Faith-based homeless shelter provider plans to

homeless man on the road (Photo by Jonathan Kho on Unsplash)

The Colorado Village Collaborative (CVC) recently announced its plans to expand its team in its mission to solve homelessness.

In an interview, CVC Executive Director Cole Chandler told Westword that it is part of the nonprofit's effort to assist the state's homeless population.

He explained that in the next three to four months, the CVC aims to hire a total of 35 full-time employees in the group.

As reported, CVC runs two existing safe-camping sites in the city. One in the Park Hill neighborhood and another in the Regis University parking lot.

Meanwhile, Chandler added that the new employee job post would include a new chief operating officer.

In a Facebook post, CVC said they are looking for a new Chief Operating Officer (COO). Based on the job description provided on its official website, the official will manage the everyday operation of the organization.

CVC said they are looking for someone with exceptional leadership skills, detail-oriented, tech, and data-savvy.

As also mentioned, the new COO will be a part of the nonprofit's senior leadership team. He or she will report directly to CVC Executive Director Cole Chandler and the Board of Directors.

Interested applicants may send their resumes and cover letter to Cole@CoVillageCo.org.

Meanwhile, Chandler said that they hired a new communications staffer. The newbie from Regis University will lead the organization's communication and development.

Chandler admitted that the expansion is due to the positive support that CVC received from the city government.

In 2019, the faith-based organization reportedly received $120,000 in city funding. Next year, CVC is projecting a $3.8 million fund from Denver City.

Denver City's Support

Roughly a year ago, Denver City Mayor Michael Hancock expressed his full support of the idea of safe-camping sites. It was after he declined to build such when the COVID-19 pandemic started, as Westword reported.

The mayor's office also proposed a $4 million budget for the American Rescue Plan Act. The fund will be allotted to build and expand the existing safe-camping site in the city.

"When the mayor announced his support back then, it wasn't like he was throwing everything behind it. It was like, 'Okay, we'll let this happen," Chandler added.

Future Plans

The CVC executive director also told Westword that they plan to move the Park Hill site residents to a new location.

Their lease at Park Hill United Methodist Church will reportedly expire by the end of 2021. But they are looking forward to renewing the lease at Regis University.

"We've requested an extension, and we're feeling optimistic about it," Chandler added.

He also revealed that the organization targets at least four operational safe-camping sites in the city by the end of January 2022.

If the plan is pushed through, CVC's sites will collectively serve a total of 300 members of the unhoused population.

Chandler said the four sites might include Regis University, a replacement for the Park Hill site, a Native American-inclusive site, and another one within Denver.

He also believed that with the city's current political will, the odds would favor safe-camping sites.