The Boulder County Department of Housing & Human Services (BCDHHS) is committed to building a healthy, connected community that empowers people and strengthens families by confronting the root causes of crisis and instability. We believe in strengthening multiple generations through prevention-based integrated services: getting the right mix of supports—as early as possible—to each person who needs them. Our 500-person integrated services delivery organization is focused on supporting whole families and individuals through a Two-Generation, Social Determinants of Health approach. The Social Determinants of Health framework demonstrates the connections between the conditions in which people live, work, and play and their health risks and other outcomes.

BCDHHS is focused on investing in access to affordable and decent housing in our community, and integrating data systems so we have a full picture of the needs of every neighbor who seeks our help. These priorities focus on prevention and early investment in community well-being, which are best achieved through strong collaboration with a diverse array of primary and behavioral healthcare agencies, safety net organizations and non-profits. Over an average 12 months, during typical times, BCDHHS serves more than 115,000 distinct clients with a wide range of wrap-around services, including food, housing, health coverage, childcare, safety, parenting supports, education and skill-building, and more.

Mission Statement

We are building a healthy, connected community that empowers people and strengthens families by confronting the root causes of crisis and instability.

Prevention, Protection, & Partnerships

The Department's 2023 reorganization included grouping Family & Children Services and Partnerships, Contracts and Services under a new Prevention, Protection & Partnerships umbrella.

Family & Children Services

We believe that from time to time, everyone needs a little extra support. As such, we work to ensure all Boulder County children grow up in a safe, loving, and permanent families; and all at-risk adults deserve our support to live a safe, self-determined life. The goal of the Family & Children Services division is to ensure all Boulder County children are in safe homes, with family and in family-like settings whenever possible and that all at-risk adults are connected with the services and resources they need. We accomplish this via the following programs:

Child Welfare

Within Child Welfare, we recognize that families are the experts on their own family and partner to create supports and resources to help children achieve safety, permanency and well-being at home. Wherever possible, we surround families with the supports and resources they need to develop their own plans for stabilization and safety. This is done through the utilization of in-home, early intervention, prevention and family-driven services. The Child Welfare team serves as a bridge between families and adoption assistance and support, foster care support and outreach, kinship support services, foster care certification, youth and juvenile services, child protection services, team decision making, life skills, mental health services referrals, and sexual abuse therapy.

Adult Protection

Adult Protective Services (APS) offers protective services to improve the health, safety, and welfare of at-risk adults experiencing mistreatment or self-neglect. This includes investigating allegations of physical and sexual abuse, caretaker neglect, exploitation and harmful acts (collectively referred to as “mistreatment”) and self-neglect of at-risk adults. The APS Team travels throughout Boulder County to ensure the care and protection of at-risk adults. They meet the needs of many disconnected, marginalized and at-risk Boulder County citizens, connecting them with resources, services and a support network whenever possible, using community-based services and resources, health care services, family and friends when appropriate, while protecting the at-risk adult’s right to confidentiality, self-determination, and least-restrictive intervention.

Partnerships, Contracts, and Services (PCS)

This division serves as the care management entity for the BCDHHS Continuum of Human Services. This continuum spans prevention and early intervention supports to intensive clinical services, and is focused on improving the quality, outcomes, and costs of services for individuals and families. The PCS division delivers strategic direction for the continuum by aligning with long-term, county-wide strategic visioning and initiatives, and by designing and implementing strategic processes for program development and implementation, utilization management, and performance-based contracting.

Community Investments

The Community Investments team is a highly skilled team that is leaving a lasting impression on the Boulder County community through a robust network of partnerships with community-based organizations and service providers. The team supports the coordination of over 25 million dollars in human service safety-net provider contracts and fulfills a critical role to support the long-term strategic alignment of community wide investments and outcomes.

ARPA Economic Challenges and Housing Affordability Projects

Boulder County’s Department of Housing and Human Services has been the recipient of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to address the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in our community. The Board of County Commissioners, working with community members and safety net service providers, has identified 10 critical needs projects to be implemented over the next 3 years. The PCS project team created and is implementing projects directed at the most impacted members of our community during the COVID-19 pandemic in accordance with federal ARPA regulations.

IMPACT Partnership

Integrated Managed Partnership for Adolescent and Child Community Treatment (IMPACT) is a partnership of 14 different children, youth, and family serving agencies. HHS serves as the backbone agency for the Partnership and contributes Board of Directors and Partnership leadership, assessment and facilitation, state contracts management, services utilization management, Child Welfare out-of-home placement coordination, data coordination, and budget-setting and management.

