Joint Statement on Common Sense Institute’s Flawed Annual Assessment of the Homelessness System in Denver

For the third year in a row, the “Common Sense” Institute has released a “Snapshot of Denver’s Homeless Ecosystem” outlining their flawed interpretation of Denver’s homelessness response system and City budget as well as a continued failure to account for the complexities of homelessness for those forced to experience it.  In 2022, the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, and Denver Department of Housing Stability (HOST) all discredited the 2022 report and offered constructive feedback to CSI for how it more accurately report out on the realities of the system and numbers available, but CSI ignored those calls for accuracy. 

We won’t repeat at length our former criticisms of the report’s flaws – all of which are present in the 2023 assessment – but will highlight a few of the additional errors that misinform the public on the data around homelessness in Denver including:

First, the snapshot continues to interweave Denver-specific data with the homeless data for the entire region or the entire state. In some instances, the document utilizes only data from Denver, while in other places it uses data from the seven-county Metro-Denver region. Once again, CSI’s calculations for the expenditures double and triple counts funding, include statewide funding, and has several other limitations. This leads to inflating the amount spent on homelessness in Denver or the Denver Metro Region.  In several instances in the assessment, CSI cites its own flawed data as the source of spending analyses – analyses that have been refuted by service providers and experts more than once.  They also claim that they provided service providers the opportunity to review the data but no one in the service provider community recalls any outreach to their agencies by CSI staff.

Secondly, on Page 7, CSI claims that “one in every 21 of Denver’s unhoused persons died in 2022.”  This is a gross oversimplification that relies in part on a count of people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January, the Point in Time (PIT), and the limited death data reported out by Denver’s Office of Medical Examiner (OME).  As we have pointed out repeatedly to CSI, PIT data does not represent the full population of people experiencing homelessness and the number is in fact much larger than the PIT reports.  For more accurate numbers, CSI could look at MDHI’s report on the State of Homelessness.  The OME data is also very limiting and more accurate numbers, though still not complete, could be found in CCH’s Annual Death Review.  While every death of an unhoused individual is a tragedy, misrepresenting that number for shock value alone does nothing to address the systemic and dangerous issues that lead to homelessness and death.  If fact, looking at more accurate numbers would suggest that while people are experiencing homelessness have shorter life spans than their housed counterparts, less than 1% of the population of unhoused individuals in Denver passed away in 2022.  (MDHI reports over 28,000 people experiencing homelessness in the course of a year and CCH reports 263 deaths which is just .009% of population)

Thirdly, on page 13, the report references “participation rates” of housing. Here again, CSI misunderstands this data and part of the system. Participation rate data is required to be reported to HUD each year and is the percent of projects that actually enter data into the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). In other words, it reflects what percent of our providers are putting data in a database, not the utilization rates by people experiencing homelessness.  Here are the correct utilization rates, or how many beds were actually full in that resource type, which was the intent of CSI sharing this data. This data is also only a snapshot on a single night in January within the Denver Metro area and is not longitudinal. Here are the rates at which these interventions were occupied on the night of the 2022 Point in Time:, as well as for 2023. It is also to be noted that this data chart still cannot capture the nuance of complex systems. For instance, for the line on Permanent Supportive Housing, some of those are vouchers, so the total is likely misleadingly low due to the fact that many unhoused neighbors are in currently searching for housing that will accept the vouchers which are difficult to find in the incredibly tight housing market in the Denver Metro Area.

MDHI was unable to replicate many of the percentages claimed by CSI based on the official data set submitted to HUD for the 2022 Point in Time via the Housing Inventory Count (HIC).

The danger in misrepresenting “participation rates” in the way that CSI is done undermines and discredits the interventions and housing solutions that in fact, are highly successful in resolving homelessness.  The data is clear, housing is the solution to homelessness and a research entity with any real interest in evidence-based solutions would have no difficulty finding the real data that makes this case.  In fact, the most recent data was collected from the highly successful Denver Social Impact Bond Program right in CSI’s backyard.

Denver SIB supportive housing participants spent significantly more time in housing (560 days), compared with those who received services as usual. After accessing supportive housing, most participants stayed housed over the long term, with 86% of participants remaining in stable housing one year after entering housing, 81% after two years, and 77% after three years.  Other studies have shown similar results:

• One study published in 2020 found that 86% of participants with long histories of frequent emergency room visits and arrests who have diagnoses of substance use and severe mental illness entered and remained in permanent supportive housing. By providing housing with voluntary services, the vast majority of high-risk individuals were housed successfully. The study analyzed service use from Santa Clara County, CA between 2015 and 2019.

• Another study from a 2017 24-month randomized control trial demonstrated that Housing First programs significantly improved the percentage of days stably housed among older homeless adults (50+) by 44% and younger homeless adults (18-49) by 40% compared with usual care.

