Douglas County reports housing‑stability program results and HEART team metrics; officials say encampments, panhandling are low

Douglas County staff on April 10 briefed the Homeless Initiative on results from a housing‑stability pilot, program funding and recent HEART team activity that county leaders said is reducing visible homelessness across the county.

Steven Dodrill of Douglas County Community Services said the Housing Stability Program (HSP), launched February 2024, provides rental assistance, utility support, case management and connections to mental‑health, employment and domestic‑violence resources for households at risk of homelessness. Eligible participants must live in Douglas County and have income at or below 30 percent of area median income; Dodrill said that is “just under $40,000 per year for a household of four.”

Dodrill told the group the first contract (ending March 31, 2025) assisted seven households — 25 individuals — using about $62,000 in assistance and more than 70 hours of partner case management. The county received $40,000 in 2024 HRP funds and provided a $20,000 local match for a $60,000 project budget; the county plans to use those funds to assist an additional four to seven households, Dodrill said.

“We recently had our first family complete their time at the goals program,” Dodrill said, describing a success in which a household of 10 transitioned into a private rental after coordinated support from several agencies including The Rock, Catholic Charities, Manna Resource Center and the Douglas County School District.

Tiffany (Heart team lead) presented the monthly HEART dashboard. “Heart enrolled 22 new clients last month. We received a total of 222 referrals,” Tiffany said, summarizing outreach and operations. She reported 41 active clients on HEART caseloads (34 households, four of them families). Last month the team logged 17 percent of exits as permanent housing, 22 percent as temporary housing, 31 percent as emergency shelter, 13 percent as closed for no contact after repeated outreach, and 17 percent of clients who chose to leave the county.

HEART staff also described high levels of proactive outreach: deputies and navigators visited businesses, conducted 29 initial business contacts, and performed street outreach across Castle Rock, Parker, Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree and other areas. Douglas County leaders said the coordinated work of HEART, the CRT and law enforcement has reduced calls for service related to unsheltered people and that, at the time of the meeting, there were no active encampments and fewer than six unsheltered individuals in the county.

The meeting also included reports of workforce and grant activity relevant to homelessness prevention. Sasha Easton of Arapahoe Douglas Works said the agency led a multi‑county grant application and won $5.2 million total; Arapahoe Douglas Works will receive $1.2 million to train 3,800 jobseekers in high‑demand trades over four years. Commissioner and municipal representatives said workforce pathways are central to long‑term housing stability and praised coordinated referrals.

Speakers thanked volunteers, municipal partners and nonprofits for referrals and for rapid outreach when referrals arrive. County leaders said they will continue to coordinate use of HEART referrals, county prevention funds and regional services to place households most efficiently.

No formal policy actions or votes were recorded on the items presented; officials said program continuation and expansion will depend on available funding and grant awards.