Denver Rescue Mission Seeing An Increase In Families Needing Affordable Housing
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) – The Denver Rescue Mission says it's getting flooded with calls from families in need of affordable housing. In a typical year, the Family Rescue Ministry houses about 135 single-parent families. So far this year, the program has helped 90 families, and it's only February.
"We help them toward their first month's rent and security deposit, that initial lump sum of money that is often very difficult for families to come up with," said Tom Leavitt, Director of Family Services at the Denver Rescue Mission.
This is just the kind of help that Kaila needed two years ago. She is the mother to five daughters ranging in age from 14 to 1. She was frustrated by being trapped in the cycle of making enough money to pay for an occasional motel room, but not enough to save up for a place for the family to live.
"They were going to school during the day, then daycare after school, then in the evening they would be with us, wherever we were going to be whether in a hotel, or at my father's house," she explained.
"I actually call this population the hidden homeless. They're out there. You can't see them on the street, but they're out there and they're struggling," Leavitt told CBS4.
The Denver Rescue Mission's Family Rescue Ministry was able to get Kaila and her children into a home they can afford. The program also provides a case manager and a mentor to come alongside each family to make sure they have the support they need to succeed.
"Around 90-percent of our families remain in housing after a year, so it does work," Leavitt explained.
Kaila said that reaching out to the Denver Rescue Mission was the best thing she could do, and she encouraged other single parents to get help out of homelessness.
LINK: For more information about Spread The Warmth.
You can support the Family Rescue Ministry through a donation to CBS4's Spread the Warmth campaign. A portion of your donation could go to pay for a family's first month's rent and deposit. To make a donation, text "WARMTH" to 24365.
The Family Rescue Ministry could also use volunteers to mentor families newly in housing. The commitment is 7 in-person meetings over the course of 6-months. The Rescue Mission finds that families do better when they have community committed to help them. Click here for more information about becoming a mentor.