Colorado community action agencies and the county system behind them
Most states route their federal anti-poverty block grant to standalone nonprofit agencies. Colorado routes most of it to county governments. That one structural fact changes how you look for this kind of help here, and it is the reason so many Colorado "community action agency" searches end at a county human services office. This page explains the system in plain English: who the agencies actually are, what they may be able to help with, and how to reach the one responsible for your county.
What community action means in Colorado
The funding behind community action is the federal Community Services Block Grant (CSBG). The Colorado Department of Local Affairs receives the state's allocation and distributes it to a set of designated local entities, each responsible for one county or a group of counties. The state's program page is at https://dlg.colorado.gov/community-services-block-grant-csbg.
Most of those entities are county governments, usually acting through their human services departments. Several are longstanding rural nonprofits, two are councils of governments serving clusters of small counties, and the Colorado Community Action Association ( https://www.coloradocommunityaction.org/) now acts as the "Balance of State" entity for a group of counties that have not had their own agency.
In practice, the agency for your area is often the same county office that handles food and heating assistance. In several metro counties, the county passes its CSBG funds to local nonprofits through a grant cycle, so a call to the county may end with a referral to a funded partner organization. Both arrangements are normal parts of the same system.
Emergency assistance and case management
In many counties the core of this help is emergency assistance paired with case management: money toward a rent or utility crisis, and staff who work with you on the steps after the crisis. In mountain and rural counties, heating help has sometimes extended to propane and firewood rather than only a gas or electric bill; the directory below notes where that has been offered.
Food assistance
Food programs usually runs through partnerships rather than a single statewide program. In southern and eastern Colorado, some agencies distribute food supplied by Care and Share Food Bank ( https://careandshare.org/), and county offices statewide take SNAP applications. See the NHPB page on CDHS benefits in Colorado.
Savings, tax help, and employment services
Matched-savings accounts, where money saved toward a home, education, or a business is matched with grant funds, have operated in Colorado under names like the Personal Investment Enterprise; availability depends on funding, and the directory below notes where it has been offered. Free tax preparation and employment services may also be available through some of these agencies. Local agencies may also partner with the Workforce Centers in Colorado to further coordinate services. See the NHPB page on Colorado job training programs.
Senior services and Head Start
Some agencies in this network also run Head Start or senior programs, and a few serve as their region's Area Agency on Aging at the same time. That overlap is one reason a single rural office may handle several kinds of help at once. Income limits tied to federal poverty guidelines apply to most of what is described on this page, and each office can tell you the current cutoffs.
What to expect when you contact your county office
Intake works differently from county to county — some services take walk-ins, others require an appointment, and some help is applied for online through Colorado PEAK. For most applications you will need proof of identity, proof of address, and documentation of household income; for LEAP, a recent utility bill is typically required. Call ahead and ask what the process looks like for the specific help you need.
Energy assistance programs that are separate, but community action often refers
Two of the programs people most associate with community action run through different state channels in Colorado, and knowing that saves wasted calls.
- LEAP is a state program, not a community action program, which differs from many other states. Winter heating help is LEAP, the Low-income Energy Assistance Program, run by the Colorado Department of Human Services at https://cdhs.colorado.gov/leap. It accepts applications each winter from November 1 through April 30, online through Colorado PEAK, by mail through the HEAT HELP line at 1-866-432-8435, or at any county human services office. It makes a one-time payment toward heating costs, and in a no-heat emergency it can extend to furnace repair. See the NHPB page on how to get help from Colorado LEAP.
- Free home weatherization is run by the Colorado Energy Office at https://energyoffice.colorado.gov/, which assigns a service provider to every county — in some regions that provider happens to be a county department, in others a nonprofit or council of governments.
Your community action contact can usually point you into both programs, and county offices take LEAP applications directly — but the funding and the rules sit with the state, which is why the same application works no matter which county you're in.
Finding the agency for your county
Two official pages answer the question directly. The Department of Local Affairs publishes the current list of designated CSBG entities at https://dlg.colorado.gov/community-services-block-grant-allocations, and the Department of Human Services keeps a directory of every county human services office, with addresses, phones, and websites for all 64 counties, at https://cdhs.colorado.gov/contact-your-county.
Coverage is not identical everywhere. A group of counties is served through the Balance of State arrangement, and in some cases one county administers the funds for its neighbors. If your county does not appear with its own entry below, your county human services office is still the correct first call; it exists in every county and can tell you how CSBG-funded services reach your area. As a supplementary tool, 2-1-1 can also surface local nonprofits outside this network.
