Homeless Navigation Program

Heading Home is a collaboration of individuals, public service, and faith-based organizations from the community determined to end homelessness in Jefferson County. Heading Home is a subcommittee of Jeffco Connections (JC), whose mission is "to establish a collaborative leadership that promotes accountable, efficient, cost-effective, and coordinated systems, in an effort to increase the health and well-being of children, youth, and families in Jefferson County." JC has charged Heading Home with the task of developing an Action plan that addresses homelessness in Jefferson County.

The vision of Heading Home is to create a systemic response in Jefferson County, Colorado that prevents and ends homelessness whenever possible, and when it cannot be prevented, ensures it is a rare, brief and one-time experience.

The City of Wheat Ridge is an active member of Heading Home.

Learn more about Heading Home here: https://www.headinghomejeffco.com/

Built for Zero is a methodology, a movement, and proof of what is possible. The movement is made up of more than 80 cities and counties that have committed to measurably ending homelessness, one population at a time. Using data, these communities have changed how local homeless response systems work and the impact they can achieve.

Fourteen of those communities have ended homelessness for a population by reaching a standard called functional zero. More than half of those cities and counties have achieved reductions in the number of people experiencing chronic and veteran homelessness.

Together, they are proving that moral courage, data-driven thinking, and a system-wide approach can build a future where homelessness is rare overall and brief when it occurs.

The Regional Convening on Homelessness in the Denver metro area occurred March 18, 2021. The conversation focused on the role of local planning coordinated at a regional level on homelessness and maximizing resources. It also unveiled the Built for Zero framework as part of a regional effort to create reductions in homelessness. Jefferson County has made significant progress in standing up a Homeless Coordination Teams of which the City of Wheat Ridge is an active member. View the slide deck from the Regional Convening on Homelessness here: https://bit.ly/3lGqvdm

See the State of Homelessness Report for Metro-Denver here: https://www.mdhi.org/blog/annual-state-of-homelessness-released-1

Learn more about how Built For Zero works and how to get involved: https://www.joinbuiltforzero.org/

Housing First is a homeless assistance approach that prioritizes providing permanent housing to people experiencing homelessness, thus ending their homelessness and serving as a platform from which they can pursue personal goals and improve their quality of life. This approach is guided by the belief that people need basic necessities like food and a place to live before attending to anything less critical, such as getting a job, budgeting properly, or attending to substance use issues. Additionally, Housing First is based on the theory that client choice is valuable in housing selection and supportive service participation, and that exercising that choice is likely to make a client more successful in remaining housed and improving their life.

Learn more about Housing First here:https://endhomelessness.org/resource/housing-first/

A new county-wide homeless navigation model was launched in 2020, comprised of six municipal and county-based housing navigators who work directly with persons experiencing homelessness or at imminent risk of homelessness. The shared navigator for the cities of Wheat Ridge, Golden and Edgewater began in December 2020.

The Homeless Navigator's role is to assist those experiencing a housing crisis, find stable housing and obtain the services and resources needed to maintain that housing. They work in partnership with local business communities, constituents, metro-area non-profit providers and government agencies serving the cities of Golden, Edgewater, and Wheat Ridge. While the Homeless Navigator isn’t able to increase available housing resources, they will help people experiencing homelessness identify solutions to complex health and housing challenges and support those who are seeking a path out of homelessness. However, this is not an emergency, on-call position.

For individuals who are at-risk, already experiencing homelessness or looking for resources and wanting to work towards stable housing, the Homeless Navigator can provide support and assistance.