As homelessness becomes a growing issue in our community, I know one thing to be true: We all want to live in a thriving community where everyone has a safe place to call home.
The challenge is how we get there. We need to set aside blame, stereotypes and the “us” versus “them” approach because it has not brought our neighbors inside. Real steps need to be taken toward a community where we see each other as brothers and sisters, where everyone has a stable home and a community where we are all thriving.
We need to see homelessness and housing insecurity as a community crisis that can be solved through collaboration because there is room for everyone to contribute to the solution.
Recently, I had the pleasure of joining our mayor, city manager and several other leaders from our community in a trip to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Why Milwaukee, you might ask? Milwaukee is a city that is close to becoming the first in the nation to end homelessness, according to the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness.
What we discovered during our time there was a community who knew that no one person, area business, nonprofit, government agency or community leader could reduce or end homelessness alone. They all agreed the philosophy of non-collaborative efforts doesn’t work.
They were aligned in thinking that doing nothing, results in nothing being done, and that is unacceptable. The collaborative work that the city of Milwaukee has done is a testament to what can be accomplished when communities come together.
United Way and its community partners have been at the table for many years working to tackle this issue. It’s a pleasure to see so many community partners now ready to engage in the work of tackling the issue of homelessness and, like Milwaukee, are beginning to understand the importance of collaborative efforts. There’s still plenty of room at the table for those who are willing to pull up their sleeves and join the collaborative efforts.
Unlike Denver, which has about 9,000 homeless individuals, Greeley needs to house approximately 700 individuals who have been identified as homeless, living in conditions not meant for habitation, or are in shelters.
While the pathway to resolving each household’s housing crisis is unique, we know if we are willing to do what the city of Milwaukee did and anchor our response in a genuine Housing First approach, we will ensure homelessness is rare, brief, and one-time.
Tackling this issue is at the forefront for United Way of Weld County and many other partners that are ready to stand with the City of Greeley to get to work. The first homeless temporary residence in Greeley, the Guadalupe Shelter, opened in 1987. Over the course of the last 36 years, homelessness in our community has not, nor will not be going away overnight. But this is the most promising time for Greeley and Weld County to unite and tackle this issue.
While there are still some who should be at the table but have not quite come around yet, I am hopeful they will join the effort soon. Most importantly, we need to see our unhoused brothers and sisters as neighbors who need our help. If we are brave, compassionate and committed to take on this issue as a collaborative responsibility, I am confident we can make our community one where everyone has a safe place to call home.
Ernest Cienfuegos-Baca is the Vice President of Community Impact at United Way of Weld County
