Colorado Coalition for the Homeless

COALITION’S HEALTHY KIDS FAIR GIVES HOMELESS CHILDREN THE RIGHT START TO SCHOOL

Free screenings and school supplies at back-to-school health fair mean homeless children in metro Denver will have a better chance to succeed when they return to the classroom.

DENVER — Exam rooms and hallways at the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless’ Stout Street Clinic will be packed Saturday, August 6th for the annual Healthy Kids Fair. Dozens of health care professionals are volunteering their time to give approximately 200 homeless children immunizations, vision, hearing and dental screenings so the children can get a healthy start to the new school year.  Each child will also receive a backpack full of new school supplies.

It’s common for homeless children to be missing out on basic health care; 33 percent lack essential immunizations, 27 percent have never seen a dentist and 15 percent receive their only medical care in emergency rooms. Homeless children are sick more often than their housed peers, having 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.

At the Coalition’s Healthy Kids Fair, parents who are struggling to provide food, shelter and other basic necessities can access vital health services – all in one place.  “A big benefit is the one stop access to so many specialists: the vaccines, hearing exams, dental check-ups, eye glasses,” says Renee Shykind, PNP, the Coalition’s Pediatric Services Coordinator.

Families who visit the Healthy Kids Fair are living in motels, shelters or transitional housing around the Denver metro area.  Some are newly homeless and on the streets. Most are uninsured. The leading causes of homelessness among families are the lack of affordable housing, poverty and domestic violence.

The Fair always includes an educational component and this year, there will be a special focus on healthy habits and nutrition.  Kids will get to learn the steps to the Let’s Move! Dance, part of a program developed by First Lady Michelle Obama to address the epidemic of childhood obesity.
Children will also be able to get free hair cuts.

In the United States, one child in 50 is homeless. Families with children are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population. There are more than 11,000 homeless people on any given night in the seven-county Denver metro area. Sixty percent are families with children.

The number of homeless children and youth enrolled in Colorado State Public Schools increased by 50 percent, or by 6,106 children, between 2007 and 2010. During the 2009 – 2010 school year, 18,408 children who attended a Colorado public school were homeless. The number of homeless students increased by 152 percent during the eight-year period of 2002 through 2010.

The Fair is made possible with the generous sponsorship of: DISH Network, IFMA, Verizon, Elavon, the Denver Outlaws, Cavity Free at Three, Edukit and KIND Healthy Snacks in conjunction with Whole Foods Denver -- providing funding, medical and school supplies and volunteers for this event.

The Coalition is grateful for volunteer medical screeners from: University of Colorado School of Pharmacy, Children's Dentistry of Aurora, Children's Eye Physicians and Advanced Audiology.  Denver School of the Arts student volunteers will entertain families with music and face painting. 

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.

The Coalition serves 16,000 homeless and at-risk individuals, families and children annually. The Coalition’s Stout Street Clinic provided healthcare services to 1,494 children and teens in 2010.