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State Housing Voucher (SHV) Program Policies & Procedures

Updated June 2023

This document provides detailed supplemental information about the State Housing Voucher (SHV) Program within the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) Division of Housing (DOH). This document is intended to be used in conjunction with the information provided in the SHV Chapter of the “DOH Housing Choice Voucher and Rental Assistance Programs Administrative Plan” (see PIH: Voucher Plan section on the DOLA Publications & Reporting page). DOH manages hundreds of state-funded housing vouchers, including the Community Access Team Vouchers (CAT-V), Homeless Solutions Program - State Housing Vouchers (HSP-SHVs), Mental Health - State Housing Vouchers (MH-SHV), and Recovery-Oriented Housing Program - State Housing Vouchers (ROHP-SHVs). These state-funded housing vouchers are often generally referred to as “State Housing Vouchers”. However, for the purposes of this Policies & Procedures document, “State Housing Vouchers” and the “State Housing Voucher Program” refer to all the aforementioned SHVs except CAT-V. Information about the CAT-V program can be found in the CAT-V chapter of the DOH Administrative Plan.

Overview

NOTE: For the purposes of this Policies & Procedures document, a “Project” refers to an allocation of State Housing Vouchers (SHV) with an entity or entities (“Project Partner(s)”).

Program Description

The Colorado State Housing Voucher (SHV) program is administered by the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), Division of Housing (DOH), Office of Homeless Initiatives (OHI). The SHV program provides long-term rental assistance and access to supportive services for persons with a history of homelessness and their households.

The SHV program is similar to the federal Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program in that it provides non-time-limited rental assistance to participating households. Households pay 30% of their income toward rent, and the SHV program pays the difference between the tenant portion and the actual rent directly to the owner on the participant’s behalf each month. Household members enter into a lease agreement with the owner and have the rights of tenancy. The SHV program allows participants to secure a variety of housing opportunities including single-family homes, townhouses, and apartments. The program exists as a tenant-based (i.e., subsidy is attached to the household) and project-based (i.e., subsidy is attached to a particular unit) rental assistance program.

The SHV program differs from the federal HCV program in a few key ways:

  • Funded by the state government
  • Criminal background check for head of household not required
  • Follows Continuum of Care Permanent Supportive Housing (CoC PSH) Termination Policies
  • Provides assistance with security deposits and damage payments

The SHV program consists of three different voucher programs with varying funding sources and eligibility criteria:

  • Mental Health - State Housing Voucher (MH-SHV)
    • Established: 2013
    • Funding source: Colorado General Fund
  • Homeless Solutions Program - State Housing Voucher (HSP-SHV)
    • Established: 2017
    • Funding source: Colorado’s Marijuana Tax Cash Fund
  • Recovery-Oriented Housing Program - State Housing Voucher (ROHP-SHV)
    • Established: 2019
    • Funding source: Colorado General Fund and Marijuana Tax Cash Fund (as appropriated by House Bill 19-1009)

Each program’s target population and eligibility criteria is detailed in the SHV chapter of the DOH Administrative Plan.

Procurement

DOH partners with entities across the State of Colorado to implement the SHV program. DOH allocates or awards vouchers to Project Partners via various procurement processes, including allocations to agencies with existing DOH Voucher Administration Contracts, grant agreements resulting from competitive Requests for Application (RFA), and expansions of existing SHV programs.

Project Framework

Each SHV Project at the least involves a Referral Partner, Service Provider, and Voucher Administrator. Project-based SHV allocations will also involve a Property Manager. In some Projects, the same entity may function as the Referral Partner, Service Provider, Voucher Administrator, and/or Property Manager.

  • Referral Partner: Entity that refers households for the program. More than one entity may refer households, but each Project will have one lead Referral Partner responsible for coordinating the identification, assessment, and selection of program participants.
  • Service Provider: Entity conducting outreach, assisting with housing navigation, and providing ongoing tenancy support services to program participants. More than one entity may provide services, but each Project will have one lead Service Provider.
  • Voucher Administrator: Entity administering vouchers for program participants. Some Projects may have more than one entity administering vouchers for participants within that Project; however, most Projects have a single dedicated voucher administrator.
  • Property Manager: Entity managing a property (or properties) with project-based vouchers assigned to property units.

This form should be used to report problems or issues with this website. Questions pertaining to a program or service provided by DOH should be addressed to contact information located on the specific program pages.

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