ENSURE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING

The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless believes that housing is a basic human right. Colorado cannot rely on the market alone to correct the housing crisis we currently face. Our top 2017 priority is to establish a permanent statewide affordable housing fund to finance development of affordable housing units, wraparound services, and rental assistance. We are actively exploring ways to utilize taxes, fees, and marijuana cash fund dollars to achieve this.

HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION

Our goal is to build the public’s understanding of the factors that push people into homelessness, and advocate for smart, compassionate solutions. Because of the high cost of housing and medical care, wage stagnation, and our state’s overburdened safety net, many Coloradans are one disaster away from losing their home. Factors such as domestic violence, mental illness, and addiction disorders may also lead to or exacerbate housing insecurity.

We believe that existing in the public space is not a criminal act. We must strengthen policies and resources that allow people to achieve and maintain housing stability, rather than take punitive action against the homeless simply for performing basic acts of survival. We will support measures aimed at keeping people in their homes, including expanding tenants’ rights, strengthening the supportive services that keep people from falling back into homelessness, and defending the rights of unhoused Coloradans.

ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE

It is essential that we protect access to health care services and coverage for all Coloradans, especially those that are most vulnerable. We will advocate vehemently to preserve Colorado’s Health Exchange and the incredible gains our state has made through Medicaid Expansion. We will defend the funding and systems that allow our Stout Street Health Center to remain in operation, which serves more than 13,000 people each year. Support and funding for greater access to behavioral health care must be an integral part of these efforts.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM/CRIMINALIZATION OF HOMELESSNESS

The Coalition is committed to addressing the overuse of the criminal justice system – in place of real solutions like appropriate behavioral health care, services, and true crime prevention. In order to prevent recidivism, it is critical to ensure a smooth transition into housing, health care, and the workforce. We all benefit when our returning citizens can contribute fully to their communities, support their families, and maintain community bonds.

In Colorado, there are a total of 351 anti-homelessness ordinances, that requires millions of dollars to enforce them. The impact of these ordinances is evident: living without a home in Colorado nearly guarantees that a person will break the law.

CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

Thriving families make strong communities. The Coalition supports efforts to put more money in parents’ pockets through renewing the Colorado Child Care Tax Credit. We support increased funding for programs that can have a significant impact on low- and extremely low-income families by allowing parents more flexibility to work and parent as well as improving access to and assistance for increasingly expensive childcare options.

Learn more about your Colorado General Assembly.
Find the legislators that represent YOU, how to contact them, bills they've introduced, committees they serve on, and political contributions they've received. Find free, factual, unbiased information on your elected officials at www.votesmart.org.

Learn more about the State Government agencies that are designed to assist those experiencing homelessness, funding affordable housing and ensuring healthcare is accessible to all. Find more information and resources below:

• Colorado Department of Human Services 
  The Colorado Department of Human Services oversees the state’s 64 county departments of social/human services, the state’s public mental health system, Colorado’s system of services for people with developmental disabilities, the state’s juvenile corrections system and all state and veterans’ nursing homes, through more than 5,000 employees and thousands of community-based service providers. Colorado is a state-supervised, county-administered system for the traditional social services, including programs such as public assistance and child welfare services.
• Colorado Employment Services 
  The state's employment portal includes tools to help you find your next job to directions about how to register for unemployment benefits. There is easy access to the online services available today, as well as a comprehensive list of answers to questions often asked by Colorado job seekers and employees.
• Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) 
  The Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) provides assistance with heating bills during the winter months.  To receive assistance, you must submit an application to the county where you reside.  Applications will be accepted from November 1 through April 30. Call 1-866-HEAT-HELP (1-866-432-8435) to find out if you are eligible and where to fill out an application or visit the LEAP website.

Organizations across Colorado are joining in the fight against homeless and greater access to housing and health care. Find more information and resources about state organizations below:

• 9to5 Colorado 
  9to5’s mission is to build a movement for economic justice, by engaging directly affected women to improve working conditions.
• American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado (ACLU) 
  The ACLU works to protect, defend and extend the civil rights and civil liberties of all people in Colorado through litigation, education and advocacy.
• Colorado Center on Law and Policy (CCLP)
  CCLP advances the health, economic security and well-being of low-income Coloradans through research, education, advocacy and litigation.
• Colorado Children’s Campaign 
  The Colorado Children’s Campaign advocates for the development and implementation of data-driven public policies that improve child well-being in health, education and early childhood.
• Colorado Citizens ID Collaboration Project 
  This project is designed to assist low-income, disabled, homeless and elderly citizens seeking documentation of their identity and citizenship in order to obtain health care, public benefits, housing, transportation, employment and secure other essential human rights.
• Colorado Coalition Against Domestic Violence (CCADV) 
  CCADV works to expand the capacity of Colorado’s domestic violence programs, allied professionals, policymakers, and the public, to dramatically reduce domestic violence in the Colorado.
• Colorado Fiscal Institute 
  The Colorado Fiscal Institute provides credible, independent and accessible information and analysis of fiscal and economic issues facing Colorado in order to inform and influence policy debates.
• Colorado Foreclosure Hotline 
  The Colorado Foreclosure Hotline is a free service to Colorado homeowners who have questions about their home loans. You can also call 1-877-601-HOPE. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Guide to Avoiding Foreclosure can help if you're in foreclosure now or worried about it in the future. You can also call 1 (800)-225-5342.
• Colorado PEAK (Program Eligibility and Application Kit) 
  PEAK is a Web-based portal designed to provide clients and community partners with a modern and easily accessible tool to apply for public assistance benefits. It currently allows new clients to screen themselves for potential program eligibility and allows our existing clients to check on their benefits.
• Colorado Poverty Law Project (CPLP)
  Colorado Poverty Law Project (CPLP) is an organization that recruits and coordinates volunteer attorneys to participate in two monthly pro bono legal clinics at the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and Father Woody's Haven of Hope.
• Hunger Free Colorado 
  Hunger Free Colorado leads efforts to connect families and individuals to food and nutrition resources, and to create positive changes in systems, policies and social views, so no Coloradan goes hungry.
• Volunteers of America Colorado Branch (VOA)
  The VOA provides food, clothing, and shelter, as well as programs offering permanent, temporary, and transitional housing combined with support services for Colorado's homeless population.