Mayor Mike Johnston has appointed homeless advocate Jamie Rife, head of the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, to lead the city's Department of Housing Stability, the agency that oversees Denver's homelessness, affordable housing and rental assistance programs.
"A city is defined by how it cares for its most vulnerable residents, and Dr. Jamie Rife has been a tireless advocate for those experiencing homelessness," Mayor Mike Johnston said in a statement. "She is a proven leader who has spearheaded significant collaboration and advocated for accountability and transparency across the city."
No department in the City of Denver is as crucial to Johnston's ambitious goal to end homelessness in four years and embattled attempt to shelter 1,000 people by the end of the year as HOST.
Yet for Johnston's first months in office, HOST has had no permanent head.
First HOST Director of Operations Laura Brudzynski took the post after the long-time director Britta Fisher left the job to lead the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. Then Brudzynski left the job to serve as chief operating officer of Archway Communities early in Johnston's tenure.
After Brudzynski left, Johnston appointed forward-thinking developer Susan Powers to the interim position. She stepped down a few weeks ago.
The mayor shuffled in HOST's acting Deputy Director of Operations, Jennifer Biess, into the role, before Rife's appointment.
As head of MDHI, Rife, a master of data with a doctorate in educational leadership from Liberty University, oversaw the Denver metro Point-In-Time count, the annual census of people experiencing homelessness.
Rife's background includes a 15-year stint as a teacher and district administrator in metro Atlanta. In 2016, she became the state coordinator for the education of homeless children and youth at the Colorado Department of Education. In that job, she oversaw how the state's educational system responded to homelessness.
Now she's taking over the department tasked with carrying out Johnston's long-term effort to end homelessness.
"I am confident she will continue to drive positive change for our community," Johnston said.
Correction: An earlier version of this story stated Laura Brudzynski had been hired under Hancock as an interim head of HOST. She was hired as a full-time head.
