I just learned about Denver's Road Home, a 10-year plan to end homelessness in Denver. I've always admired Mayor Hickenlooper and knew that he was deeply committed to and working toward ending homelessness, but I didn't know the actual name for his plan: Denver's Road Home. Many of you are already aware of this plan, but for those of you who are not, here's what it involves.

The plan
Denver's Road Home actually began in October 2003 in response to an increasing rise in homeless persons in the City and County of Denver with a mounting increase in concerns for public safety.At this time, Mayor Hickenlooper convened a commission to develop and recommend a comprehensive plan that would address the root causes of homelessness and bring an end to homelessness in the Denver community.

The plan is not only to 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 an emphasis on persons and families whose incomes are at or below 30% area median income (those most in need and hardest to serve). In these tough economic times of job cuts and pay cuts and layoffs, there are more people than ever in need of help.

Currently, there are more than 3,900 homeless men, women and children living in Denver. This is a sobering statistic, especially when you consider that:

-60% of the homeless are people in families with children.
-29% percent of homeless respondents in Denver are women.
-40% of the homeless are working.
-The most commonly reported reasons for homelessness reported in Denver are loss of a job (28%), housing costs (23%) and the breakup of a family (20%).

These men, women and children need affordable housing and the community services to help them return to self-sufficiency, especially as winter approaches.

The plan includes a balance of service delivery such as housing, treatment services and job training with the expectation of responsibility and self-reliance from those who receive services (for example, recipients must participate in social service programs and pay 30% of their income for housing).

Panhandling
When I worked in downtown Denver a few years ago, panhandling was a major problem. During one instance, I was afraid not to give money to a particularly dirty, inebriated man.

The plan includes a public education campaign designed to discourage people from giving to panhandlers and to instead support long-term solutions that directly help/serve homeless people. There are now 23 outreach workers on the streets and two full-time Denver Police Officers dedicated solely to serving Denver's homeless. The plan also includes ordinances, passed by the City Council in Fall 2005, that make lying down in public illegal, which will curtail some of the behaviors that occur in our City's downtown areas.

Current status
Since implementation of the plan in 2005, Denver has seen an 11% reduction in overall homelessness and a 36% decrease in chronic homelessness. And, panhandling on the 16th Street Mall has dropped by 92 percent.

During its first four years, in collaboration with the extraordinary leadership of its homeless providers:

-1,500 new units of housing have been developed with 500 more in the pipeline that will be developed over the next two years.
-3,278 homeless people have been assisted in finding work.
-2,232 families have been prevented from becoming homeless.
-1,667 individuals have accessed public benefits and treatment services.
-563 families have received eviction assistance.
-564 families have been partnered with faith-based mentoring teams and are no longer homeless.

Funding
Funding for the first four years of Denver's Road Home came 50% from governmental sources, 25% from foundations and 25% from individuals and corporations.

If you would like to be part of the solution to homelessness, you can make a donation online or you can volunteer with your time and skills. Visit the Website for more information at: www.DenversRoadHome.org.

Four ways to help
1. Sponsor a Project Homeless Connect.
2. Write a check or make an online donation.
3. Mentor a family.
4. Sponsor a meter or Participate in PJ Day!

Helping the homeless is the right thing to do. But for the grace of God, there go you and I!

Jonna Turner
www.jonnaturner.com