Case managers in Colorado’s Community Centered Boards and Developmental Disabilities Resource Centers refer clients to Host Home agencies regularly — but the path from “I need to make a placement” to “the client moved in” has a few moving parts. Here’s the practical version.
Step 1. Confirm waiver eligibility
Host Homes in Colorado are funded through the HCBS-DD waiver (Home- and Community-Based Services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities). Confirm your client is enrolled.
Some agencies serve other waivers (SLS, CES). If your client is on one of those, ask the agency directly before assuming — the eligibility scope varies. Grace Mountain currently serves HCBS-DD only.
Step 2. Confirm service area
Every Colorado PASA defines a service area. If your client lives outside that area, the placement isn’t available even if the agency is otherwise a fit. Grace Mountain serves five Denver-metro counties: Arapahoe, Douglas, Denver, Jefferson, and Adams — with I-70 corridor expansion coming soon.
Step 3. Reach out with the basics
You don’t need a fully packaged referral on first contact. Send what you have: client age, waiver status, county, the level of support needed, and any complex needs (behavioral, medical, forensic, dual diagnosis). The agency will tell you whether to send the full packet.
For Grace Mountain, that means websitereferral@gracemountainagency.com or a direct call to (602) 481-7244. Christina, our CEO, personally responds within one business day.
Step 4. The discovery call
A competent agency won’t just ask “does this client fit a slot?” They’ll ask who the person is, what they want, and what triggers the behaviors others have flagged. That curiosity is the difference between a placement that holds and one that doesn’t.
Step 5. Match and meet
If the agency thinks it’s a fit, the next step is a meet-and-greet with the proposed Host Home and the receiving Care Coordinator. At Grace Mountain, Christina runs this meeting personally before any move-in.
Step 6. Move-in and the long handoff
After move-in, the assigned Care Coordinator owns the ongoing relationship — check-ins, incident reporting, coordination with you and the family. Ask the agency whether the Care Coordinator is dedicated to that client or floats across a caseload. Continuity matters.
What to ask any agency before you refer
- How long has your PASA designation been current?
- Who is your Agency Nurse, and what’s their oversight cadence?
- Who does in-person home inspections, and how often?
- What complex-case profiles have you taken in the last year?
- How fast do you respond on a new referral?
For a longer treatment of what to evaluate, see What to look for in a Host Home agency in Colorado.