CCH Q & A
We welcome your interest in the Coalition and hope the list below addresses your specific question. If you need further assistance, please feel free to contact us.
1. What is the mission of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless?
2. How does the Coalition respond to people experiencing homelessness
3. What services does the Coalition provide?
4. How do you address homelessness in rural communities?
5. Who is homeless and why?
6. How many people are homeless in Colorado?
7. How many people are homeless in the United States?
8. How many people does the Coalition help every year?
9. How can a homeless family or individual get help?
10. How does homelessness affect families and children?
11. What can be done for families living in homelessness?
12. How do you respond to the social stigma often attached to persons experiencing homelessness?
13. How has the current economic crisis in the United States impacted homelessness?
14. Can people be employed and be homeless?
15. Why is the cost of housing out of reach for so many people?
16. Who is most affected when foreclosures force tenants out?
17. What is Housing First?
18. Where can students and teachers find additional information?
19. What if my question isn’t answered here?
1. What is the mission of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless?
The mission of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless is to work collaboratively toward the prevention of homelessness and the creation of lasting solutions for homeless and at-risk families, children, and individuals throughout Colorado. CCH advocates for and provides a continuum of housing and a variety of services to improve the health, well-being and stability of those it serves. Since its founding almost 25 years ago, the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless has earned state and national recognition for its integrated healthcare, housing and service programs. The Coalition’s comprehensive approach addresses the causes of homelessness, as well as the consequences, offering critical assistance to nearly 15,000 individuals and families each year. We believe in bold vision, decisive action and careful stewardship of resources. The Coalition is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. (1/09)
2. How does the Coalition respond to people experiencing homelessness?
We recognize that each homeless individual has a unique story and set of challenges. We work to meet their immediate needs, with the ultimate goal of helping them find and maintain housing. We realize that a home is critical for safety and security, for finding and holding a job, and for maintaining physical and emotional well-being. (1/09)
3. What services does the Coalition provide?
Our services fall in three areas: housing, healthcare and social support services. The development of Permanent Affordable Housing is vital to our mission to create lasting solutions to homelessness. Thanks to the help of our generous donors and advocates, we now provide homes for nearly 2,100 individuals and families. The Coalition’s Healthcare Services are delivered primarily through the Stout Street Clinic – more than 12,000 homeless patients were treated in 2007. Other homeless support services provided by the Coalition include Street Outreach, Rental Assistance, Benefits Acquisition, Employment Counseling and Childcare. For a complete understanding of our programs and services, visit the What We Do section of our site. (1/09)
4. How do you address homelessness in rural communities?
Responding to the growing incidence of homelessness in Colorado’s small towns, farming communities and mountain communities, the Coalition coordinates the Rural Initiatives Program – a collaboration uniting homeless service providers in fourteen locations throughout Colorado. Low wages, seasonal jobs, high rents, low vacancy rates and limited mass transit contribute to the incidence of homelessness in rural areas. (1/09)
5. Who is homeless and why?
A shortage of affordable housing and a simultaneous increase in poverty are the two major trends responsible for the rise in homelessness over the past 25 years. Escalating unemployment, stagnant wages, rising foreclosures affecting renters and home owners, unforeseen health care and disability expenses or no health care at all, and exorbitant food, gas and utility costs have forced more people than ever into homelessness. Children under the age of 18 account for about 40 percent of the total homeless population in the U.S., 42 percent of these children are under the age of five. Single men comprise about 50 percent and single women, 17 percent. Nationally, approximately half of all women and children experiencing homelessness are fleeing domestic violence. Forty percent of homeless men have served in the armed forces. Approximately 16 percent of the single adult homeless population suffers from some form of severe and persistent mental illness. (1/09)
6. How many people are homeless in Colorado?
According to The Colorado Statewide Homeless Count point-in-time study, there were an estimated 16,203 homeless men, women and children on August 28, 2006. Of this total, more than 10,000 individuals were from the Denver Metro area. Due to the transient existence of people who are homeless, it is difficult to conduct an accurate census. These numbers are likely an undercount of state residents who are actually homeless on any given night of the year. Still, this point-in-time study is considered the most thorough and current count to date by government agencies and organizations working with the homeless. (1/09)
7. How many people are homeless in the United States?
As many as 3.5 million Americans are thought to experience homelessness each year – over 1.35 million of these are children. On any given night, at least 672,000 men, women and children are without homes in the United States. (1/09)
8. How many people does the Coalition help every year?
The Coalition provides direct services to over 12,000 homeless men, women and children each year. For a complete understanding of our programs and services, visit the What We Do section of our site. (1/09)
9. How can a homeless family or individual get help?
Please call the Coalition’s central number at 303.293-2217 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Or, dial 2-1-1 for Mile High United Way’s free, resource call center open 7 days a week, 24-hours a day. Dispatchers can connect you with a range of services and organizations, depending on your needs. Families and individuals needing services outside the Metro Area can visit http://www.211colorado.org/ for information about call centers in other parts of the state. A list of homeless service providers (shelters, support services, food banks) in the Denver Metro Area is available on the website of Denver’s Road Home Program. Please visit Get Help on this website for more detailed information. (1/09)
