Tag: homelessness
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‘The program’: Using the homeless to reap Medicaid millions is not new
Editor’s Note: This article is part of a Colorado Watch series that looked into how homeless people were offered housing and “donations” from a church in return for becoming clients of a home health care agency that billed Medicaid millions. Read the other stories here. Federal rules prohibit anyone from giving any Medicare or Medicaid beneficiary any remuneration —…
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Free housing, cash and a catch: Investigation finds Colorado program targeting homeless clients, billing millions to Medicaid
Editor’s Note: This story is part of a series. Read about how home health in Colorado is a complex setup and about the group On Going HHC. They call it “the program.” For the past four years, dozens of homeless people in the Denver metro area have been recruited to live rent-free in suburban houses…
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‘The program’: On Going HHC roots deeply intertwined with others
Editor’s Note: This story is part of a series. Read about how “the program” exploits Colorado’s homeless using housing and cash, and how home health in Colorado is a complex setup. Seska Bell is a licensed practical nurse who has long worked in the home health industry, according to testimony she recently gave in a…
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‘The program’: Medicaid for home health in Colorado is complex setup
Editor’s Note: This story is part of a series. Read about how “the program” exploits Colorado’s homeless using housing and cash and about the group On Going HHC. Read the other articles here. Home health care in Colorado is a complicated business. To provide the service, agencies must be certified and licensed through the Department…
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Homeless population decreased in Colorado Springs in January count
Results released Wednesday from the annual Point-in-Time and Housing Inventory census of the homeless population in El Paso County for the night of Jan. 25 show marked decreases in the numbers this year, demonstrating the community’s wildly fluctuating statistics. Last year’s record high of 1,745 people living on the streets or in temporary housing fell…
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Colorado Springs residents share their thoughts on homelessness, polarization at town hall
Around 40 Colorado Springs residents filled tables at the downtown YMCA Tuesday evening to talk about polarization and homelessness with members of the City Council. The town hall, hosted by Council President Lynette Crow-Iverson, President Pro Tem Brian Risley and Councilmember David Leinweber, was moderated by a team from Braver Angels, a nonprofit that seeks…
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Medical street outreach program holds summer supply drive on Sunday: How you can help
Ascending to Health Respite Care is holding a summer supply drive on Sunday. The Colorado Springs nonprofit provides medical care for people who live on the streets and in encampments, respite care in participating motels for people who are homeless and also runs a community primary care clinic open to anyone at its offices at…
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Clean & Safe program showing improved safety, cleanliness and homeless assistance in downtown Colorado Springs
Logging 15,000 steps over a 3½- to 4-hour shift is one of the many perks of Paul Kavanaugh’s job as an ambassador in downtown Colorado Springs. Others he ticks off are being appreciated, feeling helpful, encountering something different every day and having fun. “It includes all my skills of talking to people and communicating and…
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EDITORIAL: Aurora’s template for success on homelessness
With homelessness more or less unchanged over the past year in Colorado’s largest urban centers — numbers released this week show a slight dip in metro Denver and a small uptick in the Colorado Springs area — it’s worth another look at the innovative approach underway in Aurora. Colorado’s No. 3 city has been ramping…
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New report: Homelessness growing in El Paso County, No. 1 rate in Colorado
Homelessness in El Paso County grew between 2024 and 2025 at a rate faster than any other part of Colorado, according to a new statewide report released last week. The second annual, industry-produced Colorado’s State of Homelessness Report 2025 shows 7,078 people countywide were counted as homeless at some point last year. That’s a 4.3%…