Colorado Gives for S.H.E.A.T.S.
Nobody pours the foundation after framing the house. If a contractor tried that, we would not praise the effort. We would question whether the contractor understood construction. And yet, when it comes to reentry, we attempt to build backward all the time.
We tell someone to find employment, keep appointments, arrange transportation, rebuild family relationships, comply with supervision and remain accountable without first making sure that person has a stable place to live. That is not accountability. It is bad sequencing dressed up as policy.
A job requires more than an employer willing to hire. It requires an address, adequate sleep, clean clothes, reliable transportation and the ability to arrive tomorrow ready to work again. Transportation has to begin somewhere. Appointments have to be reached from somewhere. Responsibility has to be practiced from somewhere. Housing is that somewhere.
Stability Requires a Solid Foundation. S.H.E.A.T.S. puts the right supports in the right order—so returning citizens can build lives that last.
Through Colorado Gives, Colorado T.E.N.T. is raising $25,000 for initial rent, security deposits and short-term housing support for returning citizens throughout Colorado. Every dollar designated to S.H.E.A.T.S. through this campaign goes directly to housing assistance.
Safe housing does not guarantee successful reentry, but the absence of safe housing can defeat employment, transportation, accountability and every other part of a sound reentry plan. That distinction matters. “No new victims” is not a phrase to place at the bottom of a flyer. It is the outcome that tells us whether the sequence worked.
A safe place to live makes it possible to keep a job. Employment makes independence possible. Reliable transportation makes employment and appointments sustainable. Stability allows accountability to last. When those supports are provided in the right order, returning citizens have a genuine opportunity to build lives that create no new victims.
Visit ColoradoGives.org and search “Colorado T.E.N.T.”
#ColoradoGivesDay #ColoradoTENT #SHEATS #HousingStability #SuccessfulReentry #NoNewVictims
Thoughtfully crafted to elevate what matters most.
Statement of purpose
Colorado T.E.N.T. exists to help individuals build stable, productive lives before release, during reentry, and throughout their return to the community.
Our work is rooted in a simple belief: people are more than the worst decision they have ever made, and lasting change is best understood as a process rather than a single event. Through education, mentorship, practical skill development, and community support, we help participants strengthen the habits, relationships, and decision-making skills that support long-term success.
What makes Colorado T.E.N.T. unique is our ability to bridge multiple worlds. Our organization combines practitioner knowledge developed through decades of lived experience, educational expertise, research partnerships, and direct service. We work alongside incarcerated individuals, people on parole, community partners, educators, employers, and researchers to better understand what successful transition and long-term stability actually look like.
We do not measure success solely by program completion or short-term outcomes. We focus on trajectory. We seek to identify, develop, and reinforce the behaviors, choices, and patterns that indicate a person is moving toward greater stability, responsibility, independence, and contribution to their community.
Ultimately, Colorado T.E.N.T. exists to help people create lives that produce no new victims, strengthen families and communities, and demonstrate that meaningful change is possible when opportunity, accountability, education, while focusing support, housing, employment are aligned.
Use the link below read our 2025-2026 Annual Report
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sv78vIzMOMNAhkiAtA_XcbC4ekiQ43kSMubnoZ8ZsYo/edit?usp=sharing
Use the Link below to see the 2025-2026 IRS 990 Form
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WY3fYc2CFgta8UeTetmNZC0WIXosGR9d_FTTsN50t6Q/edit?usp=sharing
Colorado T.E.N.T. is grateful to United Way of Weld County for awarding us a $5,000 Partnership Investment Grant through its 2026–2027 Collective Impact Fund.
This investment will help us continue working with justice-involved individuals to build lasting stability through housing, employment, transportation, education, and connections to existing community resources.
We believe strong communities are built when organizations work together, use the resources that already exist, and help people develop the ability to become increasingly independent.
Thank you to United Way of Weld County for investing in Colorado T.E.N.T. and the people we serve.
Our goal remains simple: lasting stability and no new victims.