2020 has been a dismal and unprecedented year due to COVID-19. However, we have some good news to share. Homelessness is being eliminated in northern Colorado one person at a time, especially among the homeless veteran population.
By the end of 2021, United Way of Weld County, in partnership with over 40 partner agencies, hopes to end veteran homelessness in Weld and Larimer counties. We will do this by utilizing the Coordinated Assessment and Housing Placement System (CAHPS), which UWWC facilitates by employing the staff member responsible for the coordination of these 40-plus partner agencies. The system provides streamlined and equitable access for northern Coloradoans who are experiencing homelessness. CAHPS is a collaborative effort, relying on numerous agencies in Weld and Larimer counties to achieve success. The success of the program since 2016 has been amazing. Below is a story showing an example of the success of CAHPS.
Marcus, an Air Force veteran, had been stably housed for years. Following a stroke, Marcus not only lost the use of the left side of his body, but also his housing. Confined to a wheel chair, he was forced to sleep on the streets. As things got worse for Marcus, he began to lose hope and eventually stopped trying to meet even his most basic needs.
Through CAHPS, Marcus was assessed to determine his level of vulnerability. Based on his score, it was determined that without housing he had a high likelihood of dying while homeless. Marcus was connected, through CAHPS, with permanent housing and the medical health care he needed.
Under the old system, Marcus would have been placed on a waitlist and likely would have waited years to come to the top of the list. Considering his high level of medical needs, it is very probable that Marcus would not have been able to survive this long. Instead, with CAHPS, Marcus was able to access housing within months and now is stably housed, health and happy.
- Since February 2016, 406 veterans have found stable housing through CAHPS.
- In April 2017, we rolled out CAHPS for single adults experiencing homelessness and 252 single adults have been housed.
- Since March 2018, 241 families have found stable housing because of CAHPS.
- The CAHPS process started with youth in January 2019, and 11 youth have found stable housing.
Dan Dennie is a former UWWC board member who was always impressed at United Way of Weld County’s efforts to help people become more self-sufficient.
“But as a 21-year veteran of the Air Force, I’m even more impressed by their efforts to assist veterans,” Dennie says. “While I knew that Weld County was home to many veterans, I had no idea that there were so many homeless veterans. Often, when a veteran leaves the military, they have difficulty adjusting to a new life with struggles of finding employment that matches their military experience, demands on their finances that they are not accustomed to and a lack of real interviewing experience. Unfortunately, these struggles all too often result in difficulty finding meaningful employment and permanent housing. And as a fellow veteran, it makes my heart happy to know that through CAHPS over 400 veterans have found a real home.”
CAHPS does not work alone. CAHPS is a partnership and a collaboration. It is 40 agencies and organizations across Weld and Larimer counties working together to house individuals and families experiencing homelessness. As the CAHPS coordinator, I am honored to work with so many providers that care so much about our homeless populations and are willing to go above and beyond to help them find stable housing.
In order to continue to do the work we do, we can’t do it alone. UWWC will not continue to survive as a nonprofit in Weld County and do this work without contributions and community support. Please consider donating or volunteering to UWWC. Call us at (970) 353-4300 or go to unitedway-weld.org for more information.
