Supportive Housing Engagement Guide

The Supportive Housing Neighborhood Engagement Guide (en español) is a resource for neighbors and housing teams to constructively engage with each other and address homelessness by growing the supply of supportive housing in Denver, Colorado and beyond. The guide was published in 2020 and was shaped by representatives from neighborhoods, housing teams, funders, and those who have personally experienced homelessness, through a community-based process convened by Councilwoman Kniech’s office.

Read an overview of the Supportive Housing Neighborhood Guide here (en español).

Learn how supportive housing partners can partner with DPD here (en español).

Homelessness is not a social issue that will simply “go away,” and housing or other emergency services for people experiencing homelessness cannot only be done “somewhere else.” Reducing homelessness involves our entire Denver community. The City of Denver is committed to housing people who are living on the street. The Affordable Housing Fund and revenue from measure 2B will help Denver create an estimated 1,800 new supportive housing apartments by 2030 – a proven solution for housing those who are experiencing homelessness.

While Denver has a growing track record of success with proven solutions like housing at rents families can afford coupled with services to keep them housed — known as supportive housing — a more concerted effort was required to help neighborhoods understand this form of housing and to help both neighborhoods and the teams building it engage collaboratively when new projects are proposed. Published in February 2020, the Supportive Housing Neighborhood Engagement Guide was shaped by representatives from neighborhoods, housing teams, funders, and those who have personally experienced homelessness, through a community-based process convened by Councilwoman Kniech’s office. The guide is a resource for neighbors and housing teams to constructively engage with each other and address homelessness by growing the supply of supportive housing in Denver, Colorado and beyond. Topics covered include content for housing teams (including tips on community outreach), content for neighbors (including an education on supportive housing model and an overview of the teams and process behind their construction), as well as the lifecycle of housing projects, information on good neighbor agreements, a set of frequently asked questions, and more.