Denver Mayor Mike Johnston on Monday unveiled members of his 10-person “homeless resolution” team to oversee, coordinate and follow through on his emergency declaration and promise to house 1,000 homeless people.

He also announced his first town hall in downtown Denver, kicking off his 78-neighborhood tour aimed at gathering feedback from residents on his homelessness strategy. Johnston said Councilmember Darrell Watson will join him at The Savoy Denver at 6 p.m. July 25.

In a news release, the Johnston administration said Cole Chandler, the first director of Homelessness Initiatives at the Colorado Department of Human Services, will serve as senior advisor, leading efforts within the Mayor’s Office and coordinating with the city’s Emergency Operations Center.

“Cole Chandler is one of Denver’s sharpest and most service-oriented leaders on homelessness and there is no one better to help lead our efforts,” Johnston said. “Cole has a deep understanding of this issue, and we have built an incredible team of 10 committed, experienced and diverse leaders who are ready to take this on.”

In the same news release, Cole said Denverites “don’t have to live in a city where 1,400 of our neighbors call the streets their home.”

Cole, who cofounded and served as executive director of the Colorado Village Collaborative, said he is thrilled to join the Johnston administration.

Colorado Village Collaborative promotes the “tiny homes” as a cost-effective approach to transitioning people to stable housing. Cole also served as a live-in volunteer at the Denver Catholic Worker House, where he said he learned about Denver’s housing and homelessness challenges firsthand from housemates coming directly from the streets.

Here’s the rest of Johnston’s Homelessness Resolution Team:

• Joshua Posner will serve as director of strategic initiatives, working closely with Chandler and the EOC to execute the mayor’s vision to house 1,000 homeless Denverites. Posner previously worked for COVIDCheck Colorado, which provided testing and vaccine capacity during the pandemic. Posner then joined Gary Community Ventures, where he helped pass Proposition 123, which directs $300 million per year in TABOR refund revenues into affordable housing programs. Johnston previously served as CEO of Gary Community Ventures. 

• Milagros Barsallo will serve as the director of public engagement, leading the team’s community outreach work. A longtime community organizer, Milagros served as co-founder and co-CEO of RISE Colorado.

• Perla Bustillos Gutierrez and Sterling Loza will serve as the deputy directors of public engagement. Previously, Bustillos Gutierrez  served as CEO and programs director for the Colorado Equitable Economic Mobility Initiative and co-founder of Ednium. Meanwhile, Sterling worked as an administrative fellow at Craig Hospital, serving in a high-level project management role.

• Tony Lucero and Fatimah Ben-Masaud will serve as internal project managers, in charge of managing logistics, developing and implementing strategic plans, and fostering strong community partnerships. Previously, Lucero served as the managing director for people and operations at City Year Denver, while Ben-Masaud developed “equity-centered” programs focused on upward mobility through academic and workforce access.

• Stephen Padilla will serve as the grants and operations manager, working closely with community partners and government agencies to oversee the grant life cycle. Padilla previously served as a longtime grants administrator for the City of Arvada.

• Sterling Simms will serve as the operations coordinator, overseeing projects and working to ensure groups work collaboratively and effectively. Sterling served in the U.S. Marine Corps and on Johnston’s mayoral campaign.

One additional appointee position is pending, Johnston’s office said.