Sector(s)

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Organizations Involved

Creating an accessible, self-service housing search experience for the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless

The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) works collaboratively toward the prevention of homelessness and the creation of lasting solutions for families, children, and individuals who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness throughout Colorado. For over 40 years, the organization has earned state and national recognition for its integrated healthcare, housing, and service programs—offering critical assistance to more than 20,000 individuals and families each year.

To better serve people seeking affordable housing, CCH needed to revamp the housing search experience on its website. Their existing property listings lacked key information like rent pricing and eligibility, and users had no clear way to filter or apply for available units. With Drupal, we redesigned the property search to make it more informative, intuitive, and empowering—helping CCH connect more people to the housing they need.

Describe the project (goals, requirements and outcome)
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Goals

  • Fill income-restricted units more efficiently

  • Enable self-service housing searches, creating a “Zillow-like” experience for people seeking affordable options

  • Differentiate between housing types, creating clear pathways for both income-restricted and supportive/transitional housing

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Requirements

  • Accommodate CCH’s complex rent calculation model, dynamically adjusting displayed rent prices based on a user’s income and household size

  • Improve property listing views with advanced filtering and sorting options

  • Redesign property detail pages to be more scannable, informative, and actionable—with a clear path to apply

Building a better housing search experience with Drupal

CCH’s existing housing pages provided basic property information, but lacked the interactivity and clarity users needed. Visitors couldn’t easily compare units or understand whether a property was financially accessible to them. The new design aimed to fix that by providing transparency, usability, and dignity through a more human-centered experience.

Using Drupal and React, we updated the housing listings to display dynamically calculated rent ranges based on income and household size. This feature, developed in close collaboration with CCH’s housing team, allows users to instantly understand what they might pay at each property—reducing confusion and saving staff time previously spent clarifying rent details.

We also implemented custom filters that enabled visitors to narrow properties by key criteria such as location, number of bedrooms, and rent range. For those seeking transitional or supportive housing, a separate path guides them through options with different eligibility requirements and support services.

Each property detail page was redesigned for clarity and scannability. Key information such as amenities, eligibility criteria, and contact details are now presented in a structured, mobile-friendly layout. Prominent “Email to Apply” links ensure there is always a clear next step.

Together, these improvements turned a static listings section into a powerful self-service tool—helping people find housing that fits their needs and circumstances, without unnecessary barriers.

How Drupal delivered

  • Drupal's Architecture and APIs: Drupal's architecture and APIs allowed us to easily feed React and Drupal with structured data, filter options, and search results. It also enabled us to render useful, income-based rent information directly to users dynamically.

  • Customized rendering: Drupal's theme system and template suggestions allowed us to precisely control the markup and easily customize the display of each unique property type and detail page.

  • Empowered content admins: The improved admin workflow allows non-technical staff to easily update property information, rent data, and availability without developer intervention.

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Outcome

Since launch, the new housing search experience has streamlined how users discover and apply for income-restricted housing in Colorado.

Visitors can now filter and compare properties, understand rent expectations up front, and confidently navigate the application process. Internally, the CCH team has reduced the number of staff inquiries related to rent eligibility—freeing up time for direct service work.

By reimagining their housing search experience with Drupal, the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless is making it simpler for individuals and families to take the first step toward stable housing—and ultimately, toward stability and hope.

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Why Drupal was chosen

CCH’s website was already built on Drupal, making it a natural fit for extending and improving their property listings. As a long-time pro bono client of our agency—and given our deep expertise in Drupal—it made sense to continue building on the existing foundation.

Drupal’s scalability and maintainability ensured that future housing programs or listings could be easily added without re-engineering the site. By leveraging the tools CCH already had in place, we were able to focus on solving the most important problem: helping users find affordable housing quickly and clearly.

Technical Specifications

Drupal version:

Why these modules/theme/distribution were chosen

Since launch, the new housing search experience has streamlined how users discover and apply for income-restricted housing in Colorado.

Visitors can now filter and compare properties, understand rent expectations up front, and confidently navigate the application process. Internally, the CCH team has reduced the number of staff inquiries related to rent eligibility—freeing up time for direct service work.

By reimagining their housing search experience with Drupal, the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless is making it simpler for individuals and families to take the first step toward stable housing—and ultimately, toward stability and hope.