(1) No later than September 30, 2022, the state department shall develop an outreach and engagement plan to promote access to the Colorado works program for eligible persons.
(2) The state department shall partner with counties and nonprofit organizations when developing and implementing the outreach and engagement plan and shall incorporate feedback from current and former participants to ensure participants are influential stakeholders in the process.
(3) At a minimum, the outreach and engagement plan must include specific strategies for:
(a) Outreach to monolingual, non-English-speaking communities and families, including a linguistically diverse website and translation of other materials that include information about the works program in the seven most common languages spoken in each county of the state;
(b) Developing culturally appropriate messaging;
(c) Sharing information about the services and supports available and participants' rights and responsibilities under the works program;
(d) How to appeal if redetermination is denied;
(e) Confidentiality protections for applicants and participants; and
(f) Outreach through a variety of settings, including but not limited to social media, schools, child care centers, food banks, libraries, federally qualified health centers, home visiting programs, mobile home parks, head start and early head start centers, and mobile sites.
(4) The state department shall:
(a) Require that county staff working with applicants and participants receive comprehensive training regarding the works program. The training must include trauma-informed approaches to interacting with participants, consistency in communicating information about child care access and assistance, the alignment of a participant's work requirements with child care access and family medical needs, the full scope of options for the participant to meet work and education requirements in alignment with the participant's goals, and the availability of support services for families.
(b) Develop toolkits, manuals, and other materials for county staff, applicants, and participants that include information about child care access and assistance, the alignment of a participant's work requirements with child care access, the full scope of options for the participant to meet work and education requirements in alignment with the participant's goals, and the availability of support services for families;
(c) Partner with counties, nonprofit organizations, and participants to develop culturally and linguistically appropriate messaging and ensure that applicants and participants have access to sufficient supports and communication in the seven most common languages spoken in each county of the state, or, in the instance of a monolingual speaker of a language other than the seven most common languages, use best efforts to provide supports and communication in the language spoken by the individual;
(d) Ensure adequate and meaningful representation by, feedback from, or engagement with current and former participants when making decisions and recommendations regarding the works program, including during any rule-making or regulatory process and other policy changes that impact recipients. To the extent possible, the state department shall ensure that participants involved pursuant to this subsection (4)(d) are diverse with regard to race, ethnicity, age, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, and geography and that participant feedback has a genuine opportunity to influence substantial changes to the works program. The state department may utilize any established councils at the state and local level that have current and former participants represented or appointed to comply with the requirements of this subsection (4)(d). To the extent possible, the state department shall consider reimbursing participants involved pursuant to this subsection (4)(d) for travel expenses and attendant and dependent care.
(5) Beginning January 2023, and each January thereafter, the state department shall include information on the implementation of the requirements in this section in its report to the house of representatives public and behavioral health and human services committee and the senate health and human services committee, or their successor committees, as part of its State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent (SMART) Government Act presentation required by section 2-7-203.
(6) The state department may review and consider information technology solutions for the implementation of this section.
Source: L. 2022: Entire section added, (HB 22-1259), ch. 348, p. 2489, � 12, effective June 3.
Cross references: For the legislative declaration in HB 22-1259, see section 1 of chapter 348, Session Laws of Colorado 2022.
26-2-726. Stable housing for survivors of domestic or sexual violence program - creation - funding - appropriation - definitions. (1) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:
(a) Contracted organization means a community organization that the state department contracts with to provide stable housing support to survivors of domestic or sexual violence who are eligible for assistance provided pursuant to the Colorado works program through the program.
(b) Program means the stable housing for survivors of domestic or sexual violence program created in subsection (2) of this section.
(c) Short-term assistance payment has the meaning set forth in section 26-2-706.6 (3).
(2) There is created in the department of human services the stable housing for survivors of domestic or sexual violence program to provide stable housing support to survivors of domestic or sexual violence who are eligible for assistance provided pursuant to the Colorado works program.
(3) On or before January 1, 2025, the state department shall contract with community-based advocacy organizations to implement the program.
(4) A contracted organization shall use the money allocated to it by the state department to provide financial support to a survivor of domestic or sexual violence who is eligible for assistance pursuant to the Colorado works program to obtain a short-term assistance payment for stable housing.
(5) For each state fiscal year 2024-25 through 2028-29, the general assembly shall appropriate two million dollars from the Colorado long-term works reserve, created in section 26-2-721, to the program.
(6) The Colorado works program shall account for the funds used for the program in its annual Colorado works report submitted to the joint budget committee.
Source: L. 2024: Entire section added, (HB 24-1431), ch. 464, p. 3225, � 2, effective June 6.
