You can reach the Outreach Team directly by calling 970-658-0088 or by email at Info@OutreachFortCollins.org.

Outreach Fort Collins is a visible team of trained and highly skilled professionals with a regular schedule of outreach sites throughout the downtown area.

The Outreach Fort Collins team will cover our walkable downtown business district, within an approximate 10minute walk on foot in all directions. But they will also actively work with first responders to assist individuals identified outside of the downtown area as needed.

Nick Verni-Lau, Program Director

Nick@outreachfortcollins.org

Nick has years of experience working with a variety of homeless and at-risk programs, including work in street outreach, housing, case management, and program development.  After working in various homeless program in Denver, Nick began his work as Program Director in Fort Collins in 2016.

Lisa Dunworth, Behavioral Health Clinician Lisa.Dunworth@summitstonehealth.org

Lisa joins our team as part of the SummitStone Health Partners Homeless Services team. Lisa completed her Masters of Social Work in May 2016 at Colorado State University and has been volunteering, interning or working as a service provider within the homeless community since 2012.

Emily Harms, Outreach Specialist

Emily@outreachfortcollins.org

Emily has a Bachelor’s Degree in Speech Communications from CSU, and eight years experience as a corporate recruiter. After a year of volunteering with Homeless Gear’s Street Outreach Team, Emily took a leap of faith switching professions. She has now been working with Outreach Fort Collins for over a year as an Outreach Specialist. 

Jeanne-Marie Pitre, Outreach Specialist

Jeanne@outreachfortcollins.org

Jeanne-Marie is a Social Worker with a Bachelor’s Degree and 5 years of experience working in the non-profit sector. She has specalized in programs centered around homeless individuals & families and prevention for low-income households at high risk of homelessness. She joined the team as an Outreach Specialist in June 2017.

Andy Sprain, Outreach Worker

Andy@outreachfortcollins.org

Andy is a native of Northern Colorado, growing up in Loveland and having lived in Fort Collins since 2007. Andy has ten years work experience in the non-profit sector, including at an adventure and service oriented youth camp and various ministry positions. He is currently working to complete a master’s degree in theological studies. Andy joined the team as an outreach specialist in November 2017.

Fred Palmer, Outreach Worker

Fred@outreachfortcollins.org

Fred Joins us from the mountains of Summit County, CO. After working for six years in the fields of substance abuse and mental health he has decided to continue his education here in the Social Work Program at Colorado State University. Fred will focus on evening and weekend shifts which increase OFC's hours of operations to 8pm on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. Fred joined our team in November 2017 as an Outreach Specialist.

Dr. Vanessa Fenley, Independent Project Consultant

Vanessa currently serves as Co-Chair of the Colorado Balance of State Continuum of Care. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Kansas and a Doctorate in Public Affairs at the University of Colorado - Denver. 

Contact Vanessa at vanessa.fenley@gmail.com

Derek Getto, Downtown Development Authority

Derek Getto is a Program Administrator, Downtown Development Authority, Fort Collins, CO, and actively works with the City of Fort Collins and other relevant public and private organizations on issues affecting the central business district and the purposes of the Authority.

In this role, he plans and develops the implementation and/or sustainability of programs related to DDA-owned or managed property; creates and/or coordinates programs related to DDA projects and properties including but not limited to the alley maintenance program, patio licensing, alley trash/recycling cooperatives, and warehouse user groups.

Derek serves as the DDA’s primary liaison for public safety with Fort Collins Police Services including but not limited to coordination of public outreach programs and facilitation of business community relationships. He works cooperatively with the Downtown Business Association, Visit Fort Collins, the City of Fort Collins and other related entities on issues and projects of mutual interest. He holds a degree in Business Administration form Colorado State University.

Contact Derek at DGetto@fcgov.com

Stephanie Madsen-Pixler, SummitStone Health Partners

Stephanie Madsen-Pixler, LCSW serves as Program Coordinator, Community Support Programs, SummitStone Health Partners. In this role, Stephanie supervises a range of community-based programs including Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH), federally funded to provide mental health and substance abuse services to people who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness and who have a mental illness. 

