2006: Colorado Springs Event

Date:         Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Time:         5:30 – 7:30 pm
Place:       First United Methodist Church
                    420 N. Nevada St.
                    Colorado Springs, CO

Contact: Emily Arell, Colorado Consumer Health Initiative

Fact Sheet: What it Costs to Live in Colorado Springs

General Overview of the Colorado Springs Event:

There were approximately 100 people in attendance at the event. A “Community Resource Fair” was held prior to the event and program information was provided by several local and statewide agencies and advocacy organizations.

Liz Feder, a local Colorado College Professor and member of the
Colorado Consumer Health Initiative Colorado Springs Steering
Committee moderated the event and introduced all of the panelists.
She gave an overview of the self-sufficient standard and explained how
it is a more accurate measure of a family’s needs than the outdated
federal poverty level.

Several community members shared their personal experiences
struggling from Paycheck to Paycheck in El Paso County.

The panel, made up of local experts on homelessness, hunger and
healthcare in Colorado Springs, was asked to answer two specific
questions:

1) How does poverty manifest itself in your community?

2) What do you think are some local/state solutions to address poverty
and how can we support those efforts?

The panelists were:

Bob Holmes, Homeward Pikes Peak
Jane Hammond, Mental Health Association
Rosemary Harris, Women’s Resource Agency
Nicholas Saccaro, Care N’ Share
Rosemary Bakes-Martin, El Paso County Health Department

Some of the key points that resulted from this panel were:

Barriers to self sufficiency:

Cliff effect – with a small increase in income, benefits are lost, before a person can become self sufficient.
Affordable health insurance for every person

Very difficult to get medication
Specialty care not available
Co-occurring disorders need single-entry point
Unable to get specialty screening for diagnosis
Services are fragmented (some areas have duplication, others have lack of care)

Minimum wage; job insecurity. Living on the edge; no room for any contingencies.
Housing requires 110 hours a week at minimum wage, with housing costs at 30% of income. Motel life is a black hole. Cannot save 1st/last months rent & security deposit. Housing First programs work (with support from case worker).
Day care – cost is an incredible part of the problem. Significant increase in child-care assistance needed, based on the demands of the marketplace.
Access to mental health care:

Difficult system to understand
Huge limits on psychotropic drug
Untreated costs (job terminations; absenteeism; ER visits when conditions worsen). For $12K - $15K, could provide meds and an apartment, versus $25K in annual costs of homeless services.
High rate of substance abuse among homeless
Disorders are often highly treatable – at twice the rate of physical illnesses
Behavioral health care – small cost – significant return on investment by keeping mental health-care patients stabilized on meds.

Recommendations

Behavioral health care should be an insurance mandate
Make federal assistance programs more accessible to those
who qualify (food stamps etc)
Increase partnerships with landlords. Katrina showed they
are willing to help, and they can provide affordable housing & still make a profit. They want good screening.
Better coordination between HUD and HHS funding – HUD covers capital and HHS covers staffing – projects need both
Convince business that providing benefits is cost effective in reduction of turnover. Demonstrated in businesses like McDonalds (from 300% to virtually 0% with health insurance, day care, after school computer programs, management training, etc).
Look to people living in poverty for expertise. Ingenious individuals can come up with good ideas. Mobilize clients to
be party of policy changes and have a voice.
State legislative task force to restore beds at Fort Logan and increase funding to mental health-care centers.
Mental health-care parity
Coordinated system of care for health care service
Continue to provide emergency assistance while seeking
longer term solutions
Take an inventory of available affordable housing needed –
in each community and statewide
Affordable health insurance