2006: Grand Junction Event

Date:        Thursday, October 5, 2006
Time:       5:00 – 7:30 pm
Place:      Intermountain Adventist Academy, in the gymnasium
                  1704 N. 8th St.
                  Grand Junction, Colorado 81501

Contact: Jennifer Gremmert, Energy Outreach Colorado

Fact Sheet: What It Costs to Live in Grand Junction

General Overview of Grand Junction Event:

There were approximately 25 people in attendance at the event. A “Community Resource Fair” was held prior to the event and program information was provided by Food Bank of the Rockies, Grand Valley Catholic Outreach, Early Childhood Partnership of Mesa County as well
as the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute, Energy Outreach Colorado, the Colorado Anti-Hunger Network and the Colorado Coalition for the
Homeless.

Sr. Karen Bland, the Executive Director of Grand Valley Catholic
Outreach, moderated the event and introduced all of the panelists.
She identified that during the recent Statewide Homeless Point in time
study in Mesa County there were 1,180 homeless individuals identified
and 70 percent were identified as having a mental or physical disability.

Two clients of Grand Valley Catholic Outreach, Don Bird and Dawn
Schefler, told their very personal stories about struggling with
addictions, mental health issues, and disabilities and overcoming
these obstacles in order to become self-sufficient. They both had
accessed social services in Mesa County, including Catholic Outreach
and the Marillac Clinic, and were grateful for their availability. Dawn indicated that medication that she received for her depression from the Marillac Clinic “saved her life”.

The panel, made up of local experts on homelessness, hunger and
healthcare in Grand Junction, 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:

Teresa Black, Executive Director, Homeward Bound of the Grand Valley
Starlene Collins, Western Slope Manager, Food Bank of the Rockies
Steve Hurd, Executive Director, Marillac Clinic
Beverly Lampley, Program Director, Grand Valley Catholic Outreach

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

Lack of Affordable Housing: Grand Junction currently has a less than 2 percent vacancy rate. There is a 1 ½ - 2 year waiting list for affordable housing assistance. Lack of affordable housing is a huge issue in this growing community especially with a growing oil and gas industry that brings more “fragile” families from other states into the mix. Hotels have become a primary affordable housing option but the overall higher monthly rates make it difficult for people to save up enough to get deposits in order to move into more permanent units.
Oil and Gas Development: The increase in oil and gas development on the western slope has brought mixed blessings. Higher wages and new jobs are coming into the community but they are driving up prices for the already low inventory of affordable units. Domestic violence and methamphetamine use seem to be increasing with this population and families that are already “fragile” are facing challenges with lack of transportation to jobs in the gas fields or where the service jobs are located, lack of affordable child care and, in some cases, the job training they need to work in this industry.

Cultural Competency: It was observed that there is a gap in attitudes between the middle class and lower income individuals and that the values of the middle class (provided by case managers and volunteers in some cases) do not always correspond with the folks they are trying to assist. There was also a gap identified in the ability to deal with Spanish speaking families in need.
Health Care Gaps: It was noted that 19,000 – 20,000 individuals out of 127,000 living in the area do not have health insurance. The Marillac Clinic is only able to serve approximately 6,000 of those without insurance or 30 percent. High medical bills also were indicated as a major challenge for families, forcing many into bankruptcy.

Need for More Financial Education: There was a significant amount of discussion about the financial challenges facing many families and traps that credit cards, payday loans and predatory lending create and which are exacerbated when a family faces a job loss or medical emergency.

Keys to Success that were identified:

Access to training
Access to jobs
Access to affordable housing
Access to affordable child care
Access to transportation

Solutions Identified:

Legislation around predatory lending
Increase outreach to families about services that are available – work through Benevolent Community Partnership that has developed in this community
Develop cultural competency and awareness of case workers and volunteers