Colorado Kinnected Kinship Navigator Program

What Colorado Kinnected Does

Colorado Kinnected is a kinship navigator program operating in participating counties that connects eligible kinship families with benefits, services, and community support. Navigators help with family search and engagement — locating relatives who can care for a child — and then guide those caregivers through the maze of public assistance programs, legal options, and local resources.

The program operates through partnerships between county human services departments, community organizations, and the Colorado Department of Human Services. It works with county child welfare teams and focuses on families entering a kinship placement with an open child welfare case or safety-plan involvement.

What a Kinship Navigator Helps With

A navigator's role is practical coordination, not casework. They can:

• Help you identify which benefits you and the child are eligible for (Colorado Works, Medicaid, SNAP, CCCAP, LEAP)
• Walk you through the Colorado PEAK application process
• Connect you with Colorado Legal Services for guardianship or custody questions
• Refer you to local support groups, clothing banks, school supply drives, and emergency food resources
• Help you understand the differences between informal care, power of attorney, guardianship, and child welfare placement — and what each means for financial support

Navigators don't make eligibility decisions or process applications — that's the county eligibility worker's job. But they can make sure you're asking for the right programs and submitting the right documents.

Which Counties Participate

Colorado Kinnected operates across participating counties, with coverage expanding over time. Adams County has been one of the most active participants, running specialized navigation hubs and integrating the MyFriendBen eligibility screening tool. Contact your county Department of Human Services to ask whether a Kinnected navigator is available there.

If you're in a county without a formal Kinnected navigator, ask your local Area Agency on Aging (for caregivers age 55+) or call Mile High United Way 2-1-1 for community referrals.

How to Connect

Contact your county Department of Human Services and ask about kinship navigator services. You can also call Colorado's 2-1-1 line (or 1-866-760-6489) for a referral to navigator services in your area.

Kinship navigators are a free resource — they don't replace the detailed benefits guidance in a comprehensive guide, but they're a valuable first contact point. For a complete walkthrough of every financial program available to Colorado kinship caregivers, see our Colorado Kinship Financial Help guide.

See more Colorado guides →