HMA Report Examines Needs Assessment for Denver Residents with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
October 5, 2018
Prepared for the City and County of Denver Department of Health and Human Services
The City and County of Denver’s Department of Human Services (DHS) contracted with HMA, between March and August 2018, to conduct a needs assessment of services and supports for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD). Denver will use findings from this assessment to inform decisions regarding the governance and distribution of a Denver property tax (mill levy) dedicated to funding services for residents with IDD.
The primary goals of the needs assessment were:
- Inventory current services for Denver County residents with IDD and the existing capacity in and around Denver to provide these services.
- Identify service gaps and potential ways to address these gaps by engaging stakeholders ‐ including clients, families, caregivers, service providers, city and state agencies, employers, and the public, with the intent to form the basis of how dedicated mill levy funding is programmed going forward.
- Research possible governance models for determining/overseeing the disbursement of dedicated revenue, gathering stakeholder feedback on the governance models, and evaluating pros and cons of preferred models to form the basis of the process through which dedicated funding is allocated going forward.
The report summarizes the findings in the three areas identified above, including recommendations on the most pressing service gaps to address and features of the governance model.