Colorado community action directory
Colorado currently has 28 designated CSBG entities. The directory below was rebuilt against the state's current list, and each entry was verified individually; entries that changed from the old version of this page are annotated. Programs and contact details change, and several offices keep limited walk-in hours, so call before visiting. Nonprofit and regional agencies are listed first, then the county-run entities.
Colorado East Community Action Agency (CECAA)
183 E Ave., Limon, CO 80828
Phone: (719) 775-8586
Counties: Cheyenne, Elbert, Kit Carson, Lincoln
Help has included emergency utility assistance, monthly food distributions with senior boxes, and Medicare counseling. See the NHPB page on Colorado East Community Action for more information.
Housing Solutions for the Southwest
295 Girard St., Durango, CO
Phone: (970) 259-1086 | Website: https://swhousingsolutions.com/
Counties: Archuleta, Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma, San Juan
A housing-focused nonprofit operating since 1981. Rental assistance vouchers, homelessness prevention, and HUD-certified housing counseling have been offered, with Spanish-speaking counseling available; walk-in hours are limited, so call first.
Mountain Family Center (MFC)
Physical: 480 E. Agate Ave., Suite 1C, Granby, CO 80446 | Mailing: P.O. Box 638, Granby, CO 80446
Phone: (970) 557-3186 | Website: https://www.mountainfamilycenter.org/
Counties: Grand, Jackson
Food pantries operate in several towns along with a mobile route, and a school program sends food home with children for the weekend. Rent, mortgage, and utility help may be available as funding allows.
SLV Community Solutions
Phone: not published | Website: https://www.slvcs.org/
Counties: Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande, Saguache
A community action nonprofit that works through collaboration and referrals rather than large direct services. Contact is by email through the website, and its resource site at https://myslvconnect.com/ connects valley residents to local help.
Northeast Colorado Association of Local Governments (NECALG)
231 Main St., Suite 211, Fort Morgan, CO 80701
Phone: (970) 867-9409 | Website: https://www.necalg.org/
Counties: Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, Yuma
CSBG-funded work here has included vision care, dental assistance, and stocking local food banks. NECALG is also the region's Area Agency on Aging and runs County Express transportation.
Upper Arkansas Area Council of Governments (UAACOG)
3224-A Independence Rd., Ca�on City, CO 81212
Phone: (719) 275-8350 | Website: https://www.uaacog.com/services/csbg-emergency-assistance/
Counties: Chaffee, Custer (through a subcontract), Fremont, Lake
Emergency assistance has covered rent, utility, and medical costs as funding allows, and heating help here has included propane and firewood. The agency also runs Head Start, WIC, and senior services.
Colorado Community Action Association — Balance of State (CCAA)
P.O. Box 18321, Denver, CO 80218
Phone: (303) 949-9934 | Website: https://www.coloradocommunityaction.org/
Counties: Huerfano, Las Animas, Moffat, Montrose, Ouray, Routt, San Miguel
The statewide association serves as the agency for counties without their own. Its work there has included a basic-income research project providing one-time payments to selected households, with applications opening by funding year through its website.
Adams County — Community & Economic Development (CSBG office)
4430 S. Adams County Pkwy., Brighton, CO 80601
Phone: (720) 523-6827
County: Adams
Funds are granted to local nonprofits; 2024–2026 partners have included Almost Home, Benefits in Action, and Family Tree.
Arapahoe County — Department of Human Services
14980 E. Alameda Dr., Aurora, CO 80012
Phone: (303) 636-1130 | Website: https://www.arapahoegov.com/388/Human-Services
County: Arapahoe
The county's Community Resources department runs assistance services, and its weatherization division at 907 Salida Way in Aurora has served both Arapahoe and Adams counties
Baca County — Department of Human Services
772 Colorado St., Suite 1, Springfield, CO 81073
Phone: (719) 523-4131 | Website: https://www.bacacountyco.gov/departments/department-of-human-services/
County: Baca
Boulder County — Community Action Programs (CAP)
Physical: Sundquist Building, 3482 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80304 | Mailing: P.O. Box 471, Boulder, CO 80306
Phone: (303) 441-3975 | Website: https://bouldercounty.gov/departments/community-services/community-action-programs/.
County: Boulder
Boulder's community action work centers on advocacy, leadership development, and asset building, including the Personal Investment Enterprise matched-savings offering.
