCH has been a part of that purpose for me." |
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Bill Windsor "My work at CCH has been, and still is, the most rewarding job experience of my life. I am very proud to be a part of CCH and its mission; and I am deeply satisfied knowing that my work product contributes a long-term benefit to the lives of those who could not afford basic housing and healthcare." |
Jennifer Cloud "I am passionate about our service to the most vulnerable of communities, our attention to supportive services, and our work in my home state of Colorado." |
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Carrie Craig "I have always been interested in fighting for human rights and combating inequities/injustices. My childhood and background brought me to this place as well as my experiences getting to know clients throughout the years. I have been amazed by the progressive, groundbreaking work we have been able to achieve at CCH. This level of progression and experiencing the joy that comes from providing housing and support to community members is extraordinary and pushes me to keep going." |
Ed Farrell |
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Christina Garcia "As a person who experienced homelessness as a child and again as an adult, this work is personal to me and aligns perfectly with my values and life purpose. Having an opportunity to support others on their journey out of homelessness is a privilege that I take very seriously." |
Andrew Grimm |
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Shontel Lewis "I believe housing is a human right. My belief is it our collective responsibility to undo the residual impacts of racist policies and practices that have kept housing unattainable for our most marginalized, vulnerable and oppression people." |
Amy Moore "I believe everyone should have the opportunity for quality, affordable housing. It transforms lives when people gain security from having stable housing. I personally experienced housing instability as a child. It impacts you for the rest of your life. I want to provide dignity and stability for those persons experiencing homelessness or have low incomes. I hope that through my work, people's lives are improved." |
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Adam Mingal "Through my work in Washington, DC on behalf of lower income seniors, I learned firsthand how critical it is to have access to affordable, permanent housing. CCH's holistic model, creating not only more affordable housing stock but also funding healthcare and employment opportunities, made a lot of sense to me and is something I'm excited to be part of."
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Deanne Witzke "The work of CCH is both on the scale of the individual and the scale of the whole. We aim to dismantle the systems that create division, poverty and homelessness while working alongside those who are homeless to make the current moment a better one. The problems we try to solve are complex, but solvable, and that motivates me to work hard every day." |
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