Denver's 'Housing To Health' Program Chosen For Federal Grant

DENVER, CO — Denver's "Housing to Health" program is about to get a boost from the federal government — the U.S. Department of the Treasury has offered the city and county two grants, totaling over $6.3 million, for its initiative.

Denver was chosen as the first city to receive a grant through the federal Social Impact Partnerships to Pay for Results Act (SIPPRA), Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said. It will receive a $5.512 million SIPPRA grant and an $826,800 SIPPRA Independent Evaluator grant from the Treasury Department.

The Housing to Health (H2H) program targets individuals 18 years or older who have been incarcerated and are experiencing homelessness. Those individuals are "at high risk for avoidable and high-cost health services," the Treasury Department said in a news release.

"Through our previous work, we housed more than 250 people experiencing homelessness who were frequently interacting with police, our jails and emergency care, and we proved that when housed and wrapped with services, people encountered the criminal justice system less often and dramatically increased their use of preventative medical care," Hancock said.

Federal officials will monitor whether the H2H program causes a reduction in homelessness, improved health, increased access to health services, and decreased criminal justice involvement – all of which are expected to lead to a reduction of net federal health care expenditures, the news release said.

The Independent Evaluator grant will cover the costs of evaluating the project, officials said.

"This investment will allow more Denver residents, who are experiencing homelessness, to receive basic housing and health services, which will make a substantial difference in the lives of these individuals and provide benefits to the whole community," Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen said.

Treasury Department officials selected Denver's H2H program based on the strength of its application and on input from the Commission on Social Impact Partnerships.