By Melissa Bortnem, LCSW, LAC, Rehab Services Clinical Director
AllHealth Network launched the Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) Team in August 2022. The goal of PATH is to better meet the needs of homeless persons with serious mental illnesses and improve the coordination of services between agencies.
PATH works with the Douglas County Homeless Engagement Assistance and Resource Team (HEART), a co-responder team pairing navigators with local law enforcement to respond to community calls regarding homelessness. PATH and HEART work together to provide support and resources to people experiencing homelessness who may benefit from behavioral health services, utilizing Built-for-Zero (BFZ), a data and demographic driven approach to ending homelessness in Colorado. In the Denver Metro Area, homeless service providers have been specifically focused on ending veteran homelessness.
Here is the story of a homeless veteran in Douglas County and the partnership between AllHealth’s PATH team and Douglas County’s HEART team:
The PATH team received a referral from the Douglas County HEART Team for a veteran who was found living under a bridge in Parker, CO. PATH connected him to resources and support to access those resources and assisted with care coordination through the Veteran’s Administration’s Supported Services for Veteran Families program.
This veteran was able to obtain a housing voucher and found an apartment. He now has a long-term home. PATH continued to provide support until he could transition services to providers closer to his new home. His successful discharge from PATH in September 2024 is a testament to the program’s ability to provide long-term solutions.
Additionally, AllHealth joined the Tri-Cities Veteran’s by-name program in January 2023, when approximately 20 unhoused veterans were staying on the streets of Littleton, Englewood, and Sheridan. Through the joint force of more than two dozen participating agencies, these individuals were in housing by July 2024. This inspiring achievement has brought the tri-cities region to functional zero, meaning we are now able to house any newly homeless veterans in our region in a timely manner.
Since its inception in August 2022, the AllHealth PATH team has made a significant impact, connecting with 231 individuals. This demonstrates the tangible difference the PATH team is making in the lives of those experiencing homelessness.
Join us in on our mission to support veterans experiencing homelessness by donating today!