Mental Health Transitional Living Homes

Who are the MHTL Homes designed to serve?

The state established these facilities to serve individuals ready to move back into the community with a primary diagnosis of mental illness and who also might be living with co-occurring substance use disorder. Hospitals can admit clients once a medical professional clears them for release. Community providers can also refer clients directly to the program. These clients are mildly acute, which simply means that they’re safe to be in the community with some level of care and supervision. CDHS reviews each applicant's mental health history and any substance use treatment records. If someone has done well in past treatment settings, that's a good sign they'll succeed in an MHTL home.

CDHS also reviews if an individual has support systems in the community - this could be family and friends that could offer support, or other treatment or service connections.

We use all the information gathered in our admission process to decide whether individuals are able to succeed in the community. If the department can’t get the required information, the individual won't be accepted into the MHTL Homes.

How are the residents supervised?

The MHTL Homes have staff around 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. These staff members are trained to help individuals who are at-risk with mental illness or substance use disorders. Staff have different kinds of training, licenses or certifications. Some professionals can provide medicine, some are therapists or social workers, some are managers or supervisors, and some are medical professionals. We adjust the number and type of staff based on what the residents need.

What kind of care do the MHTL Homes provide?

The MHTL Homes offer three different levels of care. Each home focuses on providing just one of these levels.

• Level 1: Transitional Living: This is the lowest level of care, meaning it's intended for individuals who are almost ready to live independently.
• Level 2: Supported Therapeutic Transitional Living: These homes provide a higher level of care, including clinical services, such as family, group or individual therapy. This level is for people who might need more support managing their mental illness and/or substance use disorder.
• Level 3: ​Nursing Homes: These homes provide services including intensive psychiatric and skilled nursing care with coordinated whole-person care. 

How do you determine who can live in these homes?

We have a team that takes care of admitting people and organizing these admissions. This team makes sure that we only accept people who can be successful in the community. This helps us avoid taking in anyone who might not fit well with what we offer. When someone is referred to us, our team, which is composed of admissions and coordination experts, along with clinical and medical subject experts when required, evaluates a range of information to determine if an individual meets placement criteria.

Administrators look at:

• Their mental health diagnosis and any past problems with drugs or alcohol.
• Any legal charges they've had.
• Whether they’ve been a danger to themselves or others. (For example, if they’ve had any recent assaultive behaviors, behaviors that have required restraints or seclusions, and/or any behaviors that may require a locked facility, the individual would be ineligible for our programs.)
• The most recent tests or evaluations from psychologists or psychiatrists.
• Their strengths and needs.
• Any medical conditions they have.
• If they’ve ever had mental health or substance abuse treatment before, and if so, when, where, for how long, and what happened.
• If they’ve ever run away from treatment.
• If they have any community resources, such as family, friends, etc. that could help them.
• We might talk to them, their treatment team, or their family or friends to get more information if needed.
• The services they need and whether those are available at the home.

We use all this information to decide if they are able to be successful in the community. If we don't get all the information we need, or if something seems unclear, we'll follow up. If we can't get the information we need, we won't accept them into our homes.

Do you accept people with criminal records?

Yes, we do consider individuals with criminal backgrounds. We review the information provided by the referring entity and check it against national databases, police reports, and Colorado courts database. We look at their criminal history to make sure it's safe for them, the other people in the home, and the community. If we're unsure if someone can meet our safety requirements, we won't accept them into the homes.

When making admissions decisions, we look at whether or not an individual is ready to be placed in these homes - this means they are not a danger to themselves or others, they don’t have behavioral problems that require restraint, seclusion, and/or a locked facility, they haven’t had a history of  aggressive behaviors in the past 6 months and they don’t require 24/7 nursing/medical care.

Registered sex offenders aren’t eligible.

Do you have homes where men and women live together?

Yes. Some of our MHTL Homes have both men and women living together. Individuals who share rooms are always the same gender. And some people even have their own rooms, so they don’t have roommates at all. We offer the options to individuals who are eligible for our services so they have the ability to choose what is best for them and their preferences.

How did you choose the locations of the homes?

The state is contracting with providers for some of these homes and issued what’s called a “request for applications” so that vendors could apply to run these programs with the state. The vendor who owns and operates these homes applied for this program.

When reviewing the applications, we chose the vendors we decided to work with carefully. We selected vendors based on their experience working with the individuals we will serve in these homes, reference checks, and background checks. We also had to make sure the proposed physical locations followed all the rules for this kind of program (i.e., assisted living residence).

Every home we contract with was already being used to serve individuals in need in some way (i.e., group homes, assisted living residences, sober living homes).

