Program aims to help individuals transition into and maintain stable housing.

The City of Boulder has launched Building Home, a program which aims to provide support to newly housed community members through peer support, daytime services and housing retention.

Building Home is designed to support community members in Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH). PSH provides long-term housing rental assistance and supportive services to people who are experiencing chronic homelessness. Building Home will:

  • improve housing retention for people in Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH)

  • reduce feelings of isolation for people who have been recently housed with PSH vouchers

  • build community for people who have formerly experienced chronic homelessness

  • mobilize resources to address negative or unhealthy behavior before it leads to eviction

There are two components to the Building Home program, Peer Support and Daytime Programming services and a Housing Retention Team. Peer Support and Daytime Programming, provided by Focus Reentry, will match individuals with lived experience in homelessness and at least one year of stable housing with people who have been in PSH for less than two years. Services are designed to assist participants in socialization, housing program navigation and life skills.

“Community is an essential part of a successful pathway to housing,” shared Molly Bowers, executive director at Focus Reentry. “Matching newly housed individuals with those who have themselves moved from homelessness into stable housing creates a network of support that is often missing during this transition. We are looking forward to helping the city fill this gap through our planned partnership with the certified peer support team at Feet Forward.”

The Housing Retention Team, operated by Boulder Shelter for the Homeless, will provide a qualified team of mental health and homelessness case management professionals who will partner with Building Home Peer Support and Daytime Programming personnel or health representatives to address individuals’ barriers to housing retention.

“The transition from chronic homelessness into housing can be a significant challenge,” shared Megan Newton, policy advisor for Housing and Human Services. “Through Building Home, the city is supporting an essential safety net that has been shown to increase the success of newly housed community members remaining in housing.”

The city will use American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to establish this program. You can learn more about how the city is spending its $20.15 million in ARPA funding on its website.

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