Homeward Alliance

Stated Purpose:
Homeward Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a mission to empower individuals and families who face or are experiencing homelessness. We operate a continuum of programs and initiatives to help people meet their immediate and long-term needs while furthering our community’s vision to make homelessness rare, short-lived and non-recurring.

Year, State Incorporated:
2010, CO

Homeward Alliance (HWA) is a Larimer County-based non-profit that (a) provides evidence-based services to and produces positive outcomes for people experiencing homelessness and simultaneously (b) leads or participates in system-level efforts to address the issue.  Programs include:
• Murphy Center: The Murphy Center is the hub of services--or “front door”--for people experiencing homelessness in Larimer County, a building/day shelter in Fort Collins that hosts approximately 20 independent nonprofits and serves about 3,000 individuals each year. It is the only day shelter that serves all populations of people who are homeless in Larimer County (some locations serve subpopulations).
• Family Services: Family Services provides housing-focused case management and support to help families escape homelessness, and once housed, prevent homelessness. Services include a) Bilingual housing navigation case management, b) 24/7 accessible family food and child/teen clothing closet, and c) Quarterly Family Resource Fairs for children and families who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness.
• Housing First Initiative (HFI): The Housing First Initiative has developed and tested Housing First solutions in Northern Colorado since 2018 and is now an umbrella for multiple programs including Rapid Rehousing, Frequent Utilizer Systems Engagement (FUSE), and Mason Place Case Management. Housing First case managers provide intensive, supportive housing practices to transition participants from chronic homelessness to permanent, stable housing. The program maintains a 95%+ 6-month housing retention rate.
Hand Up Employment Services: Hand Up empowers job seekers experiencing homelessness, or near homeless, to find and maintain employment. It is the only employment program of its kind in northern Colorado. We offer one-on-one employment support, operate a Career Closet, and partner with businesses that hire our participants. We offer services in Loveland and Fort Collins.  Each year the program helps secure about 200 jobs.
• Re-Entry: Homeward Alliance's Work and Gain Education and Employment Skills (WAGEES) Re-entry Program exists to serve Larimer and Jackson County individuals exiting the criminal justice system by providing them with wrap-around support so that participants can reach self-sufficiency in their community. The program focuses on helping participants work on their mindset, employment/education goals and securing stable housing.
• Distribution: This program collects and distributes supplies that help people experiencing homelessness survive and meet basic needs, including: food for over 100 guests of the Murphy Center seven-days per week year-round, winter gear and other survival items, and child/teen clothing. In all the program assists about 4,500 adults and children per year.
• Dedicated Navigator: Dedicated Navigators (also called Resource Navigators) help meet the unmet health, employment/income and other needs of people experiencing homelessness through the provision of professional and volunteer, multi-layered resource navigation services. Navigators help each person complete a self-directed Action Plan with opportunities for support in four core areas: physical health, mental health, financial stability and social connections. Resource Navigators also provide Intakes and Coordinated Entry assessments.
• Bicycle Repair: This all-volunteer program repairs and maintains bicycles to ensure safe, reliable transportation for adults and children experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity.  Clinics are hosted upon request at locations that serve people experiencing homelessness and in low-income neighborhoods.
• Mobile Laundry: Mobile Laundry is an all-volunteer program that provides free laundry services to adults and families experiencing homelessness in Loveland and Fort Collins, with the goal of improving school attendance, self-esteem, and employment attainment and retention.
• Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS). HWA serves as the HMIS Lead Agency for the Northern Colorado Continuum of Care (NoCO CoC), encompassing Larimer and Weld Counties. A HMIS is a local information technology system used to collect client-level data and data on the provision of housing and services to homeless individuals and families and persons at risk of homelessness. This data is then used to inform homeless services across the region.

For the year ended December 31, 2023, Homeward Alliance's program expenses were:

Chief Executive
David Rout, Executive Director

Compensation*
$145,163

Chair of the Board
Mary Lynn Jones, Community Volunteer

Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation

Board Size
11

Paid Staff Size
23

* Compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts and other allowances.

Method(s) Used:
Direct mail appeals, Invitations to fund raising events, Grant proposals, Internet, Appeals via Social Media (Facebook, etc.)

This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.

The following information is based on Homeward Alliance's audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Source of Funds

Programs: 86% Fundraising: 6% Administrative: 8%