The needs assessment was funded through Denver’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocation included in Mayor Michael B. Hancock’s 2022 budget. DDPHE allocated $1.25 million in ARPA funding for the assessment and to enhance ongoing work in this area and help to initiate programming based on the findings. In the 2023 budget, DDPHE received $20 million in ARPA funding to build out programs based on the recommendations of the needs assessment.
DDPHE contracted with Analytics and Insights Matter (AIM) and Arrow Performance Group (APG) for research, design, and analysis for the needs assessment. Dr. Thomas Barrett was retained as a behavioral health advisor, and interns from the University of Denver participated in the project for several months. The project team worked closely with DDPHE to ensure that Denver’s diverse community voices were heard in the project’s development and implementation.