Housing First Pikes Peak

Housing First is a program that offers hope to those hopelessly involved in a tragic tangle of chronic homelessness, mental illness and substance abuse.

History:
In 2005, through the joint effort of Homeward Pikes Peak and the City of Colorado Springs, HUD awarded 25 housing vouchers to a new program which had been proposed and coordinated by Homeward Pikes Peak.
In the past, mentally ill substance abusers were told by mental health professionals to seek treatment for their substance addiction before seeking mental health assistance; and, conversely, they were told by substance abuse professionals that they first needed to deal with their mental health issues before tackling the substance problem. Most patients gave up in frustration and slid deeper into despair.
Using a paradigm originated in New York City in the late 1990’s, HPP developed a consortium of provider agencies that would first offer housing to the chronically homeless, mentally ill, substance abusers and which would not require that they cease drinking alcohol. The clients were required to agree to abide by the terms of their lease agreement and to agree to case management. Of the original six members of the consortium, one remained after two years: The Harbor House Collaborative. This organization served up to twenty clients at any one time, but because of fiscal difficulties the program management was assumed by Homeward Pikes Peak in June of 2009. The program is now run as a free-standing subsidiary of HPP, called Housing First Pikes Peak.

Contact person: Bob Holmes, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (719) 632-8139

Address:

518 N. Nevada Ave
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
(See a map)

Web Site: http://www.homewardpikespeak.org.

Last updated on November 6, 2009

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