• A 2020 meta-analysis of permanent supportive housing (PSH) programs found that PSH interventions increased long-term (6 year) housing stability for participants with moderate and high support needs when compared with usual care.

• A 2020 analysis of 26 studies from the US and Canada demonstrated that, compared with Treatment First, Housing First programs decreased homelessness by 88% and improved housing stability by 41%.

• A 2020 study out of North Carolina found that housing retention was highest among housing first PSH participants at 80% (retention after 12 months plus positive exits).

Finally, CSI makes several unfounded and misunderstood claims about the system and impacts of homelessness that seem off-handed, ill-informed, and intentionally accusatory towards people experiencing homelessness.  The failure of CSI to evaluate or even discuss proven solutions to these issues further demonstrates the lack of seriousness of their report.

• On Page 8, CSI states that there are “hundreds of unsheltered youths” but provides no context, no real impact analysis, and no discussion of effective interventions or solutions despite all of that information being available.

• On Page 13, CSI claims there is sufficient shelter capacity in Denver but all information available demonstrates that many shelters are at capacity requiring the opening of new shelter facilities both in response to homelessness and to the influx of migrants into the City of Denver.

• On Page 14, CSI states without explanation that costs per homelessness person at Denver Health is higher and includes longer lengths of stay without explaining the complex and complicated healthcare conditions that people experiencing homelessness endure, the failure of the system to provide adequate non-emergency places for recovery from healthcare issues, and the innovative and proven solutions being implemented to address these concerns.

For the third time in as many years, the “Common Sense” Institute has demonstrated that when it comes to accurately reporting out on homelessness and system in place to address it in Denver, it is not “common sense” that is driving the report. CSI continues to paint an inaccurate, mis-informed, and misleading picture of homelessness in the region. CCH and MDHI are proud of the work that is being done in Denver to resolve homelessness and if these proven interventions could be brought to the scale necessary to address the crisis at hand, we would see significant impact for our communities and for those that are forced to remain unhoused in Denver.  Detractors like CSI serve no legitimate role in a meaningful and solutions-driven dialogue around homelessness and anyone who relies on their “findings” should take caution and ask themselves why CSI continues to push a false narrative, use misleading data, and make unverifiable claims.

Denver Joins Biden’s All INside Initiative to Address Homelessness

On October 18, Denver joined President Joe Biden's All INside initiative, a historic opportunity to address the crisis of unsheltered homelessness in Denver with support from key federal partners. This partnership includes Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, the Phoenix metro area, Seattle, and the State of California. With this partnership, an embedded, dedicated federal official will help identify and execute systems-level changes as well as expedite and strengthen our current local strategies.

This initiative aims to remove many of the barriers oftentimes faced by those experiencing homelessness as they seek to move from the streets into the safety and security of their own home. While this partnership doesn't immediately provide federal funding to solve homelessness, the Biden administration is aware of the need and plans to request funding for homelessness resolution in the upcoming budget, showing a commitment to address this pressing issue. 

As the region’s Continuum of Care, MDHI is working closely with the City and County of Denver and the White House to execute this strategy. This is an exciting opportunity for us to learn from other large metro areas and work with the federal government to remove barriers to housing for those experiencing homelessness. 

Homeless Youth Needs Assessment and Media Toolkit Released

The Needs of Unhoused Youth through a Lens of Data, Equity, and Lived Expertise

The purpose of the Homeless Youth Needs Assessment is to provide meaningful insight into the nature of homelessness for unaccompanied and parenting youth aged 24 and under. The first of its kind in metro Denver, it examines six data sources to depict the overall issue of youth homelessness as it occurs across systems for a deeper understanding of the problem.

This report includes Community Outreach conducted in the Spring of 2023 with youth and providers across metro Denver to better understand their needs and experiences. While the ‘Causes’ and ‘Disparities’ identified in this report use all of the available data sources, the ‘Needs’ section that follows relies heavily on this outreach data.

We hope that by the end of this report, readers understand homelessness as a matter of systemic failures rather than personal shortcomings, by and large; recognize the disparities that exist for specific populations of youth; and use our findings to help guide decisions about housing resources and improvements to make the homeless system better for youth.

Homeless Youth Awareness Media Kit

We wanted to make our youth Needs Assessment as accessible and impactful as possible. That’s why we developed a social media toolkit to help you promote #HomelessYouthAwareness and #YouthHomelessness in the month of November and beyond. Explore the full content suite.

