The Work

What We Are Seeing

In recent years, suburban communities across the Denver Metro Area have begun to feel the impact of homelessness. Law enforcement has felt burdened by an increased number of calls for service relating to homelessness, local healthcare providers have seen an increase in clientele experiencing homelessness, and business owners have found themselves navigating difficult situations related to increasingly visible homelessness. Most significantly, more and more community members have experienced housing insecurity or have had to face the reality of losing a place to call home.

What We Are Doing

In response, throughout 2017 and 2018, the Englewood, Littleton, and Sheridan (Tri-Cities) communities built a foundation for a collaborative response to homelessness, rooted in cross-sector partnership. This effort saw the formation of the Change The Trend Network, a consortium of over 30 ground-level service providers and other agencies that meets weekly to foster partnership, and the Tri-Cities Homelessness Policy Group, a convening of regional leaders from the municipal and county levels that serve as the governance structure for the region’s response to the issue.

The Action Plan

The Tri-Cities Homelessness Policy Group developed an Action Plan to serve as the region’s framework for homelessness response. The data-driven strategic plan consists of four priorities:

  1. Building a strong foundation of governance, data-tracking, and local staffing capacity

  2. Serving single adults experiencing homelessness through street-level services, increased housing options, and support in moving into housing

  3. Serving families experiencing homelessness by preventing families from becoming homeless and expanding housing opportunities for families

  4. Investing in workforce development services to support unhoused individuals working to re-enter the workforce and regain self-sustainability

In 2021, the Action Plan was adopted unanimously by all three city councils.  Implementation of the plan began in 2022. The Dashboard of Impact tracks the plan’s ongoing progress in fostering solutions to homelessness within the Tri-Cities.

The Action Plan calls for $750,000 of spending, as well as multiple capital projects. These costs are supported largely by American Rescue Plan dollars from the municipal, county, and state levels. In addition, many projects are supported by private philanthropic dollars.

Action Plan Development

  • 2017 Change the Trend Network Formation

  • 2018 Tri-Cities Homelessness Policy Group launch

  • 2020 The Policy Group contracts with the Center for Housing and Homelessness Research to conduct an assessment of individual and family homelessness in the Tri-Cities. Read the reports on Chronic and Family Homelessness.

  • 2021 The Policy Group conducts a PESTLE Analysis of homelessness. Read the report.

  • 2022 The Policy Group contracts Dr. Alisa Orduna to develop the Tri-Cities Homelessness Action Plan. The plan is adopted by councils and begins implementation

  • 2022 - 2024 Implementation of the Homelessness Action Plan