Colorado Coalition for the Homeless
Denver, CO

The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) of Denver, Colorado, has operated its PATH program out of the Stout Street Clinic for the past seven years. For its consistent dedication to serving homeless people with serious mental illness, Maxine Bennett of the Colorado Department of Human Services nominated CCH as an exemplary program for FY 1999.

"This is an agency that has opened its doors and brought people out of the cold in more ways than one," Bennett said.

One of three PATH-funded local providers in Colorado, CCH received $155,235 in PATH funding in FY 1999 - more than 75 percent of its total budget for services for homeless people with serious mental illnesses. Using PATH funds, CCH employed nine staff members and served 242 homeless people with serious mental illnesses in FY 1999. CCH offers emergency, transitional and permanent housing, physician and medication services, referrals to vocational rehabilitation, substance abuse treatment programs, case management, and emergency services.

Mental Health and Housing Services

Psychiatric evaluation and treatment services, including medications and necessary laboratory work, are provided at the Stout Street Clinic. Case managers or other PATH staff refer clients to the psychiatrist, with services to clients provided at no cost to the PATH program or the consumer. CCH also provides medical and psychiatric medications free of charge to anyone who is prescribed medication by a Clinic provider.

CCH offers numerous housing opportunities to its clients, including:

• emergency housing for up to 30 days (consumers can bypass the lottery system for admission if they are working with PATH staff);
• transitional living for up to two years for women; and
• permanent, subsidized housing at various sites.

Aside from the housing options listed above, CCH maintains a strong working knowledge of affordable properties in the Denver metro area. CCH staff work closely with shelters, apartment, rooming house and hotel managers, various property management companies, the Denver Housing Authority, and supported living facilities.

Service Collaboration

The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless is the primary organization responsible for advocacy for homeless persons in the state of Colorado. It is also one of 130 grantees nationwide receiving funding from the federal Health Care for the Homeless Program. Located together at the Stout Street Clinic, the Health Care for the Homeless and PATH programs provide integrated mental health and primary health care services to homeless people in the Denver area.

CCH PATH staff work closely with numerous community agencies to provide needed services, including regular visits and consultations with shelters to assess the mental health needs of their residents. CCH staff also work with local hospitals, the Mental Health Corporation of Denver, alcohol and drug treatment service providers, and the criminal justice system.

Further, CCH is a member of the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, a multi-year, multi-agency effort to provide long-term planning and coordinated care for homeless people in the Denver area. CCH also coordinates a monthly forum for local service providers who work with people who are homeless.

Consumer and Family Involvement

The CCH PATH program uses the "strengths model" of case management, which begins by identifying clients' social supports and other strengths. Building on this assessment, an individual service plan is developed that identifies key people in a consumer's life and what role they can play in recovery.

Cultural Competency

Both CCH and its PATH program employ a racially and ethnically diverse staff. The staff speak multiple languages, including Spanish, German, French, Russian, Sign, Filipino, Pushtu, Lakota and Gebuano.

For more information about the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, contact Mike Misgen at (303) 293-2220, or mmisgen@coloradocoalition.org