A Denver mental health initiative aimed at helping the city’s most vulnerable residents is showing promising results. The program, called Transforming Health by Reducing Inequities for the Vulnerable (THRIVE), has exceeded expectations in its first year and expanded its reach in the second.
THRIVE focuses on supporting people struggling with addiction, homelessness, and interactions with the justice system. So far, it has helped nearly twice as many individuals as originally planned.
Matthew Hudgins, who has been sober for six months, credits the program for turning his life around. After years of cycling through homelessness since 2017, Hudgins now has hope for a stable future.
“It feels amazing,” Hudgins said. “Six months ago, I couldn’t even imagine working. I was unemployable. Today, I have that chance.”
Hudgins’ progress is linked to the work of peer support specialist Samuel Murray, who has been part of THRIVE since it began. Murray brings his own experience with substance use to help those in similar situations.
“We have great doctors, social workers, and nurses who are experts in their fields,” Murray explained. “But I specialize in the lived experience of addiction and homelessness. Once patients have a plan, we support their choices.”
Their connection began simply, over free coffee and doughnuts provided by the program. For Hudgins, those moments were crucial.
“Some days, that was all I ate,” he said. “It gave me a reason to come down here.”
When Hudgins was ready to seek help, Murray was there to guide him.
“I saw that Sam had overcome addiction. He looked happy and healthy. He was working and involved with his family,” Hudgins said. “That gave me hope. When I asked how he did it, he told me we would get there when I was ready.”
THRIVE is funded by taxpayers through the nonprofit Caring for Denver. According to Denver Health, since the program started, emergency room visits, overdoses, and jail bookings have dropped significantly. It has also reduced mental health outpatient waitlists by over 90%.
With homelessness increasing in Denver and thousands affected yearly, Hudgins believes THRIVE’s grassroots approach is exactly what the city needs.
“If Denver wants to solve homelessness and drug addiction, it has to start from the streets,” he said. “People know resources exist but don’t know how to reach them. That’s why Sam and the THRIVE team are so important — they’re available and ready to help.”
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