The executive director of Denver’s Department of Housing Stability will leave her role after nearly two years to take a position with a nonprofit group.
Mayor Mike Johnston appointed Jamie Rife, who oversaw his All in Mile High homelessness initiative, in late 2023, and she began working at the start of 2024.
“Tonight, thousands of Denverites will sleep in their own beds and not the streets because of the work of Jamie Rife,” Johnston said in a news release Wednesday afternoon.
Rife will leave her role at the end of the month and begin as the senior vice president at Housing Connector, a nonprofit that offers services in cities including Denver, Austin, Dallas and Portland.
During her time leading the housing stability department, which goes by HOST for short, Johnston’s administration has made major strides in reducing visible homelessness in the city, though overall homeless has continued to increase. Before her appointment, Rife was the executive director of the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative.
Deputy Chief Operating Officer Molly Urbina will lead the department while officials conduct a search for the next permanent executive director.
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