Arapahoe County takes new community-wide approach to addressing homelessness
While the number of homeless people continues to rise, Arapahoe County is taking a new approach to helping people get off the streets. It's through a Homelessness Strategic Plan that county commissioners unanimously approved earlier this week.
The plan takes a regional approach to addressing homelessness in the community. That includes involving more than 100 partners across Arapahoe County. One of the partners is GraceFull Community Cafe and Foundation in downtown Littleton.
"We gather around the table and build relationships and be able to help support anyone who's experiencing food insecurity," said Tami Slipher.
Slipher just started working with the GraceFull Foundation last year. The foundation and the cafe provide 75 pay-what-you-can meals every day for breakfast and lunch. That's equal to about $1,100 a day in food.
"Many of the stories that we hear here in the cafe, are people that had circumstances happen to them, not necessarily circumstances that they caused on their own," said Slipher.
According to Arapahoe County leaders, since the pandemic, the number of homeless people doubled in the county from 2020 to 2023, half of which were vulnerable for the first time. 442 people experiencing homelessness were accounted for during last year's Point in Time count. It's numbers like these that have led to a new approach to tackling homelessness.
"This really is a regional approach, and something that we want to work together on with our partners, both in our community and in the region to come up with the solution for," said Kathy Smith, the community resources director for Arapahoe County.
Smith said it takes the whole community to provide coordinated care, expanded affordable housing opportunities, and enhance legislation and policy. People from all levels will be involved in the effort.
"We have everything from our subject matter experts, case managers that are really boots-on-the-ground, doing the work every day, all the way up to our policymakers who can really help make that impact on a larger level," said Smith.
Smith also added that one of the main goals is to build a clear pathway for people to obtain housing.
Other goals include preventing homelessness by connecting people with prevention resources, promoting the development of a variety of housing options, sharing data among community partners to ensure needs are met and providing additional resources.
The GraceFull Foundation has had a seat at the table for years addressing homelessness, and as it continues to keep its doors open to everyone, the organization hopes the new plan will make a difference in their customers lives.
"This strategic plan is going to be amazing for us to be able to help our population, our community that we're in, and really find the help that they need," said Slipher. "Once we can get all of these pieces working in tandem together, we can see homelessness change at a much faster rate.
Smith said groups and organizations will be meeting in the upcoming weeks. That's when they'll identify issues and needs they want to address moving forward.