PCS staff also coordinate and manage a complex braided $3.5 million budget for the following state contracts, programs, and allocations for the Partnership:

• Colorado Youth Detention Continuum
• Colorado Collaborative Management Program
• Core contract
• Boulder County's Colorado Division of Youth Services Contract

Intellectual and Developmental Disability Mill Levy

Coordination and oversight of the Boulder County Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD) Mill Levy and related contracts providing services and supports to residents with IDD, Autism and brain injury, as well as coordination of an IDD Mill Levy Advisory Council.

Prevention Services

• Financial & Volunteer Services Program includes volunteer management and intern recruitment, emergency fund management, and outreach and events coordination. For 48 years, the Family-to-Family Holiday Program has supported families and individuals who are financially struggling during the December holiday season. Accessing the Family-to-Family gift card program helps decrease stress during financially hard times. Referrals are submitted by Housing & Human Services support specialists and caseworkers who refer program participants that have the lowest income and greatest need.
• Parents as Teachers (PAT): a voluntary prevention program working with families who have been reported to county child protective services (CPS) for alleged child abuse or neglect, but who are not receiving services because the referral was screened out.
• Colorado Community Response (CCR): a voluntary prevention program working with families who have been reported to county child protective services (CPS) for alleged child abuse or neglect, but who are not receiving services because the referral was screened out.
• Family Unification Program (FUP): a housing voucher program specifically for families involved with Child Welfare in Boulder County. The FUP program supports participants with case management and coaching toward self-sufficiency and housing stability.
• Early Intervention Program (EIT) works with families in which a tangible need exists, and where the meeting of that need will likely prevent future child welfare referrals and/or intervention. EIT recognizes that it takes a village to help families, and over the years have built and nourished collaborations with over 50 community agencies.
• High Fidelity Wraparound is an evidenced-based facilitated care coordination process that works with youth and families with acute needs across many life domains and multiple system involvement. The team works to create a unified plan with prioritized needs and long and short-term goals to meet those needs and prevent further system involvement, prevent removal from the home or community, and transition home from commitment and residential treatment. The team also develops an extensive four-part Crisis Prevention Plan to address crisis behaviors, and a Transition Plan to support continued self-efficacy and success.

Family Resource Network

The Family Resource Network (FRN) is a countywide governance structure that brings together more than 30 nonprofit, school, and government agency partners working to ensure that families and children in Boulder County are valued, healthy, and thriving. The FRN actively works to coordinate services and resources and promote collaboration among safety net service providers. By coordinating services and resources across affordable housing, healthcare, food, and childcare, the FRN ensures that families have access to the support they need to be successful. Through its efforts to foster collaboration among service providers, the FRN is creating a more seamless and effective system of care for families and children in Boulder County.

Economic Security

The Department's 2023 reorganization included grouping Community Services, Child Support Services, and Employment & Financial Opportunities under the new Economic Security umbrella.

Community Support

The Community Support division administers benefits and determines eligibility and renewals for basic needs and financial support programs. For many people, an illness, an accident, or a job loss is all it takes to push them over a cliff into crisis. With the right help, families and individuals can find their own footing and create their own paths to a stable future.

Health First Colorado – Colorado’s Medicaid Programs and general Health Coverage

Health insurance assistance is available to help clients get free or lower-cost health insurance. Health First Colorado provides health and dental coverage for low-income families including children, adults, pregnant women, people who are blind or disabled, and the elderly. The Boulder County Assistance Site has health coverage guides to help residents purchase private health insurance through the Connect for Health Colorado marketplace.

Medicare Savings Program (MSP)

MSP may help pay for Medicare Part A or Part B premiums. It can also help cover deductible, coinsurance, and copayments for people who have Medicare Part A, meet certain income limits, and who have limited resources.

Food Assistance

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helps individuals and families buy food that is healthy and nutritious. The program uses an Electronic Benefits Transfer Edge card (similar to a debit or ATM card) which is accepted at most grocery stores and other food suppliers, and some farmers’ markets. With the card, individuals and families can purchase foods such as vegetables, fruits, bread, cereals, meat, dairy products, and more. Benefit amounts depend on family size, income, and certain living expenses. While SNAP won’t meet all of a family’s or individual’s nutritional needs, it can help ensure gaps are filled so people can stay healthy while also focusing on other needs they may have.