Regional Shift in Veteran Homelessness, Down 21% YTD

Our region’s approach to ending veteran homelessness is working. Veteran homelessness is down 21% this year, and in the last 6 months, we’ve seen a significant shift despite overall increases in homelessness. According to Community Solutions, “a shift constitutes a measurable, meaningful reduction in homelessness for a community. More specifically, it means that a community has driven the number of people experiencing homelessness below their median for six consecutive months.” Shifts tell us when there has been a fundamental, sustained change in our region’s systemic response to veteran homelessness.

Data above from our by-name list tracks the number of veterans experiencing homelessness across the region in real-time. From March to August 2023, we’ve seen a 15% reduction in veteran homelessness. This means our by-name list went from 433 Veterans in March to 366 in August. Year-to-date, the number of veterans has decreased by 21%, from 468 to 370 veterans actively experiencing homelessness. This puts our region on track to reach our goal of reducing veteran homelessness by 25% this year, from 468 to 351 veterans.

Lauren Lapinski, a licensed clinical social worker with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), celebrated the win. “Our community has made a SHIFT in veteran homelessness, which means we have consistently seen a decrease in our overall number of literally homeless veterans in our Continuum of Care for the past 6 months,” shared Lapinski. “Thank you to all our community homeless providers for their incredible efforts to end veteran homelessness in our area, homelessness is solvable.”

A lot of factors and hard work across the region contributed to these reductions, some of which include:

1. Strong Partnership with the VA

2. Abundance of Veteran Housing Resources

3. Veteran-Specific Case Conferencing

4. Local Case Conferencing for Veterans off of BNL

5. Increased Collaboration across the Region

6. Every Sub-Region Using HMIS

7. Community Building at Metro Denver Learning Sessions

8. Community Solutions Investments in Affordable Housing Stock

9. Coordinated, Person-Centered Outreach

Over the last 2 years, MDHI has collaborated with local governments, homelessness agencies, and Community Solutions to create a sub-regional response to end veteran homelessness using the Built for Zero (BFZ) framework. The goal is to reach function zero, a sustainable system where fewer veterans experience homelessness than can be routinely housed in a month.

We began with veterans because of the abundance of resources for this specific population. Having this proof point is essential, as it will provide a framework and guidance on how to end homelessness for other populations. In setting and piloting this foundation, we can begin to identify gaps in our systems, build out capacity, and apply for targeted investments. More information about how the learning and data infrastructure from solving veteran homelessness will be translated to other populations in the near future.

Adams County & Aurora Achieve Quality Data for Veterans

Adams County and the City of Aurora have achieved Quality Data for veterans, a necessary milestone for reaching a functional end to Veteran homelessness (and eventually all homelessness). Quality Data means we can account for every veteran experiencing homelessness by name, in real time. This Quality By-Name List (BNL) helps us understand the scope of veteran homelessness in each subregion, describes the inflow and outflow on an ongoing basis, gives us accurate information to reduce homelessness, and helps us measure our progress toward ending it. Community Solutions certified the data over a 3-month reporting period, assuring that Adams and Aurora maintained 100% data reliability through the end of last month.

Lindsey Earl, CSWB Administrator for Adams County, shared her thoughts on the key benefits of quality data for veterans. “Quality data gives us a level of certainty that we are providing care for all veterans experiencing homelessness in our community. It helps us connect to veterans who have lost housing to quickly reduce and resolve the trauma they are experiencing.” Earl added, “Under the guidance of MDHI and Community Solutions, we continuously research best practices and review our data sets to know they we are implementing evidence-based interventions for veterans experiencing homelessness.” She also mentioned key steps to achieving quality data included “extending an HMIS data-sharing agreement to our municipalities and nonprofit providers and increasing case conferencing participation.”

Margay Witzdam, Improvement Advisor with MDHI, was critical to their success. She added, “Since the beginning of the Built for Zero (BFZ) Veteran initiative in Metro Denver, Adams County and the City of Aurora have consistently showcased their ability to modify a methodology to their own communities' needs for success. Reaching Quality Data for Veterans in both sub-regions shows the importance of forming dedicated improvement teams and ongoing cross-collaboration.”

Boulder County was the first to achieve Quality Data last August. The addition of Adams and Aurora means 3 out of 9 subregions in metro Denver have achieved this milestone and know all veterans and singles experiencing homelessness by name, in real-time.

Aurora’s Certification of Quality Data from BFZ

Members of Aurora Team with Quality Data Cup

Lindsey Earl from Adams County Government

Members of Adams County Team with Quality Data Cup

Final CoC NOFO Application Posted, Feedback Due 9/27

Dear Partners,

Thanks to everyone who already provided input on our region's Collaborative Application for federal homelessness funding! We appreciate your support in strengthening this year’s application to HUD. As part of this important community process, MDHI is posting the final version of the Collaborative Application as well as the Project Priority Listing. 

