Through the efforts of parents and professionals, The Resource Exchange (TRE) was incorporated in 1964. By 1968, there was one full-time coordinator, a secretary, two bus drivers, and a budget of $75,000, serving 85 children and adults. Later, a sheltered workshop was started providing 35 people with vocational training. Currently TRE has just under 300 employees, and an operating budget of about $17.5 million. We serve individuals and families in communities throughout El Paso, Park and Teller counties, with a mission to build independence for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The Resource Exchange is a “Community Centered Board.” For more than four decades, Community Centered Boards (CCBs) have managed and delivered services to children and adults with developmental disabilities in partnership with private, community-based service agencies and providers. In 1963, Colorado statute authorized CCBs to be responsible for community services for people with developmental disabilities, offering an alternative to institutionalization in state operated regional facilities. Currently there are twenty Community Centered Boards serving approximately 19,000 individuals and their families throughout Colorado.
As of July 1, 2019, TRE assumed Single Entry Point entry responsibilities and now administers all of Colorado’s Medicaid waivers. By bringing all waivers here, we believe we can achieve greater efficiencies and the level of quality for which we are known across the state.
As a Community Centered Board, TRE is responsible to determine eligibility, provide comprehensive case management and provide or purchase services and supports for the people we serve. TRE’s four-county service area includes El Paso, Pueblo, Park and Teller Counties.
CCBs continue to lead the nation in supporting the independence, productivity, and integration of the people we serve. CCBs enable them to exercise their rights to live, learn, play and work in their home communities with dignity, abundant choices, opportunities and responsibilities accorded to all citizens. Above all, CCBs believe that all people have the inherent value and the right to exert control and responsibility over their own lives.
