2-1-1 Colorado

Dial 211 · toll-free 866-760-6489 · 211colorado.org
Free, confidential referral service for anything: food, housing, rent and utility assistance, childcare, healthcare, legal help. Statewide and staffed by people who know local programs.

Aging and Disability Resources for Colorado (ADRC)

1-844-265-2372 (1-844-COL-ADRC)
A single point of entry for long-term services and supports. Useful when a family is new to the system and does not know what they qualify for.

The member's case manager

The Resource Exchange (El Paso, Pueblo, Teller, Park counties): 719-380-1100 · after hours 719-439-9664 · tre.org

For anything involving waiver services, the support plan, or authorizations. Find the right case management agency for other counties at hcpf.colorado.gov/case-management-agency-directory

Emergency

911
Immediate danger, medical emergency, or someone at risk of harm right now.

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

Call or text 988
Free, confidential, 24/7 support for mental health crisis, substance use crisis, or emotional distress. For the person themselves or for someone worried about them.

Colorado Crisis Services

1-844-493-8255 (1-844-493-TALK) · text TALK to 38255 · coloradocrisisservices.org
24/7 statewide crisis support by phone, text, or in person at walk-in centers. Trained counselors and connection to ongoing care.

Poison Control

1-800-222-1222
Any suspected poisoning, medication error, or accidental ingestion. Available around the clock.

Adult Protective Services

El Paso County: 719-444-5755 · cdhs.colorado.gov/aps
Report suspected mistreatment, neglect, exploitation, or self-neglect of an at-risk adult. Report to the county where the person lives. If a crime may have occurred, also call law enforcement.

SNAP (food assistance)

• Apply at CO.gov/PEAK · El Paso County Human Services 719-444-8200

• Monthly benefits on an EBT card for groceries. Eligibility is based on income and household size. SNAP does not count as income for PETI and does not affect a member's waiver services.

• Federal eligibility rules for some lawfully present non-citizens changed in 2026. Check current rules before advising anyone on eligibility.

Hunger Free Colorado — Food Resource Hotline

• 855-855-4626 · hungerfreecolorado.org

• Free, confidential, available in 150+ languages regardless of immigration status. Navigators screen for every federal nutrition program, help complete SNAP applications and redeterminations by phone, and refer to local pantries and meal sites. Open Monday through Thursday and Friday mornings.

• This is the fastest route for a family who is unsure whether they qualify for anything.

Food pantries and meal sites

• Dial 211, or use the Hunger Free Colorado food resource map

• Pantries, soup kitchens, and congregate meal sites for adults over 60. Call ahead — hours change frequently.

• Care and Share Food Bank of Southern Colorado serves this region.

Double Up Food Bucks

Through participating markets and grocers

Doubles the value of SNAP dollars spent on fruit and vegetables.

Meals on Wheels and home-delivered meals

Provided through Silver Keys. 719-884-2300

Delivered meals for people who cannot easily shop or cook. Eligibility varies by program and county.

Health First Colorado (Medicaid)

Member Contact Center 1-800-221-3943 · State Relay 711 · healthfirstcolorado.com · CO.gov/PEAK

Covers doctor visits, hospital care, prescriptions, behavioral health, and more. Renewal happens annually — see the redetermination page, since a lapse stops waiver services too.

Medicare Savings Programs and Extra Help

Social Security 1-800-772-1213 · ssa.gov

For people on Medicare, these programs reduce premiums, deductibles, and prescription costs. They are widely unclaimed. Worth checking for anyone dual-eligible.

Dental, vision, and hearing

Routinely neglected in this population, and a frequent hidden cause of pain that shows up as behavior. Health First Colorado covers an adult dental benefit; confirm the current annual limit. Ask about sliding-scale clinics through 211.

Non-emergency medical transportation

Through Health First Colorado · [confirm current broker and number]

Rides to covered medical appointments at no cost for eligible members. Must usually be scheduled several days in advance.

988 and Colorado Crisis Services

See Crisis above. Both are appropriate for a person in services and for a caregiver who is struggling.

NAMI Colorado

namicolorado.org · [confirm local affiliate and number]

Free education, support groups, and advocacy for people living with mental illness and for their families. Family support groups are particularly useful for caregivers.

Community behavioral health providers

[confirm the providers you refer to most, with numbers]

Counseling, psychiatry, substance use treatment, and crisis stabilization. Many accept Health First Colorado.

A reminder worth passing on to families. Behavior change in a person who cannot easily describe how they feel is a medical question first. Before assuming a behavioral cause, rule out pain, infection, constipation, dental problems, medication side effects, and vision or hearing changes.

Social Security — SSI, SSDI, and Disabled Adult Child benefits

• 1-800-772-1213 · ssa.gov

• SSI is needs-based with a $2,000 resource limit. SSDI is based on work history. An adult whose disability began before age 22 may be able to draw on a parent's work record once that parent retires, becomes disabled, or dies — often far more than SSI, and frequently missed.

