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VISIT DENVER Foundation / Denver's Road Home Program
Denver's Road Home Program
Denver’s Road Home began in October 2003 in response to an increasing rise in homeless persons in the City & County of Denver and a mounting increase in public safety concerns. At that time, Mayor Hickenlooper convened a commission to develop and recommend a comprehensive plan seeking to address the root causes of homelessness and bring an end to homelessness for the Denver community. This plan is unique in its approach to not just serve the chronically homeless, but to offer opportunities and hope to all persons living on the street, in shelters or doubled up with friends and family in Denver, with a singular emphasis on persons and families whose incomes are at or below 30% area median income (those most in need and hardest to serve).
Forty-one commissioners and 350 community volunteers conducted a comprehensive research and planning process over the course of 18 months to develop a plan with eight primary goals focused on:
- Permanent and transitional housing
- Emergency shelter systems
- Prevention
- Services
- Public Safety and Outreach
- Education, Training & Employment
- Community Awareness & Coordinated Responses
- Zoning, Urban Design & Land Use
Contact for Denver’s Road Home: Amber Callender, Executive Director, Denver's Road Home; 1200 Federal Boulevard Denver, Colorado 80204; Phone: 720-944-2506; Fax: 720-944-1346; amber.callender@denvergov.org; www.denversroadhome.org
VISIT DENVER’s Support of Denver’s Road Home
As a result of funding through the VISIT DENVER Foundation to Denver’s Road Home to integrate homeless youth into the workplace via the hospitality industry:
- 86 youth graduated with their GEDs
- 15 youth are currently participating in the Hospitality Academy Classes
- 23 youth have been trained
- 2 youth are currently employed
- 5 youth involved with the hospitality project are currently working on their GED
- 1 youth is currently working towards completing their high school diploma at an alternative high school
- 350 youth were served by the Education and Employment programs at Urban Peak
The following is an example of the impact that funding from the VISIT DENVER Foundation has had Denver’s Road Home work with the homeless:
Ben completed the Hospitality Program and is currently working at the Oxford hotel. Ben persevered to complete the program while going back and forth to the hospital to visit his newborn daughter who experienced heart complications at birth. Despite the long nights at the hospital with daughter and child’s mother, Ben remained committed and finished the program. After his interviews with the staff at The Oxford, it was clear to Urban Peak that Ben was going to be selected for employment. Ben was also acknowledged for his participation in the AIR foundation. Ben was not only there to support his child, attend PREP classes, but also managed to complete a 10k run in the process.
Please join The AIR Foundation in congratulating and encouraging Benjamin Gray who achieved the accomplishment of completing his first 10k running event!
On Saturday morning, Benjamin Gray braved the cold, wet, snowy hills of Chatfield State Park. This event, part of the Winter Distance Series, tested the abilities of seasoned veterans, and these young men stood tall and strong amongst the best!
As our youth are challenged daily with overcoming obvious life circumstances, they are asking of themselves to run that extra mile, to take that extra step, and to reach deeper inside them to achieve that which many men never even approach.
Please, if you will, join The AIR Foundation in patting Benjamin Gray on the back and helping him to embrace the next challenge!
Benjamin Gray is a champion!!!
Through aggressive fundraising strategies with both the foundation community and the private sector, Denver’s Road Home generated over 80 percent of the total funds needed to implement Years One through Four of the plan. A total of 21 foundations are financially supporting the implementation of this initiative and the Community Appeals Committee led by co-chairs Richard Scharf (VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau) and Donna Boreing (Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield) is actively engaging the private sector.