Level 1 — Transitional Living

Responsible for daily living with regular support such as medication dispensation, ongoing minimal therapeutic activities, and regularly scheduled daily activities, and an emphasis on Activities for Daily Living (ADL) support. The programming at this level is geared toward supporting the individual’s engagement and work toward full independence.

Level 2 — Supported Therapeutic Transitional Living

This program is for people with mental illness who need more day-to-day support. Staff help with the whole person, not just one need. Services include:

• Help taking medicines and managing prescriptions.
• Daily activities that build social and life skills.
• Therapy and group activities.
• Help with everyday tasks like bathing, dressing, and eating.

Level 3 — Nursing Home Transitional Living

This facility provides coordinated whole-person care to include daily social and life skills activities/training, therapeutic services, group activities, medication management and dispensation. We provide 24-hour care for those who need nursing or medical care because of ongoing, complex medical conditions.

Level 1: Transitional Living

This is the lowest level of care, meaning its intended for individuals who are almost ready to live independently. They might need additional support in everyday tasks like taking medicine, getting a job, cleaning and going to appointments. These homes aren’t for individuals with significant medical needs, recent substance use or individuals with behaviors that would require a locked facility. These homes help clients transition safely back into the community.

Locations include:

• Colorado Springs.
• Lakewood.
• Littleton.
• Northglenn. 

Level 2: Supported Therapeutic Transitional Living

These homes provide a higher level of care, including clinical services (i.e., group therapy, individual therapy, family therapy). These homes have intensive case managers who focus on discharge planning, which means working with the client and the care team to identify what the plan for discharge is and connecting the individual with all necessary and ongoing wrap-around supports (i.e., therapy services, medication management, housing, etc.).

These homes also have psychiatric professionals onsite who provide ongoing medication management services to the clients. This level is for people who might need more support managing their mental illness and/or substance use disorder.

Locations include:

• Aurora
• Colorado Springs.
• Denver.
• Lakewood.
• Pueblo West.
• Westminster. 

Level 3: ​Nursing Homes

These homes provide services including intensive psychiatric and skilled nursing care with coordinated whole-person care. Services include social and life skills activities and training, therapeutic services, group activities and medication management and dispensation in a 24-hour care environment for those who may need nursing or medical care due to ongoing, complex medical conditions. The state’s only level 3 facility (for now) is in Thornton.

Referral Form for Mental Health Transitional Living Homes

Release of Information Authorization Form

Benefit contact information

Frequently asked questions about benefits

Q. Do clients need benefits to go to an MHTL Home?

The MHTL Homes can accept clients without active benefits, or who simply don’t qualify for benefits. But we ask that a client apply for the appropriate benefits for which they qualify before admission to one of our homes.

Q. Which benefits should a client apply for?

For all three levels of MHTL homes, clients should apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and/or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), if they qualify. Additionally, the type of Medicaid clients need varies based on level of MHTL homes:

• Level 1 homes utilize Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS). Clients who qualify for Medicaid should complete both the functional assessment (ULTC 100.2) and financial application. An ARBOR should be completed if the client has SSDI title 2.
• Level 2 homes utilize MAGI. Clients who qualify for Medicaid should complete a Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) application.
• Level 3 homes utilize nursing home Long Term Care (LTC). Clients who qualify for Medicaid should complete the functional assessment (ULTC 100.2), PASRR level II and a financial application.

Q. What if a client has Medicare?

Clients with Medicare don’t always qualify for MAGI Medicaid. Clients with Medicare who are going to a level 2 home should apply for HCBS. Please complete both the functional assessment (ULTC 100.2) and financial application.

Room and Board

Q. Do clients need to pay room and board at MHTL homes?

Clients with access to funds (whether is from SSI, SSDI, other income, or even eligible savings) must pay room and board.

Q. How much is Room and Board at MHTL homes?

For 2026, the standard room and board rate at MHTL homes is $811 a month. This doesn’t mean that we expect each client to pay that. We calculate room and board for each client based on their unique financial situation. We do ask clients to complete an “Ability to Pay” worksheet. This asks about income, savings and monthly expenses. Based on the information provided, the MHTL Homes Billing Team calculates how much a client can pay.

Q. Are clients entitled to keep any of their money?

Clients are entitled to a “Personal Needs Allowance.” For 2026, the minimum allowance is $184. This means that clients with funds may keep a minimum of $184 each month to pay for basic needs such as a phone, toiletries and clothing.

Q. Can clients get food stamps (SNAP) at MHTL homes?

No. Clients do not qualify for food stamps (SNAP) while at MHTL Homes since all of their food is provided. Please DO NOT apply for SNAP. Doing so could threaten your eligibility for other benefits.

What you should bring with you