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Douglas County HART reports increased enrollments, one housing success
Summary
HART navigators reported 43 new enrollments and 44 exits in August, 87 unhoused on the county by‑name list with 43 sheltered; staff highlighted one client who transferred a housing voucher and moved into an apartment.
The Douglas County HART (Homeless Assistance Response Team) reported an uptick in August enrollments and a housing success at the Sept. 11 Homeless Initiative meeting, while describing ongoing work with local businesses and service partners to meet needs for people who are unhoused.
Why it matters: Monthly operational metrics show the team’s caseload, exits to shelter and housing placements — data local officials said are being used to target limited housing resources and tailored outreach to frequent service users.
HART supervisor Tiffany Marcito reported 43 new client enrollments and 44 client exits in the previous month. On the county’s by‑name list HART is tracking 87 unhoused people: 43 have been sheltered, 38 were living in vehicles and 6 were sleeping outside. Marcito said the team received 224 referrals and 24 public phone calls during the month; text‑message outreach is new and produced 28 messages with 12 back‑and‑forth conversations.
“We have 0 active encampments of 1 or more,” Marcito said during the meeting when summarizing current field conditions and call types by municipality.
Exit outcomes the team reported included 39 percent moving to emergency shelter, 34 percent to temporary housing, 7 percent to permanent housing and 4 percent discharged for no contact. Marcito presented a success story: a client who had been living in a vehicle, had a housing voucher from another state and — with assistance from the Douglas County Housing Partnership — successfully transferred the voucher to Colorado and signed a lease.
The meeting also introduced HART’s newest navigator, Matt Dufresne, who completed training and was publicly presented with a HART patch. Commissioner remarks during introductions praised the HART model and said the county’s co‑response approach has reduced the unsheltered population to a small number relative to county size.
HART reported business engagement work, trespass letters collected for 12 businesses, presentations to community groups and participation in two National Night Out events; staff also took part in a poverty simulation with nonprofit partners.
Ending: HART leaders urged ongoing coordination with law enforcement, human services and local nonprofits to reach frequent‑contact individuals and to convert short‑term contacts into sustained housing outcomes.
