John Parvensky, a leader in efforts to end homelessness, has been elected chairman of the board of the nation’s largest homeless advocacy organization.
In Washington last week, Parvensky was voted to a two-year term as chairman of the board of the National Coalition for the Homeless, the nation’s oldest such group.
Parvensky, 55 and a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, founded the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless in 1986, directing care and housing for more than 15,000 citizens each year.
Nationally, he has two goals: to bring together all the homeless organizations for veterans, families, children, etc., and get them “working together on a common agenda,” he said.
Also, he wants to reassess the national 10-year plan to end homelessness.
“We want to get everyone together to determine what it will really take to end homelessness nationally. We want to come up with an idea of how much it will cost to provide supportive housing, health care and other support services and to protect the civil rights of the homeless, who are frequently abused or beaten.”
Locally, Parvensky hopes to provide the homeless with another 300 units of supportive housing within the next three years, similar to the 100-unit Renaissance Riverfront Building that opened last month near Interstate 25 and the South Platte River, in the River North neighborhood.
He also wants to expand Denver’s Road Home program to end homelessness to the suburbs and across the state.
Mike McPhee: 303-954-1409 or mmcphee@denverpost.com
