2006: Greeley Event:
Date: Saturday, September 23
Time: 9:00 – 11:00 am
Place: Jeus Rodarte Cultural Centernter
1920 A. Street704 N. 8th St.
Greeley, Colorado 80631
Contact: Deb Deboutez, Colorado Coalition for the Homeless
Fact Sheet: What it Costs to Live in Greeley
General Overview of Greeley Event:
The panel, made up of local experts on homelessness, hunger and
healthcare in Greeley, 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:
- Kathy White, Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute
- Leona Martens, Weld Food Bank
- Jodi Hartmann, Greeley Transitional House
- Mike Bloom, North Colorado Health Alliance
Some of the key points that resulted from this panel were:
Barriers to self sufficiency:
- Homelessness & Poverty:
- Greeley is the poorest area in Northern Colorado -- vastly poorer than Fort Collins & Loveland.
- It ranks 338th of 361 Colorado cities. Boulder ranks 7th, Denver 12th, and even Pueblo - considered very poor by many - ranks 311th.
- It's estimated that 1% are homeless at any time. That's 750 - 1,000 people in Greeley, which is likely understated. There are many more sleeping on couches in homes of friends & family.
- Half the homeless in Greeley are families with kids - many of those single moms with kids.
- Significant problems with identification. Many cannot provide original birth certificate & original social-security card for every member of the family.
- Domestic violence is a factor for 60-70% of single women in shelters.
- Low wages:
- Minimum wage doesn't keep up rising costs of housing, child care, health care, etc.
- The real value of the minimum wage is 26% than it was when the current rate was set.
- Lack of Affordable Housing
- Average two-bedroom apartment in Greeley costs $619/month. That requires 2.4 minimum-wage workers.
- Most are on long wait lists for housing assistance. The average is 35 months, if they are not currently living in a shelter.
- There is an extreme shortage of affordable housing for the very poor, while there is a bit more at the low-mid range.
- Decreasing Public Assistance
- Levels of public assistance are not increased for inflation. With cash assistance through TANF (Temporary Aid for Needy Families) and Food Stamps, a family's income is just 29% of the federal poverty level.
- Social Security (SSI) provides just 69% of the cost of rent for a one-bedroom apartment.
- Housing assistance is inadequate, providing approximately one third the recommended subsidy.
- Access to Health Care
- Opportunity cost of getting to services is overwhelming (don't have a car, or money for gas. Miss another 1/2 work & risk losing job)
- Lucky if there is a community health center
- Battery of eligibility determinations - defies understanding. (Medicaid, Children's Health Plan, Colorado Indigent Care Program)
- Prescriptions are unaffordable. Even with clinic discounts, still cost at least $8
- Very few specialists will see the uninsured.
- Colorado Indigent Care Program will cover costs of surgery in a hospital, but few doctors, and NO Anesthesiologists accept it.
- The cards are stacked against an uninsured person seeking acute care, let along preventive care. It takes an extraordinary effort to get adequate health care.
- Access to Transportation
- few people living in poverty have reliable transportation, even if they have a car.
- Not unusual to take 2-3 buses to get children to child-care & parents to work.
- Access to adequate, nutritious Food
- The need for food in Weld County is intense -- the food bank served 151 families in the last two days.
- Among those seeking food assistance, 42% are children, and 22% are 65 or older.
- Only 19% of those eligible for Food Stamps are actually receiving them.
- Long-term impact on children is serious, on their ability to learn, and recover from illness.
- Access to education & job training
- Very little funding available to provide education & training, particularly for those needing child-care assistance as well.
Recommendations
- Housing First strategies are achieving high success rates. With housing, it is possible for people to get stabilized and begin to address problems such as chronic illness, injuries, addiction, and mental illness. At that point, people can begin to learn basic living skills and seek services, such as vocational training.
- Affordable Housing: Blue Ribbon Panel is looking at ways to increase the affordable housing supply. One proposal is a Colorado Housing Investment Fund - which would provide a reliable ongoing funding source, and could provide greater subsidies needed to build housing that will be affordable to the very poor (under 30% area median income). Still lots of discussion re: how it could be funded. Thirty-five states have such funds, which generate from $1 to $12 in private-sector investments for every state $1 invested.
- Faith-based services. Infrastructure may be forming to look at this potential. Religious interagency group recently succeeded in getting all voices at one table.
- Opportunities for Clients to provide feedback is critical. If the homeless are not included in finding solutions for poverty & evaluating proposals, the outcome will likely be useless in meeting their needs.
- Appreciation expressed for this event - a "safe space" for conversation. One person pointed to service agencies that treat people in a way that lacks empathy and is demeaning. Said the poor will spend a precious dollar on coffee just for decent human contact.
- Seems to be a move toward government scapegoating vulerable people. Would like to see no-fault assistance to the needy. Oppressed need the ability to organize as well.