Texas court gets firsthand look at homeless solutions with Boulder’s Feet Forward
By Jennifer Livovich
Photos courtesy of Feet Forward
Photo Courtesy of Feet Forward
When Jennifer Livovich was experiencing homelessness, she learned firsthand how difficult it can be to know where to turn for help. In Boulder County, there are a plethora of valuable resources available to those experiencing homelessness, but they’re essentially useless unless people know how to take advantage of them. Once Livovich learned to navigate the system and was able to secure a home, she made it her mission to help others do the same. She founded Feet Forward, a Boulder County nonprofit organization that meets those experiencing homelessness where they are by providing an umbrella of services and resources to those experiencing homelessness.
Photo Courtesy of Feet Forward
“We are the only nonprofit in the area based on a lived experience of homelessness,” said Livovich. “Many of the people I see at our Tuesday events are people I knew from the street. It started with just me passing out socks and has quickly grown to meet a number of needs.”
Feet Forward’s weekly Tuesday events at the Boulder Bandshell offer food, clothing, and access to resources for the homeless community. This week, Feet Forward hosted the Boulder County Community court program, as well as representatives from a similar program in Austin, Texas. These municipal programs are designed to help people experiencing homelessness address tickets for low-level offenses, like camping violations, while connecting them with social services. The team from Austin was observing Boulder County’s remote model, which helps meet people where they are. Community events, like Feet Forward’s, provide a safe and reliable space for people to access beneficial programs.
“We’re the provider that makes connecting to these services possible for many. That connection can sometimes be overlooked within the system,” said Livovich. “Our focus is on building trust and relationships within the community so that we can help people. After all, if people don’t know what resources are available or where to go to access them, they can’t use them. Without these connections, the system can’t work.”