She has served as a mental health therapist, and has supervised program teams ranging from vocational, case management, peer services, benefits acquisition team and multicultural services.

Stephanie was a team member of the original managing agency of The Sister Mary Alice Murphy Center for Hope in Fort Collins, tasked with development of programming and was physically based there for first 3 years. She holds a Master of Social Work form the University of Utah, a Bachelor of Social Work from Brigham Young University.  

Contact Stephanie at stephanie.madsen-pix@summitstonehealth.org

Janice M. Mierzwa, Senior Director of Emergency Services, UCHealth

Janice Mierzwa, RN, MSN, is Senior Director of Emergency Services for University of Colorado Health, Northern Region. In this role, she oversees emergency care at Poudre Valley Hospital, Medical Center of the Rockies, freestanding emergency centers in Greely and Fort Collins as well as UC Health’s behavioral health facility in Northern Colorado, Mountain Crest.

She has served as Director of Emergency Services for hospital of various geographies populations for over fifteen years, and a proven commitment to community health resources. In addition to patient care and operational services, she directs strategic growth and program development across the continuum of community care.

Janice holds both a Masters and Bachelors of Science in Nursing from Lewis University. She is a member of American Organization of Nurse Executives.  

Contact Janice at Janice.Mierzwa@uchealth.org

Beth Sowder, City of Fort Collins

Beth Sowder serves as Director of Social Sustainability for the City of Fort Collins.

In this role, Beth provides leadership and direction on issues, policies, and programs including: affordable housing and Community Development Block Grant  as well as various human services, homelessness, and other social issues.

She provides for the systematic and predictable implementation of the City’s identified social sustainability program and represents the City on social sustainability issues; Coordinates public communication relating to social sustainability by convening or collaborating with community-based programs and service providers, groups or agencies.

Beth serves as staff liaison to the COFC Human Relations Commission, recieved certification as a Community Emergency Response Team program manager, and holds a degree in International Trade and Relations from the University of Northern Colorado.  

Contact Beth at bsowder@fcgov.com

David Rout, Homeless Gear

David Rout is the Executive Director of Homeless Gear, a Fort Collins-based nonprofit that provides homeless men, women and children with the supplies that they need to survive on the streets and the support and services that they need to navigate the path from homelessness to self-sufficiency.

In November 2015, Homeless Gear became managing partner for the Sister Mary Alice Murphy Center for Hope in Fort Collins. In collaboration with Catholic Charities, Neighbor to Neighbor and SummitStone Health Partners, Homeless Gear will provide leadership, coordination of service providers from around Northern Colorado, and shared operational oversight. The Murphy Center provides counseling and community resources for homeless individuals and people on the brink of homelessness. The day center also works with individuals to help them obtain and maintain stable housing and implement long-term change to get their lives on track

He holds a Masters in Social Work from Colorado State University. He completed internships with Hand Up, a program that provides employment-focused case management to job seekers who are homeless and at-risk of homelessness, and Homeless Gear.  

Contact David at David@HomelessGear.org

Jeremy Yonce, Fort Collins Police Services

Jeremy Yonce serves as Lieutenant, Community Policing, Fort Collins Police Services, Fort Collins, Colorado and currently supervises 31 officers and 4 sergeants in three community policing units: District 1 (downtown), Neighborhood Enforcement Team, and School Resource Officers.

He has diverse professional background in law enforcement including patrol, investigations, Community Policing, SWAT, training, administration, and supervision. He has extensive instructional experience on topics ranging from crime prevention, community oriented policing, patrol procedures, and problem oriented policing.

Jeremy is a Colorado Crime Prevention Specialist and has received certification as a Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Instructor. He holds a M.S. in Organizational Leadership from Colorado State University, Global Campus and a B.A., Political Science, Sociology & Human Services from Fort Lewis College. He is the Vice Director, National Association of Field Training Officers, Colorado Chapter and coordinate various law enforcement training courses throughout the state.

Contact Jeremy at JYONCE@fcgov.com