homeless
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Medicaid suspends agency behind ‘The Program,’ citing ‘credible’ fraud allegations
The agency overseeing Colorado’s federal Medicaid program has suspended an Aurora home-health agency that is the focus of an investigation into an enterprise that lured dozens of homeless people with promises of free housing and cash and reaped tens of millions of dollars in Medicaid reimbursements. Officials said it has stopped paying Medicaid claims filed…
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‘The program’: Church’s cash ‘donations’ are an anomaly; requests to attend services were ignored
Editor’s Note: This article is part of a Colorado Watch series that looked into how homeless people were offered housing and “donations” from a church in return for becoming clients of a home health care agency that billed Medicaid millions. Read the other stories here. Helping the homeless is at the center of many religious groups’ focus, with outreach…
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‘The program’: Using the homeless to reap Medicaid millions is not new
Editor’s Note: This article is part of a Colorado Watch series that looked into how homeless people were offered housing and “donations” from a church in return for becoming clients of a home health care agency that billed Medicaid millions. Read the other stories here. Federal rules prohibit anyone from giving any Medicare or Medicaid beneficiary any remuneration —…
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‘The program’: Caretakers got millions, some homeless were evicted
Editor’s Note: This article is part of a Colorado Watch series that looked into how homeless people were offered housing and “donations” from a church in return for becoming clients of a home health care agency that billed Medicaid millions. Read the other stories here. Barely 5-foot tall on her tip toes, Stephanie Swabacker is a pistol of a…
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Using housing and cash, ‘the program’ exploits Colorado’s homeless for Medicaid millions
Editor’s Note: This story is part of a series. Read about how home health in Colorado is a complex setup and about the group On Going HHC. They call it “the program.” For the past four years, dozens of homeless people in the Denver metro area have been recruited to live rent-free in suburban houses…
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‘The program’: Medicaid for home health in Colorado is complex setup
Editor’s Note: This story is part of a series. Read about how “the program” exploits Colorado’s homeless using housing and cash and about the group On Going HHC. Read the other articles here. Home health care in Colorado is a complicated business. To provide the service, agencies must be certified and licensed through the Department…
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‘The program’: On Going HHC roots deeply intertwined with others
Editor’s Note: This story is part of a series. Read about how “the program” exploits Colorado’s homeless using housing and cash, and how home health in Colorado is a complex setup. Seska Bell is a licensed practical nurse who has long worked in the home health industry, according to testimony she recently gave in a…
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No oversight: Denver’s homeless plan cost $20 million more than previously reported, auditor says
Mayor Mike Johnston’s campaign to curb homelessness has cost the city an estimated $20 million more than previously reported, Denver’s auditor concluded. The audit determined that the mayor’s initiative was poorly planned, with underreported expenses, no monitoring plan, inadequate “equity” considerations in shelter siting, and no one responsible for tracking the program’s citywide expenses. The…
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Aurora City Council considers bringing back notice before sweeping homeless camps
New Aurora City Council member Rob Andrews proposed a resolution that, if passed at a future regular council meeting, would bring back the requirement for a 72-hour notice before homeless encampment sweeps. In February 2025, Aurora lawmakers got rid of requirements to provide shelter options and a 72-hour notice before sweeps. The decision followed a…
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‘Conversations on a Bench’ focuses on 24 hours of talk about homelessness in Colorado Springs
From 1 p.m. Thursday to 1 p.m. Friday, a park bench in downtown Colorado Springs is taking on the persona of a talk show stage, with the topic of the 24-hour day being homelessness. “I see a community that wants to be part of the solution and not just complain from the balcony,” Travis Williams,…