A walkthrough of the referral path — confirming waiver eligibility, choosing a Program Approved Service Agency, and what happens between the first email and move-in day.
Grace Mountain Agency
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.
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.
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 the Denver metro and Boulder County: Arapahoe, Douglas, Denver, Jefferson, Adams, and Boulder — with I-70 corridor expansion coming soon.
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.
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.
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.
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.
For a longer treatment of what to evaluate, see What to look for in a Host Home agency in Colorado.
A national survey of 524 disability service providers found 55% are turning away new referrals for lack of staff. What it means in Colorado, and the staffing questions to ask any host home agency.
Read →Starting January 1, 2027, if federal regulators approve, kids on CES or CHRP no longer move automatically onto the DD waiver at 18. Who keeps a direct path, what the waiting list means, and what to do this week.
Read →Some adults in host homes and group homes now contribute part of their income toward the cost of their care. What the PETI worksheet means, who's exempt, and the paperwork that now really matters.
Read →Christina personally takes every new-client call. Response within one business day.