Colorado Works/Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Work Supports

The TANF program helps people become self-sufficient by strengthening the economic and social stability of families. This includes monthly cash benefits, help with emergency household costs, and/or services such as counseling and job training.

Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP)

CCAP provides financial assistance to eligible low-income families who need childcare to support their efforts toward self-sufficiency. CCAP provides benefits for children from birth to age 12.

Adult Financial Programs: Old Age Pension (OAP) and Aid to the Needy and Disabled (AND)

Adult financial programs help individuals over the age of 60 who need additional income to meet their needs, and individuals working toward a disability determination with the Social Security Administration.

Additional services offered by the Community Support division include Long-Term Care and Program Integrity (quality assurance, investigations, appeals/hearings, and training).

Child Support Services

Financial stress and child abuse and neglect are closely linked. One of the most important jobs our community has is to help alleviate those stresses and to help create the conditions for strong families and communities where children are healthy, valued and thriving. Boulder County Child Support Services provides financial and medical supports for custodial and non-custodial parents, with an emphasis on working with paying parents so they can support their children rather than focusing on punitive approaches. We offer wrap-around supports to children and families to help bring them closer to financial self-sufficiency. We also assist with the processes of locating parents and establishing paternity. We consistently lead the State in review and adjustment timeliness by right-sizing child support orders to reflect changing financial circumstances.

Employment & Financial Opportunities Unit

Empowers those with economic disadvantages to obtain and retain employment, pursue economic stability, and achieve financial wellness through integration of available assistance services and programs. This unit is responsible for supportive service oversight of the Federal TANF Workforce Development program (Colorado Works), Federal SNAP Employment and Training Program (Employment First), the HUD-approved and certified Housing Counseling program known as Boulder County’s Personal Finance Program, and the Boulder County Health Coverage Enrollment Center.

Federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

Workforce Development Program, also known as Colorado Works, is designed to help needy families achieve self-sufficiency. It began on July 1, 1997 and succeeded the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program. The four purposes of the TANF program are to: 1) provide assistance to needy families so that children can be cared for in their own homes or in the homes of relatives; 2) end the dependence of needy parents by promoting job preparation, work, and marriage; 3) prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies; and 4) encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families.

Federal SNAP Employment and Training (SNAP E&T) Program

Also known as Employment First, this program helps SNAP participants gain skills, training, or work experience to increase their ability to obtain regular employment that leads to economic self-sufficiency. Additionally, the E&T program offers a way to allow SNAP recipients to meet SNAP work requirements. The foundation for SNAP was first built in 1933 as part of the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA). The Food Stamp Act of 1985 (P.L. 99-198) required all states to implement an Employment and Training (E&T) program by April 1, 1987.

Personal Finance Program (PFP)

PFP is a financial counseling and coaching program. Since 1989, this program has been a HUD-approved and certified Housing Counseling agency which means that all the financial coaches are certified in credit improvement, debt reduction strategies, rental topics, the homebuying process, mortgage matters and foreclosure intervention. Over the last six years, the program has expanded its areas of expertise in order to consider the entire financial situation to provide a holistic approach to financial wellbeing, including health insurance literacy, public student loan forgiveness, and reverse mortgage. This has resulted in client credit improvement, debt reduction, housing retention and more.

Boulder County Health Coverage Enrollment Center

Since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in 2012, this program has been designed to ensure that Boulder County residents have education about, and access to, affordable health coverage–whether public or private. Working in partnership with both the Community Supports Division (HHS eligibility teams) and through the state marketplace, Connect for Health Colorado, this team assists with health literacy education, selection, and enrollment in Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid program), Child Health Plan Plus, and private qualified health plans.

Finance and Operations

Human Services Finance

The Human Services Finance team is responsible for the overall financial management of the large and complex human services finances with an annual operating budget of approximately $70 million. The team plans, organizes, directs, and implements all aspects of BCDHHS's human services financial activities including the preparation of complex budgets, accounting functions (including HHS Payroll), financial management, fiscal analysis/projection, financial reporting, and internal auditing functions. Goals for this division include overseeing purchasing and contracting processes, developing and guiding the budget processes, aligning program services and outcomes with detailed and improved budgetary and program data, and evaluating current processes to ensure excellent customer service and common practices throughout the organization.

