Colorado’s halfway houses will get an independent financial audit for the first time in 20 years, after a ProPublica investigation found a lack of oversight contributes to a system where more people e.
Colorado halfway houses are required to have grievance policies for residents to file complaints. Many residents say they stay quiet out of fear of retaliation or being expelled, which can result in being incarcerated.
Halfway house operators in Colorado have long been cited for failing to comply with standards, lapses that can lead to dangerous consequences. Yet regulators rarely force facilities to improve.
A Colorado Springs homeless shelter for families that has been trying to close since August is continuing to work on getting remaining families placed into subsidized housing programs.
Colorado’s halfway houses were intended to reduce recidivism, but insiders describe a system plagued by a lack of training and support, costs that can burden residents with debt and overly harsh rules that have sent many back in prison.