Please send final input to NOFA@mdhi.org by 10 a.m. on Wednesday, September 27.

Metro Denver Receives $2.58 Million from Federal Government to End Youth Homelessness

DENVER, COLORADO – On September 20, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded $2,580,526 to the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative (MDHI) to prevent and end youth homelessness. The funding was awarded through HUD’s Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP). The grant allows key stakeholders in Denver’s homelessness services community, including those with lived experience, to create and implement a coordinated community plan to end homelessness for youth aged 24 and under.

Metro Denver was one of 16 communities selected by HUD to receive a YHDP grant this year, totaling $60 million in funding. These funds will be sub-granted to support a range of housing programs for youth, such as rapid rehousing, permanent supportive housing, and transitional housing. “YHDP was developed using vital input from the very communities it serves,” said Rocky Mountain Regional Administrator Dominique Jackson. “With a strong focus on targeted outreach and supportive services, the funding available through this program will enable organizations like the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative to reach more youth and change the trajectory of their lives.”

Layla Said, Communications Specialist at MDHI, led this year’s grant writing, Homeless Youth Needs Assessment, and stakeholder engagement. She shared, “This is a pivotal moment for our community, one that gives us a real opportunity to address a critically unmet need for housing resources and end youth homelessness as a region in collaboration with those we serve.”

Metro Denver’s Homeless Management Information System showed 1,787 youth accessing services related to homelessness in metro Denver between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022. During the same period, 632 unaccompanied youth were served by Runaway and Homeless Youth Projects. School districts also identified and reported 8,240 students experiencing homelessness during the 2020-2021 school year, and the annual Point in Time count identified 469 youth experiencing literal homelessness on the night of January 30, 2023. "Youth homelessness is a growing challenge in our community,” said Dr. Jamie Rife, Executive Director of MDHI. “This funding will greatly strengthen the region’s ability to meet the needs of young people navigating this crisis,” she added.  

Dominique Jackson, Rocky Mountain Regional Administrator of HUD, will be presenting the region with a check on September 27th at 10:15 am at Urban Peak's facility located at 1630 S. Acoma St. in Denver. The public and press are invited to attend.

The Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) is a federal initiative designed to reduce the number of youth experiencing homelessness. Its goal is to support selected communities, including rural, suburban, and urban areas across the United States, in the development and implementation of a coordinated community approach to preventing and ending youth homelessness.

MDHI is the Metro Denver Continuum of Care, the regional system that coordinates services and housing for people experiencing homelessness. This includes prevention/diversion, street outreach, emergency shelter, transitional housing, rapid rehousing, and permanent supportive housing. MDHI works closely with each county in its continuum (Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson) to build a homeless crisis response system that gets people back into housing as quickly as possible.

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For more information, please email info@mdhi.org.

Annual CoC Competitive Application Open for Comments

Dear Partners,

The Consolidated Application is a part of the Annual CoC NOFO process and strengthens our region’s application to secure federal homelessness funding. As part of this important process, MDHI is posting the draft version of the CoC Collaborative Application for public review and feedback. Please review the plan and provide any comments using the “Add Comments” tool.  

We'd love to have your feedback by 12pm on September 21. We'll incorporate it into our final plan and post it for review. Please contact nofa@mdhi.org if you have any questions.

You can also access the application with this link: https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:fc56622d-2456-3d0a-9abb-77f9ccba5568.

Thank you for the time to help strengthen our community application!
The MDHI Team

Community Job Board

These postings were submitted by our partners and are important in supporting our region’s homeless crisis response system. Please contact the agency hiring for more information.

Email info@mdhi.org if you have a local job posting in homelessness or related services. Ranked newest to oldest:

• City of Westminster - Homeless Navigator

• Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence (SPAN) - Multiple

  • Shelter Advocate

  • Housing Stability Coordinator

  • Counselor - Spanish Bilingual

  • Housing Advocate - Spanish Bilingual

  • Program Manager - Legal Advocacy

  • Shelter Advocate - On Call

• Warren Village - VP of Supportive Services

• Colorado Village Collaborative - Multiple

• Urban Peak - Multiple

Equal Access Training

MDHI hosted an Equal Access Rule Training in accordance with HUD’s Gender Identity Rule. The Equal Access Rule (EAR) ensures that all individuals - regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity - have equal access to HUD's programs. This includes shelters, benefits, services and accommodations. As such, it prohibits certain forms of discrimination against persons identifying within the LGBTQIA2S+ umbrella.

The training session offers a deeper dive into the following:

• CoC Policy and HUD's Equal Access Rules

• Laws prohibiting discrimination

• Strategies to provide all individuals who interact with CoC-funded programs a safe, healthy, inclusive, affirming, and discrimination-free environment

Every agency that receives CoC funding should engage with these materials.

