Denver’s program to house people who were homeless was so successful, the federal government is offering millions more to expand it
November 19, 2021 – Five years ago, Denver made a list of people most often involved with jail, detox centers and emergency rooms — and then offered them housing. Investors agreed to share a portion of the $1 million payment with the two main service providers: The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and Mental Health Center of Denver. If the program had not met its goals, the city would not have had to repay investors. More than half of the total annual cost for each person in the social impact bond program was offset by reductions in the costs for other public services, such as jail, detox and other emergency care, according to the city. Evaluators from the Urban Institute, a think tank based in Washington, D.C., worked with The Evaluation Center at the University of Colorado Denver to track and measure the effects of supportive housing from 2016 to 2020.