Cora Zaletel
Executive Director,
External Affairs
(719) 549-2810
Colorado State University - Pueblo hosts forum on cannabis and homelessness April 12
PUEBLO The College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHASS) Center for Social and
Economic Justice and the Cannabis Policy Initiative at Colorado State University-Pueblo will
host a presentation on trends in homelessness by Dr. Donald Burnes, founder and board chair of
The Burnes Center on Poverty and Homelessness at the University of Denver. The discussion,
Cannabis and Homelessness: Fact vs. Fiction, will begin at noon on April 12 in Psychology
205.The event is free and open to the public. Participants are invited to bring their lunch with
them to the forum.
The mission of Burnes Center at DU is to inform policymakers and practitioners about issues
related to homelessness, to impact policies and practices, and to transform the lives of people
who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
Through the work of the Institute, people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness are
empowered to live full lives of their choosing.
Improving policy and practice to maximize opportunities for improved lives requires
outcomes-based and data-driven information.
Identifying and utilizing best and evidence-based practices are impossible without quality
data and evaluation.
Following his wifes death in 2003, Burnes returned to Denver and became involved with the
development and implementation of Denvers 10-year Plan to End Homelessness. He also joined
the Board of the Metro Denver Homelessness Initiative for several years, and he served on the
Governors Council on Homelessness in both Gov. Ritters and Gov. Hickenloopers
administrations. Shortly after returning to Denver, Burnes became involved in the Housing and
Homelessness Funders Collaborative, a group of funders providing grants to groups engages in
system-wide change in the are of affordable housing and homelessness.
CHASS is developing a Center for Social and Economic Justice, which will serve to advance
interdisciplinary work, including research, grant activity, development of cutting edge curricula,
opportunities for increased community engagement, and opportunities for students to participate
in interdisciplinary work prior to entering a career. The Center also endorses other programmatic
endeavors through linkage with health professions including public health, health education, and
occupational health. The Cannabis Policy Initiative is an initial undertaking of the Center to work
towards, among other things, providing a forum for cannabis policy discussions that will
complement the efforts of the Center.
Colorado State University - Pueblo is committed to excellence, setting the standard for regional
comprehensive universities in teaching, research, and service by providing leadership and
access for its region, while maintaining its commitment to diversity.
--CSU-Pueblo--