A safe, stable and affordable home is key to good health. Yet, the affordable housing crisis disrupts the lives of thousands in our state and millions more across the country every day. Without a safe, stable and affordable home, cost-burdened Coloradans must make difficult trade-offs to keep food on the table, cover necessary medical expenses or stay current on their rent or mortgage. Coloradans living in rural communities are hit particularly hard by housing barriers unique to the places they call ‘home.’

Hosted in Salida, Colorado the event featured leaders, local experts and people who’ve experienced housing insecurity in rural Colorado. Attendees had the opportunity to learn about innovations underway in Chaffee County, as well as to foster shared learning, networking and collaboration.

• Resources:
  • Agenda
  • Seeking & Sharing Wall: Continuing the Conversation (Detailed Notes)
  • List of attendees who "opted-in" to share their contact info
  • Photos from the event
• Housing and Health Resources: Colorado Health Institute and Health Equity Advocacy Cohort 
  • Symposium Unplugged Presentation Materials
  • 2019 Colorado Health Access Survey: Progress in Peril
  • Colorado Health Institute (Report): Home Equity - A Vision of Housing Security, Health and Opportunity
  • Executive Summary and Housing, Health, and Equity (fact sheet)
• Colorado Rural Point-in-Time Count Data (2018, 2019): Colorado Coalition for the Homeless 
  • 2018 Point-in-Time Report: A Snapshot of Homelessness in the Colorado Balance of State Continuum of Care (Sheltered Count)
  • 2019 Point-in-Time Report: A Snapshot of Homelessness in the Colorado Balance of State Continuum of Care (Sheltered and Unsheltered Count)
• Colorado Affordable Housing Preservation Resources 
  • Informational webinar slides: Enterprise's Rural Rental Housing Preservation Academy. Application Deadline: Wednesday, Nov. 27
  • (Presentation) Rural Rental Housing Preservation | Housing Colorado Now | Oct. 9, 2019
• Rental Housing Reports Related to Symposium Unplugged Topics or Questions from the Audience 
  • Colorado Health Foundation and Burlington Associates Evaluation on Expanding CLT Programs in Eight Colorado Counties 
  • Doubled-up Households in Colorado: How prevalent is this phenomenon in 2006 vs. 2017? 
  • Glossary of Terms: Charting a Course for Equity
  • Housing America's Older Adults: 2019
  • Rental Housing for a 21st Century Rural America
  • 2018 SPARC Phase One Study Findings 
  • The State of the Nation's Housing: 2019

Colorado is facing a behavioral health crisis, with far too many Coloradans—especially those living on lower incomes—lacking access to the care they need to be mentally well. In response, communities are stepping up and offering innovative and promising solutions ranging from ballot measure successes to cross-sector collaborations that forge nontraditional partnerships for sustainable and replicable change.

Hosted in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, the day featured keynote speaker and Colorado Public Radio’s Vic Vela, who shared his deeply personal story of overcoming addiction and advocating for stronger behavioral health resources for all. This event also offered a behind-the-scenes look at how local and regional solutions that stem from the community take shape to increase access to resources for those who need it the most. 

• Resources:
  • Agenda
  • Video: Archived livestream
  • Alma Overview: An innovate program of Valley Settlement that provides peer-support for women experiencing perinatal depression
  • Crystal Mariscal, Community Advocate: Aqui, en confianza!
  • Overview, Priorities, and Accomplishments of the Mental Health and Substance Use Alliance of Larimer County
  • Healthy Mesa County Community Transformation Overview
  • Primeros Auxilios - Mental Health First Aid Programming
  • Valley Settlement: Programas comunitariors para familias
  • Ballot Measures: Reflections and Lessons Learned Report
  • Harvard Business Review, A Refresher on Storytelling 101
  • Communications Network, Storytelling for Good
  • NTEN, 15 Ways to Harness the Power of Nonprofit Storytelling for Advocacy
  • Healthier Colorado’s Partners in Local Advocacy

Disrupting the poverty cycle is necessary to bringing health in reach for all Coloradans. Access to quality health care, a living wage, fresh food, transportation, education and affordable housing—all fundamental to our health—are often out of reach for Coloradans struggling to make ends meet. And for those living in rural communities, poverty creates different challenges and requires unique actions to address those issues. The event, hosted in La Junta, Colorado, featured interactive panels, personal experiences, networking opportunities and a keynote presentation by renowned author and community activist, Michael Patrick MacDonald. 

• Resources:
  • Agenda
  • Video: Archived livestream
  • Cassandra Wyckoff – Intersections of Poverty and Health
  • Kim Gonzales – Disrupting the Public Health Norm
  • Suzanne Anarde – LISC Economic Resiliency
  • Rural Innovation Initiative
  • National Alliance of Counties (NACo) and Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP) – TestIT mobile app download
    • iTunes 
    • Google Play
  • Cate Blackford – Economic Resiliency in Colorado Communities
  • Bell Policy Center – Guide to Economic Mobility in Colorado
  • Cynthia Nieb – Community and Economic Development Strategies
  • What is Ogallala Commons?
  • Oallala Commons 2018 Annual Report
  • Economy, Housing and Health Care: Perspectives of Coloradans Living on Low Income

In Colorado, we know that far too many students walk into schools every day experiencing a variety of behavioral health challenges and inequities. This Symposium Unplugged event explored what it means for educators, parents and local communities to ensure that all students have what they need to be mentally well. 

Hosted in Greeley, Colorado, the day featured keynote discussions from Dr. Nancy Lever, Co-Director of the National Center for School Mental Health, and Dr. Michael Lindsey, Executive Director of the McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research. The discussion also brought together educators, youth and other experts' voices. 

• Resources:
  • Agenda
  • Video: Archived livestream
  • Mental Health Colorado – School Mental Health Toolkit
  • WISE Teacher Well-Being Workbook
  • Dr. Nancy Lever – Presentation Slides

Poverty is the leading driver of inequity when it comes to families and children being healthy. This conversation aims to shine a light on how poverty is impacting Colorado’s overall health and well-being. Together, we can have a frank discussion on the challenges around poverty in our state, and explore innovative solutions to bring health in reach for all Coloradans.

The event, hosted in Cañon City, Colorado, featured a luncheon keynote by Michael Patrick MacDonald, author and community activist. MacDonald is the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir, "All Souls: A Family Story from Southie." After losing four of his eleven siblings and seeing his generation decimated by poverty, crime, addiction and incarceration, he learned to transform personal and community trauma, becoming a leading Boston activist, organizer and writer.

• Resources:
  • Agenda
  • Video: Archived livestream
  • Colorado Rural Resiliency Study
  • Guide to Economic Mobility in Colorado