• Watch the EAR Training

• EAR Training Slides

• Sample Anti-Discrimination Policy

Annual 2023 Homeless Count Released

Data for the annual Point-in-Time (PIT) count shows increases in homelessness, specifically those experiencing homelessness for the first time. 

[Denver, CO – July 24, 2023]: The Metro Denver Homeless Initiative (MDHI) released the 2023 annual Point-in-Time (PIT) count data today. The count, conducted in January each year, is required by HUD to capture the number of unduplicated individuals experiencing homelessness on a single night.  

“We are still awaiting HUD’s verification of the region’s data, but for planning purposes, it is important to share this data,” said Dr. Jamie Rife, MDHI’s Executive Director.  

The count occurred on Monday, January 30, 2023, and included both those staying in shelter and outdoors. This year, 9,065 people were counted, or a 31.7% increase from 2022. The numbers of families experiencing homelessness showed a significant rise across the region, from 1,277 last year to 2,101 this year. Additionally, those who are new to homelessness rose sharply, from 2,634 to 3,996. Families experiencing homelessness for the first time were 597 in 2022 and 1,316 in 2023. 

“While the world is no longer in a pandemic, we are beginning to feel the full economic fallout of the COVID-19 era,” shared Rife. “With COVID-19 relief funds for the prevention of homelessness coming to an end, as well as many other COVID-era protections, we’ve seen a sharp increase in the number of eviction filings as more households struggle to pay rent. This, paired with inflation and the increased cost of housing, is resulting in many people falling into homelessness and many being unable to obtain housing.”  

The PIT is an annual snapshot of homelessness on a single night with numerous variables such as weather, count participation, volunteer engagement, and a variety of other factors. “While the region continues to improve our count and was able to locate 9,065 individuals on a single night experiencing homelessness, the Homelessness Management Information System (HMIS) used by our providers allows us to see this number is closer 28,000 throughout the course of the year,” stressed Rife. “We need to keep moving towards understanding who is experiencing homelessness in real-time and by name, so our response is as effective as possible”, she added.  

The Metro Denver Homeless Initiative is the Lead Agency for the region’s Continuum of Care. The organization coordinates the annual count at the regional level with local teams across the seven-county Denver region conducting counts locally. Per HUD requirements, the PIT must be conducted during the last ten days of January. For more information on the PIT count, 2023 data and county-by-county breakdowns, please visit MDHI’s website. A more comprehensive look at homelessness can be found in MDHI’s State of Homelessness Report.  

Annual CoC Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Released

The Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has officially posted the Annual CoC Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 on Grants.gov. The submission deadline for the CoC Application and CoC Priority List is September 28th, 2023 at 8:00pm EST.

MDHI hosted a NOFO Grantee Presentation on July 26th for current Grantees and anyone interested in applying. You can review the slides here or watch the webinar recording.

Timeline

• Review the NOFO Grantee Presentation slides or watch the webinar for more information

• Letters of Intent are due August 1, 2023

• Applications are due in e-snaps by 2pm on August 28, 2023

• MDHI submits Collaborative Application by September 28, 2023

Project Applicants

• Returning project applicants may choose to import FY 2022 renewal project application responses; however, this must be requested during your registration of the Renewal Funding Opportunity in e-snaps and is only available if you submitted a project application in the FY 2022 CoC Program Competition. Imported responses must be carefully reviewed to ensure accuracy.

• Projects renewing for the first time, that were previously awarded prior to the FY 2022 CoC Program Competition must complete the entire renewal project application.

• New project applications must be completed in full and in accordance with the new project application components permitted in this year’s Competition.

Additional Guidance

The following additional guidance will be posted on the CoC Program Competition page of HUD’s website by the end of this month: 

• FY 2023 CoC Estimated ARD Reports

• Detailed Instructions

• CoC Application

• CoC Priority Listing

• Project Applications – all types

• Navigational Guides

• Accessing the Project Application

• New Project Application

• Renewal Project Application

• UFA Costs Project Application

• Planning Costs Project Application

• CoC Priority Listing

Questions 

Questions regarding the FY 2023 CoC Program Competition process must be submitted to CoCNOFO@hud.gov.  

Questions related to e-snaps functionality (e.g., password lockout, access to user’s application account, updating Applicant Profile) must be submitted to e-snaps@hud.gov.

You can also contact MDHI at nofa@mdhi.org.

Welcome, New Staff!

Please join us in welcoming Jalicha, Jeevan, and Olive to our HMIS team! We are so excited to expand our team’s (and region’s) capacity to better support our information and impact.

Jalicha Davis
Training Specialist

"I'm excited to play my role in healing the world, one community at a time."

