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Federal eviction moratorium extension will protect Colorado renters until end of July
Rochelle Walensky, director of the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, signed an extension to the federal eviction moratorium on Thursday to keep more tenants who have fallen behind on rent during the pandemic in their homes. The ban, established by the CDC last year, was scheduled to expire on June 30 but now […]
Denver program that replaces police with mental health pros seeks advisory board members — and more funding
Denver’s Support Team Assisted Response Program — which redirects some crisis 911 calls to mental health professionals instead of law enforcement — is looking for volunteers to serve on their advisory committee to help track and evaluate the program’s outcomes. The STAR Program deploys emergency response teams that include emergency medical technicians and behavioral health […]
Colorado’s prescription drug monitoring program lacks oversight and enforcement, auditors find
Colorado state auditors released a report on Monday identifying significant deficiencies and oversight issues within the state’s decade-old Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. The program and corresponding database for medical providers was established in 2008 by state lawmakers to electronically track and monitor prescriptions to help prevent abuse, allow medical providers to review patients’ prescription histories, […]
Boulder voters will see a question in November about whether to increase the city’s occupancy limit
A citizen-led initiative in Boulder that seeks to increase the number of people allowed to live under one roof has received the necessary signatures to appear on the November 2021 ballot. Bedrooms Are For People, a grassroots campaign led by Boulder residents, solicited the more than 3,500 digital signatures needed to legally qualify for citizen vote. […]
Colorado’s SNAP Employment and Training program gets a boost under new law
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed into law on Thursday a bill to boost the state’s employment and training program for residents who receive benefits from the Supplemental Assistance Nutrition Program (SNAP), which provides a monthly stipend to help low-income households purchase food. “The COVID-19 pandemic has cost countless Coloradans their jobs, many of whom have […]
Sneak peek: Recommended solutions to Colorado’s affordable housing crisis
A coalition of housing experts across Colorado has been meeting remotely for the last eight months to brainstorm long-term strategies for alleviating the state’s affordable housing crisis. The Strategic Housing Working Group, convened by the state’s Department of Local Affairs, reviewed and workshopped preliminary recommendations during a public meeting on Thursday. Once the remaining kinks […]
This group has some ideas for how to speed up Colorado’s appeals process for child welfare cases
Colorado state lawmakers passed legislation in 2016 that aimed to improve and speed up the appeals process for child welfare cases. But five years later, their goal of resolving cases within six months remains a pipe dream. Though state and federal changes improved the quality and thoroughness of the appeals system, they also inadvertently extended […]
Colorado’s renters rights got a boost this legislative session, alongside a flood of affordable housing funding
In what will undoubtedly be a legislative session for the history books, Colorado state lawmakers this week approved a laundry list of new legal protections for renters and allocated millions in state and federal funds to help address the state’s affordable housing crisis, which worsened throughout the pandemic. Senate Bill 21-173 permanently strengthens legal protections […]
Colorado lawmakers pass bipartisan bill to restructure state’s misdemeanor laws for first time since 1985
Colorado state lawmakers gave their final stamp of approval on Tuesday to a bipartisan bill that will overhaul and restructure the state’s misdemeanor sentencing laws — an effort that hasn’t occurred in a comprehensive way since 1985, according to the bill sponsors. The 378-page bill eliminates duplicate misdemeanor offenses, removes ones that are rarely used […]
Colorado bill to limit use of jail and cash bail for people awaiting court fails in committee
A bill that sought to limit arrests and the use of cash bail for people accused of committing low-level, nonviolent offenses died in the Colorado House Finance Committee on Monday. At the heart of the legislation was a push to reduce the number of people being held in jail while awaiting court — a group […]
Colorado’s Second Chance Center is redefining what success looks like after incarceration
Audrey Tennyson was filling out paperwork at the front desk of Aurora’s Second Chance Center when he looked up and spotted a familiar face. A flood of relief washed over him. “Taj, is that you?” Tennyson recalled yelling into the hall before pulling the 6-foot-5 man in for a bear hug. It was the first […]
‘We’re going to mobilize every single district’: What’s next for the Denver task force that wants to reimagine policing
For eight months, a group of nearly 100 community members met virtually for two hours every Thursday with a unified goal: to create a roadmap for how Denver could reimagine its approach to public safety. The Denver Task Force to Reimagine Policing and Public Safety — which included over 40 entities representing faith community members, […]