[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6393154,"mediaKeyId","2107857-536c554d99408c01fc28ea235d4d0601","parentId",2107857,"title","Prosperity Denver Fund reports $18.6 million distributed in 2024 and outlines reserve spending plan","audioSeconds",2371,"startMs",2990000,"endMs",5361000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2107857-536c554d99408c01fc28ea235d4d0601&start=2990&end=5361","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2107857-536c554d99408c01fc28ea235d4d0601/thumbnail_2990000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6393154/Denver-Consolidated-County-and-City/Colorado/Prosperity-Denver-Fund-reports-186-million-distributed-in-2024-and-outlines-reserve-spending-plan","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6393154-551c6a17b02fee0cc4edb5c5236b52e6/orig.mp4?Expires=1771165961&Signature=D51O2bNOBuYAOVNczrRUrqX6VbqdG3cUTJya9TJKHTmlJ4Shnap-W5R8rPBnD8pxq5jMflZ605KNleSxYYUaHlpJj~7FWyKlWoenHtJUWd~Yr2nk5trhNgeDvhL2ovk6QOhtSLjKUQRUSjC1RUBs8fXseOd2UA2Aw8vOiqiKvioobMs9CVJOSlklYOoHI21h4H6Po1vYNjYZ8xwwwy1xqpdAtQhSMRSqfVHOl8eBD5eAAx-0CixLq172sntUggwSJFx3SfKN3tkk6~Gi8bkR0iRHpHLv~Q2u-946jb969ksZX3qp5A2NL1J9FwP3adcPygb-WEdpn7-9A~VAmCXY4g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Denver, CO ","date","2025-01-08T00:00:00Z","article","On Jan. 8, 2025, the Safety, Housing, Education and Homelessness Committee received a briefing from Prosperity Denver Fund leadership on the program’s 2024 spending, expansion of services and a multi‑year reserve plan.

Rebecca Arnaud, chief executive officer of Prosperity Denver Fund, and Theresa Pena, chair of the fund’s board, told the committee that Prosperity Denver — created after a 2018 ballot initiative and established by ordinance in 2019 — provides reimbursements to nonprofit partners who deliver scholarships, support services and credential/apprenticeship pathways to Denver students ages 14–30. Arnaud said the fund worked with 64 organizations in 2024, funded more than 12,000 scholarships, served over 37,000 students, and has distributed close to $48 million since inception. In 2024 the fund distributed $18.6 million, a step up from $8 million in 2023 after the council expanded the ordinance’s scope last year.

Arnaud described the 2023 ordinance changes that allowed Prosperity Denver to fund high‑school support services, industry‑recognized credentials and apprenticeships, and to serve Denver students up to age 30. She said the board is now implementing a reserve‑spending plan that used $2.6 million of reserves in the last cycle and aims to reduce total reserves to a “prudent reserve” of $16 million by the end of fiscal year 2027. The board plans to hold $15 million as a sunset reserve to ensure ongoing payments to students if the ordinance is not reauthorized, plus $1 million to cover possible city sales‑tax overpayment adjustments.

The briefing included evaluation findings Prosperity Denver commissioned. Arnaud summarized a University of Colorado Leeds School of Business economic impact analysis that estimated college attendance and graduation rates have risen about 8 percentage points per year for students served by the program, and ProSono’s evaluation signaling reduced student debt and improved student preparedness through increased scholarship awards and support services.

Council members asked questions about revenue and budgeting, partner organizations, outreach and how awards are distributed. Arnaud and Pena said the fund receives approximately $15 million per year in sales‑tax revenue on average; 2024 distributions exceeded that level while the board began spending down reserves. The board estimated it would need to distribute about $20.4 million in a future cycle to align with its reserve plan. Arnaud said the fund reimburses nonprofits (a reimbursement model), which can slow disbursement to smaller community organizations, and that staff are exploring ways to coordinate with city workforce and training programs such as DETO and unions to expand credential pipelines.

Several council members praised the fund’s recent growth and asked for additional evaluation reports and district‑level data. Councilmember Diana Romero Campbell, who represents the council on the Prosperity Denver board, noted progress responding to prior city auditor findings and said the board has focused on stronger reporting and faster distribution. Arnaud said staff will share the full CU‑Leeds and ProSono studies and provide district‑specific partner lists to council offices.

The fund’s strategic priorities for 2025–27, Arnaud said, are expansion, data and impact, implementing the 2023 ordinance changes, and building a centralized resource for students exploring post‑secondary and credential pathways.