Housing Finance

The Housing Finance team is responsible for the overall management of the Boulder County Housing Authority (BCHA) finances. BCHA, which is a blended component unit of Boulder County, Colorado, is a public purpose financial enterprise. The housing finance team plans, organizes, directs, and implements all aspects of BCHA’s financial activities including the preparation of budgets, accounting functions, financial management, fiscal analysis/projection, financial reporting, and internal auditing functions. This includes preparation of monthly financial statements and reporting for each of the the low income housing tax credit partnerships managed by BCHA.

Operations

The Operations unit provides strategic leadership to Housing & Human Services, and throughout the Boulder County community, through the following activities:

• Operations provides oversight for HHS staff including logistics of onboarding and offboarding, site-based security, project management, space utilization, fleet management, all purchasing, and the liaison with other county departments. HHS Operations is the point of contact for all departments at the St. Vrain Community HUB, providing resources for county wide programs as well as community partners.
• In the event of a disaster in Boulder County, HHS leads the effort in providing Mass Care and sheltering along with volunteer engagement and donations management. Operations is responsible for maintaining the agencies’ readiness to respond to any disaster, which include ongoing training and planning.
• The Issuance offices located in Boulder and Longmont support Boulder County by accepting payments; issuing EBT cards, gift cards and RTD passes/tickets; answering general questions; dispensing refund checks and records orders; and providing inventory, payment, and accounting services. Issuance routinely assists clients and employees of Community Support, Community Outreach, Content & Records, Investigations & Recovery, Child Support Enforcement, Housing, Family & Children Services, HHS Finance, and Boulder County Office of Financial Management.
• The Content Management Team within Operations is responsible for imaging and maintaining case and client data for 56 high-level program services provided by BCDHHS, whether the document comes in hard copy or electronic format. Through document pickups, prepping, scanning, and validating, the team is expected to know how to do any portion of this focus. It is also through this focus that the team tasks documents to ensure deadlines are adhered to for their imaging, as well as shredding documents in accordance with state & federal policies. The team handles on average 1.2-1.5 million pages per year. In addition, the Content Management Team is certified and recognized as official representatives of the state, serving the community as Notaries Public, providing proper execution to a multitude of documents that require notarization.

Housing Division

The Department's 2023 reorganization included grouping Boulder County Housing Authority, Supportive Housing Programs, and Housing Partnerships & Policy under the new Housing umbrella.

Boulder County Housing Authority (BCHA)*

We believe everyone has the right to live in a safe, affordable, and decent home, and that housing is one of the most important supports a person or family can have. Stable housing can help improve health, success in school, and the strength of our community. The Housing Division is a long-term partner within our communities. We provide quality affordable housing for income-qualifying families and individuals, older adults, and people living with disabilities throughout Boulder County via the following programs:

Affordable Rentals

This program provides information on apartment units throughout Boulder County at less than market rate for seniors, families, and individuals. Some units have rent below market rate while others limit rental rates to 30 percent of income. This team can help residents find what’s available and apply for their own unit.

Subsidized Housing

Manages several housing voucher programs, including Housing Choice (formerly known as Section 8). Help is available for low-income families and individuals, families in the Boulder County school districts, and veterans.

Housing Developments

We work through public-private partnerships to develop affordable rental communities across Boulder County, and are proud to oversee affordable developments we have newly created in Lafayette, Louisville, Nederland, and Longmont. We are committed to transparency and public process in all we do, and we work to ensure our affordable housing developments are high quality and reflective of the communities in which they are built.

*Note: The Boulder County Housing Authority is a component unit of the county, and budgets for this separate legal entity are not reflected in the county budget.

Supportive Housing Unit

The Supportive Housing Unit provides a broad range of supports and services to over 1,500 Boulder County households a year. The programs include:

Housing Stabilization Program

• Community Resource Housing Panel: County-wide partnership that provides short-term rental assistance and supportive case management.
• Next Steps: Collaboration with St. Vrain and Boulder Valley School Districts to provide 2-generation homeless prevention resources and case management.
• CoC & ESG Rapid Rehousing Programs: Housing First support of literally homeless individuals and families through housing navigation, rental assistance, and supportive case management.

Resident Services

• Family Self-Sufficiency Program (FSS): Five-year program that empowers families to achieve educational and employment goals while building savings that are available upon graduation.
• Senior Services: Provides case management and supportive services to enable senior BCHA tenant and voucher holders to age in place.
• Casa De La Esperanza: Innovative housing community and learning center that provides educational, recreational, and academic services to its residents, including an onsite tutoring program and a state-of-the-art Robotics Program focused on STEM education.

