About Us

At the Department of Housing Stability (HOST), we are committed to ensuring all Denverites have a roof over their heads. HOST’s vision is to create a healthy, housed and connected Denver. We do that by investing resources, creating policy, and building partnerships to provide housing stability, resolve episodes of homelessness, and create and preserve affordable housing. Our work is guided by our overarching core value of equity. Our work is person centered, trauma informed, and data driven.

To support these efforts, the department helps to:

Stabilize residents at risk of involuntary displacement and connect residents to housing resources
Support residents experiencing a crisis and connect them to overnight shelter, services, and short-term and permanent housing
Create and preserve existing affordable housing and connect residents at any income level to new housing opportunities

Executive Order 145

The Department of Housing Stability was created by Executive Order 145 on October 23, 2019. The Executive Order establishes the authority and functions of the department. Read Executive Order 145(PDF, 177KB).

HOST Organizational Chart(PDF, 25KB)

How We Organize Our Work

To achieve HOST’s vision, we have organized our department around three critical – and interrelated – foundational pillars: Housing Opportunity, Housing Stability, and Homelessness Resolution. In addition, our Operations team supports the work across the department’s pillars.

Housing Opportunity expands affordable rental and ownership options for Denver residents.
Housing Stability helps to keep people in the homes they are already in and prevent involuntary displacement.
Homelessness Resolution helps residents experiencing homelessness regain housing and supports them while they experience housing crisis.

Please visit our division pages to learn more about their work.

Chief Housing Officer and Executive Director

Mayor Mike Johnston appointed Dr. Jamie Rife as the Executive Director of the Department of Housing Stability (HOST), and she joined HOST Jan. 2, 2024.

Dr. Rife previously served as the Executive Director of the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative (MDHI), where she was instrumental in leading collaborative efforts to end homelessness in the metro Denver region. Her leadership garnered national recognition for Denver's achievements in achieving quality data for those experiencing homelessness and reducing veteran homelessness. Dr. Rife was a member of the collaborative that launched the statewide Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) in 2018 throughout Colorado.

Prior to joining MDHI, Dr. Rife spent nearly 15 years in public education as a teacher and district administrator, dedicated to serving marginalized students in metro Atlanta.

She moved to Colorado in 2016 and served as the State Coordinator for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth at the Colorado Department of Education where she oversaw the state's educational response to students experiencing homelessness.

She holds bachelor's degrees in Spanish and Sociology from the State University of New York College at Cortland, a master's degree from the University of Georgia in Educational Administration and Policy, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Liberty University.

Advisory Boards and Commissions

In order to inform and guide the implementation of the 2021 Action Plan, a panel of Housing Stability Strategic Advisors has been appointed by the Mayor and City Council. This body is comprised of individuals whose professional and lived experience provide valuable insight into the work of HOST. HOST will work with the Strategic Advisors and the community to collaborate and lead progress through investment decisions, interdepartmental coordination, and other strategies. With their guidance, implementation approaches may pivot if needed to respond to the evolving COVID-19 crisis.

Learn more about the Housing Stability Strategic Advisors, including current members and meeting schedule.

How We Inform Our Work

To ensure our plans can be as successful as possible, it’s important to identify community needs and understand past efforts, to learn from their challenges and successes, and how the environmental context and available resources and tools impact these efforts. We also look to other communities across the country for best practices and innovations, and the lived expertise of those in our community.

HOST’s work is informed in a number of ways:

HOST developed a Five-Year Strategic Plan and annual Action Plans
HOST has an advisory board called the Housing Stability Strategic Advisors
HOST holds quarterly Homeless Advisory Meetings with people experiencing homelessness
HOST’s Data team has developed dashboards to track and report out on our work
HOST’s work is influenced by the budget available to fund our priorities

You can also learn more about the need for affordable housing, data about housing and homelessness, and other frequently asked questions in our Housing and Homelessness Knowledge Center (coming soon).

Stay Connected

HOST has a breadth of subject matter expertise around housing and homelessness and are excited to share it with our community. You can request a speaker through this form.

Submit a request for information or records here.

Or contact us directly:
Main Line: 720-913-1534
Non-Emergency Assistance: 720-913-2000
Emergencies: Call 9-1-1
housingstability@denvergov.org

Location:
Wellington Webb Office Building
201 W. Colfax Ave., 6th Floor
Denver, CO 80202

Request a HOST Speaker for an Event

Please use this link and fill out the form to request a HOST speaker for your event.

Contact Us

Department of Housing Stability
Main Line: 720-913-1534
Non-Emergency Assistance: 720-913-2000
Emergencies: Call 9-1-1
housingstability@denvergov.org