The Homeless Brief

The Coalition routinely tracks news and policy related to homelessness in Colorado and across America. Highlights from September, 2011 are below.

POVERTY AFFECTS 46 MILLION AMERICANS
USAToday.com – Marisol Bello, September 29 - The recession that led to an explosion in poverty and homelessness began in December 2007 and ended — officially, anyway — in June 2009. It not only made the poor poorer, it snagged those who thought they had worked themselves out of poverty and blindsided those who never thought they would be caught in its net.

RURAL HOMELESSNESS IS THE SILENT EPIDEMIC
AlamosaNews.com - Lance Cheslock, September 28 - The plight of the rural homeless receives little attention, and subsequently, only meager federal and philanthropic resources have come forward to address the problem.

RENEWING THE AMERICAN DREAM – INVESTING IN OUR COMMUNITIES’ WELL-BEING
Blog.hud.gov - Mercedes Marquez, September 27 - Last week, I had the opportunity to visit the West End Flats development underway at the corner of West Colfax Avenue and Zenobia Street in West Denver, one of the city’s most diverse neighborhoods. In partnership with the City of Denver, the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and its subsidiary Renaissance Housing Development Corporation is constructing a five-story mixed-use mixed-income housing development. To read a Denver Post report, click here.

BEATING DEATH OF HOMELESS MAN IN COLORADO SPRINGS RULED HOMICIDE
KRDO.com, September 26 - A 47-year-old homeless man attacked while he slept in a Colorado Springs park earlier this month has died, and an autopsy ruled he died of blunt force trauma.

WORKING VETS FACE HOMELESSNESS
DurangoHerald.com – Lynda Edwards, September 23 - Last year, the Durango Community Shelter served 555 people, and 17 percent of them were veterans, said Volunteers of America division director Sarada Leavenworth. Many of those veterans, like many of her homeless clients, have jobs. They simply cannot afford Durango-area rents.

$27.7 MILLION IN GRANTS AWARDED TO HELP PROVIDE SERVICES TO THOSE WHO ARE CHRONICALLY HOMELESS
SAMHSA.gov, September 23 - The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced today 20 new grants totaling up to $27.7 million, over three years, to local organizations, including the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, working to reduce chronic homelessness in their communities.

TWO POLICE OFFICERS CHARGED IN DEATH OF HOMELESS MAN
ABCNews.com – Amy Taxin and Greg Risling, September 21 - The fatal police beating of a mentally ill, homeless man, prosecutors say, began with one officer snapping on a pair of latex gloves and a single threat.

RESPONDING BEFORE A CALL IS NEEDED
NYTimes.com – Kirk Johnson, September 18 - Around the mid-2000s, San Francisco, and later San Diego and Washington, D.C., among others, began sending paramedics into homeless populations, aiming to reduce 911 calls.

NEW REPORT ANALYZES THE EFFECTS OF CUTS TO FEDERAL HOUSING PROGRAMS ON LOW-INCOME FAMILIES
CBPP.org - Will Fisher, September 16 - A new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities looks at Congress' proposed cuts to public housing programs and the potentially detrimental effects they would have on low-income and formerly homeless families.

COLORADO SUPREME COURT DECLINES TO HEAR BOULDER HOMELESS CAMPING CASE
DailyCamera.com – Heath Urie, September 12 - A Boulder attorney is vowing to continue his crusade against the city's anti-camping law even after the Colorado Supreme Court refused to hear a case alleging the ordinance is unconstitutional.

RESTAURANT AIMS TO END HOMELESSNESS ONE PIZZA AT A TIME
CBSDenver.com, September 3 – Alfreda Anderson became homeless after several years of unemployment. She’s been working at Pizza Fusion since it opened in June.

DOWN AND OUT IN L.A.: WHEN THE MIDDLE CLASS GOES HOMELESS
Time.com – Jens Erik Gould, September 2 - Homelessness is not a new phenomenon in California. What is new — and so alarming — is that more and more of the homeless are families that once believed they were secure members of the middle class.

Last Updated: November 23, 2011