Jeevan Surendra
Data Analyst

"I'm excited to join MDHI's work to end homelessness because it's a chance to make a real difference in people's lives, providing them with the stability and support they need to thrive. It's an opportunity to be part of a compassionate community that is dedicated in creating lasting solutions for those who are most vulnerable."

Olive Strauser
Quality Assurance Specialist

"I can’t wait to see a world where individuals that now experience homelessness finally have the life and dignity they deserve, and for future generations to see this as a tragic part of history, but not a possibility for their lives."

Information & Impact - May 2023

A Monthly Homeless Management Information System Update

We’re holding off on our quarterly DPAL meeting until we receive more information about the HMIS data standards coming later this year. This means no DPAL meeting in May. Please review this newsletter for updates, which will be sent on a monthly basis to all active HMIS end users. Thank you for all your collaboration and support!

Data Quality

There has been an increase in Data Quality errors recently. Please review the reminders below so we can fix some common errors.

Zendesk Resources

As a reminder, please use Zendesk for all updates and resources. It has copies of documents and forms, announcements, quick reference guides, and the training signup link.

Client Duplicates

Before entering a new client, you must search for the client in the database using a combination of the following information:

• Name or Alias

• SSN

• Date of Birth

You can use partial information to prevent false negative results. For example, if you are searching for Candy Cane, entering “can can” in the search field makes it much easier to find the client. If you searched “candee” instead of “candy” the result would not populate. Note that Clarity will populate results as you type. You can click on the correct client as soon as they show in the pending results dropdown.

Household Management

Please ensure that you are creating and enrolling households appropriately. Use this Zendesk resource for reference.

• All program enrollments must have a Head of Household (HoH) assigned

• Children generally cannot be assigned as the HoH

• Exception: Runaway & Homeless Youth (RHY) programs​

• Make sure that families are enrolled together as a group

• If an individual enrollment is assigned to a child, email the helpdesk with the appropriate information to connect the child to the household

Clients Not Put on CQ

Remember to send a referral to the OneHome Community Queue (CQ) when you enroll a person into the OneHome program. If you do not add the person to the Community Queue, they cannot be considered for a resource referral through OneHome.

Data Standards

HUD released documentation for the FY24 HMIS Data Standards earlier this month. These changes will go into effect in HMIS on 10/1/2023.

Our team is reviewing the updated standards and preparing materials to review with DPALs and share with end users in the coming weeks. We’ll be working on updated COHMIS paperwork to be released on 10/1 when the updated data standards go into effect.

For a sneak peek of the FY24 HMIS Data Standards, review the slides from the most recent HUD HMIS Lead System Administrator webinar, beginning on slide 14. A link to the webinar is also available here.

Tableau Server Access

The COHMIS Leads recently rolled out access to an interactive suite of statewide dashboards that reflect a variety of HMIS data breakdowns. These dashboards are hosted on Tableau Server, a secure online platform provided to us by our partners at Community Solutions.

If you or staff members at your organization would like access to Tableau Server, please request access through our Tableau Server End User Agreement. Access will only be provided to staff who:

• Are employed at an organization that has a valid COHMIS Agency Partnership Agreement (APA) on file, and

• Will abide by the requirements outlined in the COHMIS Tableau Server End User Agreement

HMIS Training

How to Get Setup

All training is now conducted virtually on our Learning Management System (LMS). Only the agency DPALs can register staff for training. DPALs must log in to Zendesk and access the DPAL zone to register staff for the LMS.

Once the request is received, staff will receive an automated email with instructions on how to access the LMS. It can take up to 2 hours for the courses to be assigned after registration, so please be patient.

The email from the LMS may be marked as SPAM, so we ask that DPALs send the following message to your staff after signup. You should also work with your IT department to whitelist the LMS site.   

You will receive an email from <noreply@talentlms.com> with your username and temporary password. Check your spam folder and have your agency whitelist this email address. Please be sure to change your password when you log in. If you don't have this email, you can visit this link and use your email to reset your password. Do not change your username. Before logging in, you need to watch the video on the home page labeled “How to use Talent LMS.” Once you login to the LMS, you will only see a single course assigned. As you complete the courses, the next one will appear 15 hours later.

HMIS Login Credentials

To get HMIS login credentials, end users will have to complete both HMIS 101 and the FY 2023 set of HMIS courses (Days 1-3). The HMIS training will be spread out over a minimum of 3 days. 

Practical exam: As part of the day 3 training, staff will be expected to enter client information into the training website. The instructions will provide a login to the training site and a fake character bio. Staff must showcase proficiency in the system and a clear understanding of HUD concepts. If staff do not pass the practical exam, they will be given the next steps on a case-by-case basis. Once staff passes all of these sections, they will be issued login credentials to HMIS for their agency.