10. How does homelessness affect families and children?
About 600,000 families and 1.35 million children experience homelessness in the United States each year, and about 50 percent of the total homeless population is part of a family. If children begin life experiencing homelessness, they will be sick more often than their housed peers, especially if they’re 5 years old or younger. They’ll have twice as many ear infections, four times as many asthma attacks, five times more stomach problems, six times as many speech problems, and twice as many hospitalizations – including 60 percent more emergency room visits, than housed kids. (1/09)
11. What can be done for families living in homelessness?
Families experiencing homelessness need and benefit from services. Because families who experience homelessness have different needs, there is no cookie-cutter model that works for all families. Some may be able to transition into housing with minimal help, others require more support services to exit the homeless assistance system and remain stably housed. Once back in housing, links to mainstream services like mental health counseling, child development services, or employment training are important for building strong families that are no longer at risk for homelessness. To learn how the Coalition helps families, please visit the What We Do section of our site. (1/09)
12. How do you respond to the social stigma often attached to persons experiencing homelessness?
We continually raise public awareness of homelessness at local, state and national levels through public education and legislative advocacy programs designed for policy-makers, community and business leaders, other homeless service organizations, students, the news media and the general public. (1/09)
13. How has the current economic crisis in the United States impacted homelessness?
The foreclosure and economic crises are significantly increasing homelessness and the number of families at risk of homelessness across the country, and in Colorado. The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness has reported that preliminary data from cities and organizations is showing homelessness increases of as much as 20 percent. In Denver, the number of employed persons who are homeless has increased over the past year because of the tightening job market and decreasing wages. Additionally, because of layoffs in the area, Denver has seen an increase in families experiencing homelessness. As we experience this mounting economic crisis, many of Denver’s homeless housing and service providers are experiencing record need. For example, the Denver Rescue Mission reports providing 5,000 more meals and 2,000 more shelter nights in October 2008 than the previous October. The St. Francis Center reports serving 150 more people daily on average than a year ago. The Coalition’s Stout Street Clinic has seen a 16% increase in patient visits over the past year, and has been forced to put more than 120 homeless persons seeking mental health services on a waiting list. (1/09)
14. Can people be employed and be homeless?
Yes. Approximately 3.5 million people experience homelessness each year, and the federal government estimates that 42 percent of them are working. In Denver, 40% of people experiencing homelessness work; estimates in 24 other major U.S. cities are around 25%.Minimum wage jobs, primarily in the service sector, pay below even modest calculations of the cost of living. As a result, many working individuals and families find themselves with nowhere to turn but shelters and the streets. In Colorado, there is not a single county where a minimum wage worker (@ $7.02 an hour) can afford the fair market rent for a one-bedroom apartment, working 40 hours per week. (1/09)
15. Why is the cost of housing out of reach for so many people?
While the Federal minimum wage has risen only nominally since 1997, housing costs have significantly increased across the nation. Currently, there is no jurisdiction in the U.S. where a minimum wage worker can afford even a one-bedroom apartment at fair market rent. As the subprime mortgage crisis forces moderate-income households to lower-cost rental housing, the poor find themselves increasingly squeezed out. The widening gap between housing cost and income puts millions of people at risk of losing their homes and facing life on the street or in shelters. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development reports that in the last ten years, average rents increased 75 percent in the Denver metro area. During the same period, average wages in the area increased only 47 percent. (1/09)
16. Who is most affected when foreclosures force tenants out?
Mortgage foreclosures, involving rental properties, are becoming ever more frequent across the United States. Low-income and extremely low-income households are the most heavily impacted. Investor-owned, one- to four-family rental properties account for nearly 20 percent of all foreclosures. Because many of the high-risk home purchase and refinance loans now in default are concentrated in low-income and minority communities, the fallout from foreclosures is hitting the same neighborhoods where many of the nation’s most economically vulnerable renters live. The blighting influence of vacant and foreclosed properties also will accelerate the abandonment of low-cost rental properties in distressed neighborhoods, further limiting the supply of affordable housing. (1/09)
17. What is Housing First?
Housing First is an approach designed to help chronically homeless individuals move more quickly off the streets or out of the shelter system. It includes crisis intervention, rapid access to housing and follow-up case management and therapeutic support services to prevent the recurrence of homelessness. Denver and a growing number of communities across the country have implemented Housing First programs as part of their Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness. Mounting evidence demonstrates that the Housing First approach works, especially for chronically homeless individuals with disabilities and those for whom more traditional programs have not worked. (1/09)
18. Where can students and teachers find additional information?
Please thoroughly explore our website where you will find many answers to your questions about homelessness and the Coalition. If you are interested in volunteer or internship opportunities, please visit our Volunteer section. For additional information, email us at education@coloradocoalition.org. (1/09)
19. What if my question isn’t answered here?
Please visit our Jobs, Volunteer and Donate sections for more Q & A related to those areas. You can also choose a department on the Contact Us section of our website to email your specific question. (1/09)