Cross references: For the legislative declaration in HB 24-1431, see section 1 of chapter 464, Session Laws of Colorado 2024.
26-2-727. Improving state-level data for the works program - annual report. (1) (a) No later than October 1, 2025, the state department, in consultation with the works allocation committee, shall develop a standardized process for each county to collect and report to the state department on a monthly basis the following information:
(I) The total dollar amount of Colorado's TANF allocation that is spent by the county on:
(A) Basic cash assistance;
(B) Diversion payments;
(C) Supportive service payments;
(D) Administrative costs for participant-facing Colorado works program staff, including administrative costs incurred through third-party contracts;
(E) Administrative costs for Colorado works program staff who are not participant facing, including administrative costs incurred through third-party contracts;
(F) Administrative costs for programs or services that are not part of the Colorado works program or any portion of which is for programs or services that are not part of the Colorado works program, including administrative costs incurred through third-party contracts; and
(G) Transfers or any other form of spending on programs and services other than the Colorado works program, including the Colorado child care assistance program, part 1 of article 4 of title 26.5, and the social services block grant authorized pursuant to the federal Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. sec. 1397;
(II) The total dollar amount of Colorado's TANF allocation that is spent by the county on:
(A) Third-party contracted services for participants who receive basic cash assistance; and
(B) Third-party contracted services for participants who do not receive basic cash assistance;
(III) An annual report of the impact the following policy changes have on the TANF caseload, churning, and a participant's average duration in the program:
(A) Changes to sanction and re-engagement policies and processes adopted through state department rules;
(B) Extending the enrollment period beyond the sixty-month lifetime limit under certain circumstances, as enacted in House Bill 22-1259;
(C) Exemptions from work requirements under certain circumstances, as enacted in House Bill 22-1259; and
(D) Changes to income disregards, as enacted in House Bill 22-1259; and
(IV) The number of applications for the Colorado works program denied due to ineligibility and the percentage of total applications represented by this number.
(b) The state department shall seek input from interested stakeholders in developing the standardized process required pursuant to subsection (1)(a) of this section, including the family voice council within the state department.
(c) Notwithstanding the requirement to report the information described in subsection (1)(a) of this section on a monthly basis, any category of information that is in addition to what is currently reported to the state department by each county that cannot be reported through existing structures and processes may be reported on a quarterly basis until a reporting structure and process is established for that specific category of information.
(2) (a) No later than October 1, 2025, the state department, in consultation with the works allocation committee, shall develop recommendations that include:
(I) A menu of standardized outcome measures for third-party contracted services funded with Colorado's TANF allocation; and
(II) Required levels of effectiveness for third-party contracted services funded with Colorado's TANF allocation.
(b) The state department shall seek input from interested stakeholders and the works allocation committee in developing the recommendations required pursuant to subsection (2)(a) of this section, including the family voice council within the state department.
(3) The requirement to report or develop recommendations related to third-party contracted services pursuant to subsections (1) and (2) of this section applies only to third-party contracted services that are new or renewed and does not apply to existing third-party contracted services.
(4) Information reported pursuant to subsections (1) and (2) of this section must be reported through the county financial management system, to the extent possible, and through the standardized reporting process and structures developed pursuant to subsections (1) and (2) of this section.
(5) No later than October 1, 2025, the state department shall submit a report to the joint budget committee that includes a description of the standardized process and recommendations developed pursuant to subsections (1)(a) and (2)(a) of this section, including an overview of the input and feedback received from interested stakeholders.
(6) Beginning January 1, 2026, and each January thereafter, the state department shall submit a report to the joint budget committee that includes the information collected and reported pursuant to subsection (1)(a) of this section and the total dollar amount of Colorado's TANF allocation that is redistributed through the state budget or other programs and services.
(7) Beginning January 1, 2026, and each month thereafter, the state department shall publish on the state department's website in a publicly accessible format the information accurately collected and reported pursuant to subsection (1)(a) of this section and the total dollar amount of Colorado's TANF allocation that is redistributed through the state budget or other programs and services.
(8) Beginning January 1, 2026, and each January thereafter, the state department shall submit the information collected and reported pursuant to subsection (1)(a) of this section to the works allocation committee for review and identification of examples and best practices related to services funded with Colorado's TANF allocation.
(9) Each county department shall provide the information required pursuant to subsections (1)(a) and (2)(a) of this section to the state department. The state department shall provide technical assistance to counties that provide the information required pursuant to subsections (1)(a) and (2)(a) of this section.
Source: L. 2025: Entire section added, (HB 25-1279), ch. 271, p. 1399, � 1, effective August 6.