BCATH's History

BCATH is the culmination of many years of work by Boulder County agencies and individuals devoted to providing a missing piece of the continuum of care for homeless in our communities. Collaborating intensively, BCATH constructively addresses the long-term concern over a lack of transitional housing in Boulder County.

The staff and Board of Directors of the Boulder Shelter for the Homeless initiated BCATH through a Transitional Housing Task Force. They recognized the tremendous difficulty in assisting single men and women out of homelessness and the daunting leap from emergency shelter to existing market rate housing. Longer-term support services for individuals were needed as well as the opportunity for homeless to work and build their personal financial resources over time. Sharing a common problem, the participating agencies of the task force believed the need for transitional housing could be more effectively addressed as a group than as separate entities.

In 2000, the Boulder County voters passed a tax initiative providing one million dollars for transitional housing in the area. The potential of dollars through the Worthy Cause Tax encouraged the group to look at the mission more broadly by including families and embracing the input of additional partner agencies. BCATH incorporated on November 26, 2001. The County Commissioners selected BCATH as one of the recipients of Worthy Cause Tax funds. The funding, designated to allow the purchase of ten units, became fully available to BCATH in 2003.

On January 31, 2003, BCATH purchased ten condominium units within a single, large development. BCATH retired the acquisition loan in early 2005. In the fall of 2005 BCATH purchased 2 additional units.