Supportive Housing & Support Specialist Team

• Housing support specialists provides trauma-informed case management and resource connection to households in our CoC, ESG and Next Steps programs.
• Housing navigation support to help households with high lease up barriers secure safe and affordable housing.
• Resident services support specialists work alongside the BCHA team to protect assets, while supporting mixed-age BCHA residents and voucher holders towards safe/stable housing and overall well-being.

Housing Helpline

Originally created to help Boulder County households navigate emergency rental assistance options during COVID-19, the Housing Helpline is currently being reimagined to provide housing literacy support and guidance, housing navigation and a family homelessness coordinated entry portal to Boulder County residents experiencing housing instability.

Housing Partnerships & Policy

Regional Housing Partnership

The Boulder County Regional Housing Partnership coordinates the preservation and development of affordable housing with municipalities throughout the County by sharing of information and best practices; supporting municipal programs including home ownership and home rehabilitation; and developing affordable housing policies to be used by the county and municipalities within the county.

Mobile Home Parks Program

The Mobile Home Park Program stabilizes Mobile Home Parks by funding the repairs of mobile homes, improving infrastructure within the park, and assisting Mobile Home Park residents with purchasing their parks and becoming Resident Owned Communities, should the owner of the park plan to sell the property.

Program Highlights

Employment First

During the last program year, the State legislature set aside $3 million for the state’s EF programs to use as a match to draw down Federal funding and enhance program offerings to participants to help meet their career and employment goals. As a result of the additional funding, the Boulder County Employment First team was able to assist 696 individuals with over $294,000 in supportive service payments, ranging from tuition and books to licensure and certification fees, tools, clothing, rental assistance, and transportation assistance.

Personal Finance Program

In the spring of 2021, the Biden-Harris administration began publicly exploring new student loan forgiveness and repayment options to address complications and failures in the system that led to the current student loan crisis. Recognizing the lack of regulation and transparency in the student loan industry and the long-term impacts of student loan debt on financial stability, the Personal Finance Program of Boulder County created the Debt-Free Future: Student Loan Coaching for Financial Empowerment campaign. The campaign consisted of three parts: internal training, campaign outreach, and individualized personal finance appointments. The purpose of the initiative was to provide approachable access to federal student loan debt relief with a financial coaching component in order to improve financial confidence, reduce financial stress, and increase stability. The campaign resulted in $1.3 million dollars in federal student loan forgiveness for our clients and colleagues to date, and we are expecting another $9 million to be forgiven in the future.

Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) Approval Rate - 2022 National Association of Counties Award Winner

With a goal to increase the team’s Child Care Assistance Program 42% application acceptance rate, Boulder County’s CCAP team implemented lean continuous improvement practices using an A3 8-step problem-solving tool to develop countermeasures to test new processes. Various measures–including the time it took for a client to receive an eligibility determination, the number of case touches, application approval rate, and staff satisfaction with the new workflow–were measured in comparison with baseline data to see if the new process improved the outcome for a client’s application. Most dramatically, the average number of case touches decreased from 5.3 to 3.8, indicating processing efficiency gains. Additionally, the average number of days it took a client to get a determination decreased from 36 to 25. This is a significant 11-day time saving which, when applied to a family’s life, could translate to $699 in financial savings. The time it took a technician to determine eligibility on a case, once all verifications were turned in, decreased from 12 to 4.3 days; and the overall approval rate for applications rose from 42% to 56%. The team standardized the workflow starting in January 2022 and continues to see additional efficiency gains and benefits to clients.

Child Support Services Team Recognition

In 2022, our child support program was awarded “Most Improved County” recognition by the Colorado Department of Human Services for our case initiation timeliness. We implemented strategies to ensure that new applications were processed quickly and efficiently to expedite financial support for the children in our community.

High-Fidelity Wraparound Program

Boulder County’s High Fidelity Wraparound Program has two coaches, and they make up 20% of the state’s coaching workforce. They are the only providers in the state with a Youth Support Partner, and they consistently have the highest fidelity ratings in the state. The Wraparound supervisor is one of only 4 tier two coaches in the state of Colorado.

Emergency Response

Our Emergency Management Team continued the work of supporting residents impacted by the December 2021 Marshall Fire by contributing to the FEMA grant request for case management with FEMA, and by supporting a Long Term Recovery Group formed to help residents recover from the fire and wind event. Emergency Management continues to grow its own support skill base through national training opportunities, and trains and disseminates lessons learned and expertise by presenting at regional and national conferences and assisting in out-of-state mass care effort events.

