Homeless outreach advocate Nick Verni-Lau has died. Here's a look at his legacy in Fort Collins.
Fort Collins' community of homeless service providers is reeling after the unexpected death of one of their own.
Nick Verni-Lau, the first program director of Outreach Fort Collins — a nonprofit that responds to people who are at-risk or experiencing homelessness in portions of the city — died Nov. 4 from diabetic complications. He was 37 years old.
Nick came to Fort Collins to lead Outreach Fort Collins right after its founding in 2016, according to Vanessa Fenley and David Rout — two of the organization's founding board members.
"He brought a new exciting energy and had a ton of experience," said Rout, who serves as executive director of the Fort Collins-based nonprofit Homeward Alliance.
"Nick is just impossible not to like," Rout added. "I think the overwhelming reaction (to his death) is just shock."
Nick served as Outreach Fort Collins' program director until his resignation in 2021. In the last year of his life, he worked on the housing voucher administration team for Fort Collins' housing authority, Housing Catalyst. Most recently, Rout said Nick started a new job with Bitfocus, a software company that helps communities adopt data-driven strategies in their health, human and social service offerings.
Nick began his career in housing but later focused on homeless programs
After growing up in Rockford, Illinois — where his father, Gary, worked for the city's housing authority for decades and his mom, Barb, was a community activist — Nick's post-college plans led him to the Urban Service Corps, which stationed him in Denver, according to his older brother Tim Verni-Lau.
Nick would go on to work for Denver's Urban Peak, a nonprofit offering housing programs, support services and case management for individuals facing homelessness, as well as the Denver-based Colorado Coalition for the Homeless.
His work took him to Fort Collins in 2016 when he accepted the director role at Outreach Fort Collins — a job Nick thrived in, according to Fenley, Rout and Tim.
Previous reporting:Fort Collins doesn't have one homeless problem, but many questions
"It was a big part of his life," Tim said. "I think, for him, the biggest part was making sure (people who were experiencing homelessness) had a voice and were treated with dignity and respect."
"He had a unique gift for talking to and getting support from people, which was a big part of (Outreach Fort Collins)," Tim added. "He would always tell me, 'I just met this guy and he's going to help us do this (for the community).' "
"He appreciated the people who took time out of their days to support his work," Tim added.
That support has continued even after Nick's death. A GoFundMe campaign created to help his parents cover funeral expenses had brought in nearly $16,000 of donations as of Tuesday morning — doubling the campaign's original $7,000 goal.
Any GoFundMe funds that exceed Nick's funeral expenses will be donated to homeless outreach in his memory, according to the website.
Previous reporting:Outreach Fort Collins to expand, wants to be 'antidote to despair' for homeless, businesses
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Fort Collins homeless outreach advocate Nick Verni-Lau has died
