Organizations coordinated a response for grant applications in a systems level approach of homeless solutions efforts

Boulder County, Colo – Homeless Solutions for Boulder County (HSBC), along with nonprofit partners, received a total of $581,000 for shelter operations, hazard pay and staffing, street outreach, and housing support for 2020-2021. Boulder County Community Services, Boulder Shelter for the Homeless, Attention Homes, Bridge House, and Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence (SPAN) all applied for various grant funding through the CARES Act Emergency Solutions Grant. These federal funds are used to support homeless service providers to both provide homelessness prevention and intervention to ensure that individuals experiencing homelessness are rapidly connected to housing resources.

Sheltering partners worked diligently to ensure applications (although individually submitted), were coordinated, eliminating duplication of the highly competitive grant funds. HSBC was awarded more than 50% of the funding amount requested in grant money to continue operations during COVID-19, ensuring enhanced safety protocols and services for the most vulnerable segment of the community’s population.

“Homeless Solutions for Boulder County is a system made up of Boulder County, municipal governments, and nonprofit organizations that support ending homelessness. In a concentrated effort and partnership between sheltering providers and Boulder County Community Services, we are extremely proud to have organized a coordinated effort in applying for not only grant funding, but in our plan in implementing these dollars where it matters,” said Robin Bohannan, HSBC Executive Board Chair and Director of Boulder County Community Services.

In addition to these essential funds granted to the county, Boulder County commissioners granted HSBC an additional grant of $22,400 through CARES funding. These funds were used to purchase and provide 400 prepaid phones to be distributed to individuals experiencing homelessness to stay connected to services during these difficult times.

To learn more about HSBC programming, visit bouldercounty.gov/departments/community-services/homeless/. For more information about HSBC and awarded Emergency Solutions grants, please email Homeless-Solutions@bouldercounty.org.