Councilmembers requested follow‑up on specific topics including: the list of new partners added after the 2023 ordinance change; the fund’s district‑level student counts; and options to reduce or eliminate the post‑conviction monitoring fee discussed earlier in the meeting. Arnaud and Pena said they would return with additional data and follow‑up reports as requested.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Denver Safety, Housing, Education & Homelessness Committee on 2025-01-08","oneSentenceSummary","The committee received a briefing from Prosperity Denver Fund on 2024 grant activity, program expansion under a 2023 ordinance change, evaluation findings, and a board plan to reduce reserves while preserving funds for a potential sunset scenario.","taxTitle","Denver (Consolidated County and City), Colorado","taxId",3557,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6393159,"Committee forwards two electronic-monitoring contract amendments to full council after briefing on program use and costs",2800,150000,2950000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2107857-536c554d99408c01fc28ea235d4d0601&start=150&end=2950","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2107857-536c554d99408c01fc28ea235d4d0601/thumbnail_150000.jpg","/articles/6393159/Denver-Consolidated-County-and-City/Colorado/Committee-forwards-two-electronic-monitoring-contract-amendments-to-full-council-after-briefing-on-program-use-and-costs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6393159-36a3c563e906599f897da025ba4917c2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771165961&Signature=MLclX8vI~0sBxM8NGizuNAwLmUbCNEUfbx2SLvXqGSrDhrgqnjJwic4FXKUVLB5X52qyjeVQTdX4~ybPP4htvlierOIq3ugW7SyGFXs~7zjG5h5mDfRJYqExBVWw6vtlzzRrBih6u6plakiBX4WYz-PIk~JA2Ix5ciQpuCsJNhKlAHFeUE~2Kjzmvi4x6Pblz7lSgn3mxmfuoHb5REyudaNA-A~WWqPlKQhYOumaIqdoRjasYbssdkEB5sdPSdZr7VUJGcEUh~oaQxzVmE5FoPtWbIq3TmZLu-BibcaAgQp4Ai9WTcbqwPpJ0FYSnx2MNBic0-jkFltA0bs6s2xwNA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","On Jan. 8, 2025, the Safety, Housing, Education and Homelessness Committee of the City and County of Denver heard a briefing from Denver Community Corrections on the city’s use of electronic monitoring and voted to forward two contract amendment requests to the full City Council for final approval.

The committee, chaired by Councilmember Serena Gonzalez Gutierrez, reviewed an amendment to extend the term of the city’s agreement with Alcohol Monitoring Systems (AMS) and a separate amendment to extend the contract with BI Incorporated for two additional years, through Jan. 31, 2027. Greg Morrow, director of Community Corrections, told the committee that the BI amendment would “add $1,650,000 to the contract total, for a new total of $3,150,000,” and that both vendors were selected through “a competitive bid process back in 2021.”

The contracts supply equipment used by two programs run by Community Corrections: pretrial services and an in‑home detention (electronic monitoring) program for post‑conviction sentences. “So, all of the case management, all of the monitoring, all of the interactions, all of the decision makings, decision making with participants is done by city staff within the Community Corrections Agency and Division,” Morrow said, stressing that vendors supply devices while city staff run supervision and casework.

Aubrey Cote, a manager with Pretrial Services, described the technologies the city uses, including active GPS ankle monitors that report location almost continuously, exclusion and inclusion zones tied to protection orders, remote breath devices that use facial recognition, transdermal (SCRAM/TAD) alcohol bracelets, and simple RF base‑station systems that confirm presence at a residence. “So, the first and probably the equipment that we use most often is GPS, or Global Positioning Systems,” Cote said.

Committee members pressed staff on program scale and costs. Morrow and Cote reported these program figures during the briefing: about 2,300 people are on pretrial release with monitoring conditions on any given day; roughly 18–20% of those have an electronic‑monitoring condition; the city has approximately 600 people on some type of electronic monitoring device on a typical day and about 500 people on GPS monitoring specifically. For pretrial outcomes over the last three years, staff reported an overall success rate of 67.3%, an appearance rate of 86.7% and a safety rate of 84.7%.

Cote said pretrial participants are not charged program fees: “We do not assess fees for the pre trial, and that is because they are pre trial and not post conviction.” She contrasted that with the post‑conviction in‑home detention program, which carries a historic fee of $13 per day (sliding‑scale reductions are available) and an average post‑conviction in‑home detention stay historically closer to 30 days. Morrow added the Department of Safety plans to reevaluate fee‑collection practices in 2025, and staff said unpaid balances can be placed with collections after 90 days of no contact.

Committee members also discussed how Denver’s use of electronic monitoring compares with other jurisdictions and whether monitoring is being used in lieu of confinement or merely as an additional condition imposed by judges. Morrow said Denver has “a higher utilization of individuals on electronic monitoring, particularly on the pre trial side,” and described the city’s time‑limited supervision policy that allows staff to remove GPS after 60 days of compliance rather than leaving monitoring in place for the entire case in every instance.

Council members asked about alternatives, equity and program impacts on employment and housing stability. Staff said they are studying effectiveness and working with Arizona State University on research into how long monitoring is effective. They also said the pretrial risk assessment tool used in Colorado was revised to reduce disparities and that Community Corrections is working with the Office of Social Equity and Innovation to improve local calibration.

On the narrower procedural question before the committee, members agreed to move the two contract amendments to the full City Council for final action. The committee did not record a roll‑call vote on the final motion during the transcripted portion of the meeting; the chair noted the items would proceed to full council for consideration.

The full council will consider the contract extensions and the added funding for BI Incorporated in a subsequent meeting.","The Safety, Housing, Education and Homelessness Committee reviewed requests to extend two vendor contracts for electronic monitoring technology, heard program details and budget impacts from Denver Community Corrections, and voted to forward both contract amendments to the full City Council for final action.","actionData","errors"]

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Prosperity Denver Fund reports $18.6 million distributed in 2024 and outlines reserve spending plan

Committee forwards two electronic-monitoring contract amendments to full council after briefing on program use and costs