OneHome Access

If staff need access to OneHome:

1. The DPAL will need to send a request to the HMIS helpdesk

2. The Coordinated Entry course will be assigned to staff in the LMS

3. Once they pass the Coordinated Entry course, email the helpdesk to let us know

4. Our HMIS team will add OneHome access in HMIS

Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) Grant Open

Up to $15 million in federal funding available to prevent and end youth homelessness in metro Denver. See below for ways you can support our community’s application.

Interested in learning more about the YHDP? You can read the full HUD notice here or review our first stakeholder presentation from May 1.

Provider Survey

Do you work with young adults aged 24 and under that experience homelessness or housing instability? Please add your input to our Needs Assessment and Coordinated Community Plan by May 15 at 11:59pm.

Youth Survey

This survey is for young adults that have experienced homelessness or housing instability while aged 24 or under. This input will support our Needs Assessment and Coordinated Community Plan.

We encourage providers who work with young people to designate a time for them to complete it before May 15 at 11:59pm. All of the questions are optional. Young people should be compensated for their time via monetary or in-kind incentives.

Board of Directors Application Open!

Apply until noon on May 12.

Would you like to join our mission of leading and advancing collaboration to end homelessness in metro Denver? Our Board of Directors is accepting applications until May 12 at noon. Please read the Application Guide and Conflict of Interest Policy before submitting an application. We strongly encourage individuals with lived experience of homelessness and other life challenges to apply.

HUD Announces Awards for Annual CoC Competition Funding

On March 28, 2023, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced this year's Continuum of Care Competition (CoC) Awards. The Metro Denver CoC received a total of $30,714,291 in funding, the vast majority of which goes to assuring households remain housed. The region did receive $876,641 in new funding, which will support the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless’s new ‘Housing is Healthcare’ project. A full list of recipients and awards can be found here.  

Semi-Annual Stakeholder Meeting

Nearly 200 stakeholders from across the metro region attended this year’s Stakeholder Meeting on February 24, 2023. You can review the meeting slides or watch the recording below. The agenda was as follows:

• Overview of a Continuum of Care (C0C) and Membership

• Updates on Our Collective Work in Four Core CoC Areas

• Proposed Five-Year Goals for CoC

• Overview of Proposed Committee Changes •Breakout Sessions for Feedback/Discussion on Committees

Annual State of Homelessness Released

New Report Shows Nearly 28,000 in Metro Region Experienced Homelessness Annually

DENVER, COLORADO – January 27, 2023 – The Metro Denver Homeless Initiative (MDHI) released its third annual Metro Denver State of Homelessness report today, highlighting new data in the region related to homelessness.

The report, for the third year in a row, demonstrates the overall issue of homelessness across multiple sources including the region’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), the 2022 Point in Time (PIT) count, as well as school district data on students experiencing homelessness.

The HMIS showed 27,860 unique individuals accessed services related to homelessness between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022. This shows an annual snapshot of homelessness as compared to the region’s one night count, the PIT, which occurred on January 24, 2022, locating 6,884 individuals. Additionally, the report shared that 7,334 people stayed outdoors at some point during the year, compared to 2,078 on the evening of January 24, 2022.

“This shows the drastic difference between how many individuals are experiencing homelessness on a given night as compared to over the course of a year,” said Dr. Jamie Rife, Executive Director of MDHI. “Having more real-time data, like we do via the Homeless Management Information System, allows us to plan more effectively and demonstrate the full scope of the crisis of homelessness in our region,” she added.

Consistent in this year’s report as compared to last two years is the overrepresentation of BIPOC individuals in the population of those experiencing homelessness. “Once again, and glaringly so, the data show the overrepresentation of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color among those experiencing homelessness. This the direct result of multiple systemic failures which are ultimately the root causes of homelessness,” stated Rife.

The report also outlines, in detail, the top causes of individuals experiencing homelessness. They are consistently related to economic barriers, such as the inability to pay rent or a mortgage, evictions, or familial challenges such as relationship issues or family break-up. Additionally, the report details the steps the region has been working on together to solve homelessness, specifically the Built for Zero work which is aimed at creating a path to measurable reductions. Due in part to this work, the region has seen a 31% reduction in veteran homelessness over the past two years, which is nearly three times the national average of an 11% veteran reduction.

READ THE FULL REPORT

Member Highlight: Denver Indian Family Resource Center

This Native American Heritage Month, we’re exploring the impact of culturally-inclusive programs and services with a local Native-led and serving organization that has been authentically leading this work since 2000. Denver Indian Family Resource Center (DIFRC) was founded to address the critically unmet need for culturally responsive services. They have been dedicated to addressing the overrepresentation of Native children being removed from their families, home, community, and culture through direct services and systems change efforts. DIFRC has become a trusted community resource because of the way they meaningfully support Native community members and organizations with child welfare or resource-related questions.

