Colorado Coalition for the Homeless

Early Years 1984-1989

1984

• The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless is established as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

• Kathleen Mullen is a founder and becomes the Coalition’s first Board President.

• Mary Ann Gleason becomes the first Executive Director.

1985

• The Coalition’s Stout Street Clinic is opened with a $1.6 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson foundation, becoming the first healthcare facility in Denver dedicated to serving homeless individuals and families.

• John Parvensky becomes the Coalition’s Executive Director.

1986

• Comic Relief performs in Denver to benefit the Coalition.

• The Coalition hosts its first Statewide Conference on Homelessness, with special guest Mitch Snyder, from the Center for Non-Violence in Washington D.C.

1987

• Congress passes the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, the first  federal statutory response to homelessness. 

• The Coalition publishes the first edition of its Homeless Advocate newsletter.

• Dom Verrastro becomes the Coalition’s second Board President.

1988

• The Coalition opens the Ruth Goebel House, a 12-bed group home that offers transitional housing for homeless women with disabilities.
 
• The Coalition’s Stout Street Clinic moves across the street from 2100 Stout Street to its present location at 2100 Broadway.

• The Coalition is approved for U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funds to provide transitional housing for 15 homeless individuals and families. 

1989

• Governor Roy Romer’s Homeless Task Force releases its report: The Colorado Approach: Shared Accountability.

• Colorado creates the Tax Check-off Fund to End Homelessness. The fund raises $245,000 in its first year.

• The Coalition’s Stout Street Clinic delivers healthcare to 7,743 homeless men, women and children.