Aurora@Home
The Aurora@Home plan is a community-based collaborative plan that is developing a long-term, strategic plan focused on helping two population groups:
This initiative is comprised of representatives from the City of Aurora, Adams and Arapahoe Counties, Aurora nonprofits and other organizations, and concerned citizens.
The Aurora@Home (A@H) Plan, approved by City Council in 2012, is Aurora’s collaborative effort to develop and implement Aurora’s plan to prevent and end family housing loss. The founding A@H Governing Board is comprised of core service agencies and other key collaborative partners. The Board is the policy and decision –making body, with oversight of the program structure, services and on-going evaluation. The Aurora Housing Authority (AHA) provides administrative and fiscal oversight for the plan and will manage the activities carried out by A@H staff (coordinator). The A@H coordinator will work with each of the program sub-committees, coordinate efforts carried out by the Aurora@Home partners, and manage the implementation of the program. The Aurora@Home Plan is organized around four goals that are designed to have a significant impact on currently displaced families and those at-risk for being in fragile and unstable housing conditions. The goals are:
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Prevention
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Provide housing and coordinate emergency shelter and rapid re-housing efforts
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Provide and expand supportive services
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Promote responsive system infrastructure and sustainability
Emergency Solution Grants (ESG)
The homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act of 2009 (HEARTH Act), enacted into law on May 20, 2009, consolidates three of the separate homeless assistance programs administered by HUD under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act into a single grant program, revises the Emergency Shelter Grants program, and renames it to the Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) program. As of Jan. 4, 2012, the renamed program reflects the change in the program's focus from addressing the needs of homeless people in emergency or transitional shelters, to assisting people to quickly regain stability in permanent housing after experiencing a housing crisis and/or homelessness.
Aurora receives ESG grants and makes these funds available directly to non-profit agencies in Aurora, such as: East Metro Detox and Recovery - Aurora Mental Health Center, (detox emergency shelter) - Gateway Domestic Violence Services (domestic violence emergency shelter), Mile High Behavioral Healthcare and Comitis Crisis Center (emergency shelter), and the Salvation Army (rapid rehousing and homelessness prevention). Request for Proposals are requested annually and the non-profits receiving funds may change year-to-year.