Housing Assistance

• The Spoke on Coffman - The Boulder County Housing Authority’s newest development in Longmont, The Spoke on Coffman, attracted nearly 2,000 applications for just 74 units of affordable rental homes in December 2021. This is a testament not only to the need for affordable and stable housing in our community, but also to the awareness that community members have around the work BCHA has demonstrated over the past decade across four other quality affordable developments and multiple housing assistance voucher releases.
• East Lafayette Advisory Committee - The Boulder County Housing Authority (BCHA) is developing Willoughby Corner, a new community of below market rate homes in Lafayette, Colorado, to help address the region’s increasing lack of affordable housing. BCHA is committed to a listen-then-draw approach to the planning of this new neighborhood and created the East Lafayette Advisory Committee (ELAC) to serve as the primary entity for advisory guidance and a proactive way of disseminating information to the greater public. ELAC is a self-selected organization of neighbors, interested citizens and representatives from non-profits who meet regularly with BCHA, the development team, and City of Lafayette staff to discuss diverse issues and interests behind the planned neighborhood, and to achieve an understanding of the impacts to the immediate and broader community. Advisory in nature, the ELAC provides open and constructive feedback to BCHA staff, master planners, architects, and general contractors. The diversity of opinions and richness of conversations have significantly enhanced the community planning and design work, and have helped lead to political support for Willoughby Corner at multiple steps in the City of Lafayette’s approval process that is currently underway.

We listen closely to input and feedback we receive from a wide range of sources: community members who seek our help, community partners with whom we collaborate, and our staff, among others. Our community has done remarkable work over the past decade to sustainably strengthen itself and increase its resilience.

This is evident in the creative and effective responses to the catastrophic 2013 flood, multiple wildfires, and the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as in the collaboration to reduce food insecurity and address lack of housing affordability, and in the collective efforts to end debilitating inequities across our neighborhoods.

We are fortunate to live and work in a community that values our safety net and is always searching for innovative ways to strengthen it.

In developing our priorities to confront the most significant issues our community faces, we keep front and center what we believe and value as an organization. We know that prevention and service integration are the keys to getting ahead of the curve of need in our community. By working to get the right services to people earlier, and staying focused on the root causes of crisis and instability, we reduce the cost from more expensive services and our neighbors are better able to more quickly take control over their own paths to stability.

We are also collaborating with a wide range of community partners to help ensure people can get the help they need where and when they need it and in the ways they want it.

In these ways, we are pursuing our vision of a healthy, connected community that empowers people and strengthens families by confronting the root causes of crisis and instability.

Our current goals and priorities

Racial Equity Goal

Boulder County is committed to engaging in work to achieve transformational Racial Equity at all levels of our operations, practices and individual approaches. We understand that historically, race inequity has been created and sustained through institutional practices and policies that have produced different outcomes for different racial groups. As provided in Policy 1.6 within the Boulder County Personnel and Policy Manual, we recognize and accept that as a government institution, it is our moral responsibility to interrupt institutional racism which manifests through racist laws, policies, practices and behaviors. In order to advance racial equity, we must practice transformational racial equity within our own governmental organization and within ourselves. As such we are committed to utilizing a race equity lens and focus throughout our programs, projects, systems and individual development as staff/employees of Boulder County, and as members of the larger community.

Expand Access to Affordable Housing

Boost supply of, and equitable access to decent, safe, and affordable homes through collaboration with the Regional Affordable Housing Partnership and regional jurisdictions; completing The Spoke on Coffman in Longmont and progressing on Willoughby Corner in Lafayette; and enhancing Boulder County’s homeless services continuum.

Integrate Services and Data Systems

Make data and technology systems interoperable to connect across program silos, promote 360-degree coordination across all providers with common clients through integrated software tools, and take a public health approach to examining population risk and need factors across all social determinants of health and health data.

We are focusing our efforts on continuing to evolve an integrated human services delivery model that is agile and intelligent—one that uses data in thorough and predictive ways to improve our ability to prevent crisis and provide the right mix of supports to people early in their need and across multiple generations, and that maximizes return on the investments that are made through a variety of funding sources, including Boulder County property tax dollars.

We are also working to incorporate common screening and assessment processes into all we do with clients to help ensure consistency and quality, and to help ensure those we serve can get the supports they need by sharing their story once.