City and County of Broomfield — Department of Human Services
100 Spader Way, Broomfield, CO 80020
Phone: (720) 887-2200 | Website: https://www.broomfield.org/260/Human-Services
County: Broomfield
Delta County — Human Services
320 W. 5th St., Delta, CO 81416
Phone: (970) 874-2030 | Website: https://www.deltacounty.com/7/Human-Services
County: Delta
City and County of Denver — Denver Human Services
1200 Federal Blvd., Denver, CO 80204
Phone: (720) 944-4347 | Website: https://www.denvergov.org/content/denvergov/en/denver-human-services.html
County: Denver
Denver grants its CSBG funds to community partner organizations for priorities such as housing stability and employment services, so callers are often connected onward to a funded nonprofit.
Douglas County — Department of Human Services
4400 Castleton Ct., Castle Rock, CO 80109
Phone: (303) 688-4825 | Website: https://www.douglas.co.us/community-services/grants-low-income-csbg/
County: Douglas
Recent program years have directed the county's CSBG funds toward employment and self-sufficiency services.
El Paso County — Department of Human Services
1675 W. Garden of the Gods Rd., Colorado Springs, CO 80907
Phone: (719) 636-0000 | Website: https://humanservices.elpasoco.com/
County: El Paso
The county contracts with local organizations to deliver CSBG services; funded partners have included Catholic Charities' Marian House and Careers in Construction Colorado.
Garfield County — Department of Human Services
195 W. 14th St., Rifle, CO 81650 and 108 8th St., Suite 200, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601
Phone: (970) 625-5282 (Rifle) or (970) 945-9191 (Glenwood Springs) | Website: https://www.garfieldcountyco.gov/human-services/
County: Garfield
Gunnison County — Health and Human Services
220 N. Spruce St., Gunnison, CO 81230
Phone: (970) 641-3244 | Website: https://www.gunnisoncounty.org/149/Health-Human-Services
County: Gunnison (department shared with Hinsdale County)
Jefferson County — Department of Human Services
900 Jefferson County Pkwy., Golden, CO 80401
Phone: (303) 271-1388 | Website: https://www.jeffco.us/human-services
Counties: Jefferson (currently also administers the CSBG allocations for Park and Teller counties)
CSBG here is administered by the county's Community Development staff through subgrants to local organizations.
Kiowa County — Department of Human Services
1307 Maine St., Eads, CO 81036
Phone: (719) 438-5541 | Website: https://kiowacounty.colorado.gov/government/departments/human-services
County: Kiowa
Larimer County — Department of Human Services
1501 Blue Spruce Dr., Fort Collins, CO 80524, with offices in Loveland and Estes Park
Phone: (970) 498-6300 | Website: https://www.larimer.org/humanservices/
County: Larimer
Mesa County — Department of Human Services
510 29-1/2 Rd., Grand Junction, CO 81504
Phone: (970) 241-8480 | Website: https://humanservices.mesacounty.us/
County: Mesa
Otero County — Department of Human Services
13 W. Third St., La Junta, CO 81050
Phone: (719) 383-3100 | Website: https://oterocounty.colorado.gov/departments/human-services
County: Otero
Prowers County — Department of Human Services
1001 S. Main St., Lamar, CO 81052
Phone: (719) 336-7486 | Website: https://www.prowersco.gov/departments/humanservices
County: Prowers
Pueblo County — Department of Human Services
320 W. 10th St., Pueblo, CO 81003
Phone: (719) 583-6160 | Website: https://county.pueblo.org/human-services
County: Pueblo
Pueblo County is also a regional weatherization provider for southeastern Colorado, with a weatherization application office at 2631 E. 4th St.
Rio Blanco County — Department of Human Services
200 Main St. #200, Meeker, CO 81641 and 101 E. Main St., Rangely, CO 81648
Phone: (970) 878-9640 (both offices) | Website: https://www.rbc.us/265/Human-Services
County: Rio Blanco
Summit County — Department of Human Services
360 Peak One Dr., Suite 230, Frisco, CO 80443
Phone: (970) 668-9160 | Website: https://www.summitcountyco.gov/services/health_human_services/human_services/index.php
County: Summit
Weld County — Department of Human Services
315 N. 11th Ave., Greeley, CO 80631
Phone: (970) 352-1551 | Website: https://www.weld.gov/Government/Departments/Human-Services
County: Weld
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