• Tell us when a parent retires, becomes disabled, or dies. It can change a person's entire financial picture and nobody thinks to check.

Benefits counseling (WIPA)

Ticket to Work Help Line 1-866-968-7842 · choosework.ssa.gov
Free, expert help understanding how earnings affect benefits. Refer here rather than guessing — the rules are genuinely complicated, and wrong advice costs people money.

ColoradoABLE

coloradoable.org
A tax-advantaged savings account for people with disabilities. Up to $100,000 is excluded from the SSI resource limit. As of January 2026, eligibility expanded to people whose disability began before age 46 — so anyone screened out under the old age-26 rule should be re-checked.

Special needs and pooled trusts

Colorado Fund for People with Disabilities [confirm] · cfpdtrust.org

Holds assets without disqualifying someone from benefits. This is legal territory — families should work with an attorney who practices in it.

Property Tax, Rent, and Heat Credit (PTC) rebate

Colorado Department of Revenue · tax.colorado.gov
An annual rebate for low-income seniors and people with disabilities. Easy to miss and easy to claim.

LEAP — heating assistance

1-866-432-8435 (1-866-HEAT-HELP) · apply at CO.gov/PEAK · cdhs.colorado.gov/leap
Helps pay part of winter heating costs. Applications open November 1 and close April 30. It does not affect SSI, Medicare, SNAP, Old Age Pension, or AND/AB. Applications can take up to 50 days, so apply early and keep paying the heating bill in the meantime.

Crisis Intervention Program (furnace repair)

1-855-469-4328 · energyoutreach.org
Repairs or replaces a broken furnace or heating system. You must be approved for LEAP first. Runs year-round.

Weatherization

Through the state weatherization program · [confirm local office]
Free home energy assessment and improvements to reduce utility bills.

Housing assistance

Dial 211 · local housing authority [confirm]

Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8), accessible units, rental assistance, and eviction prevention. Waitlists are usually long — get on them early, even before there is a need. A voucher is not counted as income for PETI.

Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR)

• 303-866-4150 · dvr.colorado.gov

• Assessment, training, job placement, and ongoing supports. Also opens the door to Supported Employment services.

• Worth raising early. Employment, Supported Employment job coaching, and the Buy-In for Working Adults with Disabilities all exempt a member from PETI, which protects their income as well as being what many people actually want.

Buy-In for Working Adults with Disabilities

• Health First Colorado 1-800-221-3943
  Lets working adults with disabilities keep Medicaid with higher income and resources than standard rules allow.

Disability Law Colorado

1-800-288-1376 · disabilitylawco.org
Colorado's protection and advocacy organization. Free or low-cost legal help with rights violations, discrimination, guardianship concerns, and access to services. Independent of the service system, which is the point.

Tell families this exists rather than waiting to be asked.

The Arc of Colorado and local chapters

thearcofco.org
Advocacy, information, and support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Local chapters offer individual advocacy.

Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition

ccdconline.org
Cross-disability rights advocacy, civil rights, and community organizing.

Human Rights Committee

Through the case management agency · hcpf.colorado.gov/human-rights-committee

Independent review of rights modifications and psychotropic medication consent. Members and families can raise concerns.

Centers for Independent Living

coloradosilc.org
Run by and for people with disabilities. Peer support, independent living skills, advocacy, and transition assistance.

Special Olympics Colorado

specialolympicsco.org · [confirm number]
Year-round sports training and competition, plus health screenings and leadership programs. Free to athletes.

Adaptive recreation

Local parks and recreation departments · [confirm local programs]

Adaptive sports, arts, and social programs. Many cities have dedicated therapeutic recreation staff.

Colorado Talking Book Library

[confirm] · myctbl.org

Free audio, braille, and large-print books mailed to people who cannot read standard print, including for physical or reading disabilities.

Self-advocacy

Speak Up Colorado · speakupcolorado.com
Classes teaching people with disabilities to lead their own planning. Genuinely changes how a person shows up in their own meetings.

Assistive technology programs

Device demonstration, short-term loans, reuse programs, and low-interest financing for communication devices, mobility equipment, and home adaptations.

Respite

Through the case manager, and through Families for Families

Short-term relief for the primary caregiver. Ask about what is authorized in the service plan.

Caregiver Days Out and Family Days Out

Families for Families
Twelve paid days off per year, paid out if unused — though we would much rather you took the break. Plus a quarterly family outing, siblings included.

Colorado Developmental Disabilities Council

coddc.org
Systems advocacy, grants, and information on statewide disability policy.

Pikes Peak Elder Justice Center

ppejc.org
Mistreatment prevention, support, and safe shelter in the Pikes Peak region.

Guardianship is not the only option, and it is not always the right one. Supported decision-making lets a person keep their legal rights while getting help understanding choices. Powers of attorney, representative payees, and healthcare proxies each cover narrower ground.

Families considering guardianship should talk to Disability Law Colorado (1-800-288-1376) or an attorney before filing. Guardianship removes rights, and it is much harder to undo than to put in place.