DIFRC recognizes that the extended family is the heart of American Indian life. Honoring the tradition of strong American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) families drives DIFRC’s work. Thus, DIFRC strives to help families create a safe, healthy, and supportive home environment where children are nurtured and can remain connected to their culture. DIFRC offers culturally appropriate services to families built upon traditions that have sustained Indian tribes, communities, and families for centuries. DIFRC acknowledges and honors the tribal diversity in the urban Indian community of which it is a part and treats every child and family member with dignity and respect, regardless of tribal affiliation, degree of cultural or tribal connectedness, enrollment status, or family knowledge of Native lineage or tribal background.

Culturally-Centered and Impactful

Denver Indian Family Resource Center offers Family Services, Housing Services, the Nurturing Parenting Program, Basic Needs Services, the Seven Stars Collaborative, the Wakanyeja Waka Youth Program, and more. Their mission is to strengthen vulnerable AI/AN children and families through collaborative and culturally-responsive services.

In 22 years, DIFRC has provided services to 2,000 families and more than 3,000 children. Of these families, nearly 89% had positive permanency outcomes, much higher than the national average of 54%. As of 2022, DIFRC has successfully reunified and preserved nearly 90% of all AI/AN families in these services. DIFRC has also been instrumental in reducing the overrepresentation of AI/AN children entering area foster care by 162%.

“Denver Indian Family Resource Center has played an important role in mine and my children’s lives. When we had open cases with the Department of Human Services, they were there to support us through the difficult process of getting out of a domestic violence situation and beginning the journey of healing. They have stood by my family every step of the way, whether it was through encouragement, planting seeds of self-belief, or listening to the hardships we have faced and helping me to work through those issues. Denver Indian Family Resource Center will always be in my family’s lives because of the amazing help and knowledge they have given us. Thank you DIFRC!”

— Previous Client Family

The Nurturing Parenting Program blends traditional Native American beliefs and practices with the national Nurturing Parenting Program curriculum. This type of culturally inclusive service is critical to supporting healthy family development in our community in a way that aligns with a family’s AI/AN culture and values rather than imposing Western ideals and beliefs. Their cultural responsiveness is what drives the long-term success of DIFRC and its client families. In 2021, a total of 274 parenting services (equivalent to 293 individual services) were provided in the parenting and adult education category to a total of 52 families:

• Nurturing Parents/Nurturing Parents Prenatal: 127 (43.35%)

• Home Visits: 94 (32.08%)

• Supervised Visitation: 29 (9.9%)

• Court Advocacy: 21 (7.17%)

• Life Skills: 19 (6.48%)

• Strengthening Families: 2 (<1%)

• Safe and Secure: 1 (<1%)

From January-October 2022, DIFRC served 25 families (33 adults and 20 children) through its Housing Services:

• 14 families moved into a new place

• 4 families were prevented from eviction

• 7 families were given rental assistance

• 72 months of rental assistance provided

• 9 months of rental arrears paid

This data doesn’t include all the basic needs provided to client families such as food vouchers, transportation, shower assistance, clothing, utilities, school supplies, medical assistance, and more. In 2021, DIFRC provided 943 Basic Needs Services (equivalent to 2,060 individual services) across all programs. These services truly meet the needs of the most vulnerable in our community with the dignity and inclusiveness they deserve.

Contribute to the Solution

Seven Stars Collaborative - DIFRC serves as a resource of culturally competent professionals to serve families in need and to support partner agencies in their efforts to increase cultural responsiveness through the Seven Stars Collaborative. Anyone is invited to join Seven Stars. To participate, email Alisiana Medina, the Resource and Referral Specialist who facilitates the monthly meeting. They meet on the second Tuesday of the month from 9-10am via Zoom.

Wakanyeja Waka Youth Program - By focusing on a youth’s needs, especially youth in foster care, kinship care, or at risk of entering foster care, this program helps establish strong resiliency and life skills to support their growth and development while serving as a prevention tool for their own future families. To join the youth group, call DIFRC at 720-500-1020.

Be Informed - In 2021, DIFRC partnered with the Native American Housing Circle to conduct a Housing Needs Assessment to examine the housing needs of Native Americans in the Denver Metro area. This is the first report of its kind in our community. View the report here.

Join their Team - DIFRC is growing and currently hiring! Please visit their website to view open positions.

Support their Needs

DIFRC needs to replace their van, which they use to transport equipment to outreach events and deliver thousands of supplies and food to families in need. In 2021, this van helped to support 191 families, including the delivery of food boxes to 168 individuals. They need $35K to make this possible!