Denver Sheriff's Department Housing Navigation Program

The City and County of Denver proposes to implement the Denver Sheriff’s Department Housing Navigation Program. The purpose is to interrupt the cycle of homelessness and incarceration for individuals in Denver Sheriff Department jails by building and strengthening relationships with community housing organizations, increasing DSD capacity to quickly identify and utilize available housing opportunities for releasing individuals, and establishing a fund to support housing costs. Project activities include creating a jail-based Housing Navigator position to serve as the primary housing resource to the Denver Sheriff Department Programs Team and other jail-based providers and to help case managers connect their clients to needs-based housing opportunities. This project will also establish a fund to provide emergency housing support, rental support, sober living support, and housing navigation support to individuals releasing from Denver Sheriff Department custody. Expected outcomes include developing relationships with housing providers in the community, connecting releasing individuals to housing, and reducing rebookings into the Denver Sheriff Department jails. The Denver Sheriff Department will conduct competitive procurement processes to select community partners to contract for housing navigation and sober living support.