An edition of the Littleton Independent
WEEK OF FEBRUARY 29, 2024
VOLUME 23 | ISSUE 13
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Homelessness programs face funding challenges
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
On a single night in January 2023, 442 people were experiencing homelessness in Arapahoe County, excluding those in the City of Aurora. And this is only a fraction of the number of people in the county who are homeless, according to experts. Individuals can be missed in the annual point-in-time count, part of a national effort to get a snapshot of how many people are homeless. Some may have the luck to sleep in a motel or friend’s home as the count takes place. And, not everyone experiencing homelessness is sleeping on the streets. Still, the picture is helpful to Arapahoe County as it works to coordinate solutions to homelessness with regional partners. Yet it is also facing a funding crisis as American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, funds, granted during the COVID-19 pandemic, dry up. The funds have supported many programs meant to reduce homelessness. For instance, $1.5 million went towards an eviction reduction program that helped nearly 700 families avoid evictions, according to the county. The county also put $10 million towards an affordable housing grant program that helped create more
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Arapahoe County offered resources such as food and coffee on Jan. 23, 2024, at Castlewood Library as part of its point-in-time count. Data from this count helps the county PHOTO BY TAYLER SHAW designate funding and develop homelessness prevention programs.
than 665 housing units throughout the county. But as these funds run out, the county is concerned about what comes next. The county is contending with an increase in demand for services at a time when costs, and the population, are rising. County officials are warning about the possibility of budget cuts to its homelessness reduction programs and more. “ARPA funding has presented us with a unique opportunity to invest in the well-being and prosperity of
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our community,” Carrie WarrenGully, chair of the Arapahoe County commissioners, said in a press release. “As ARPA wraps-up, we need to be realistic and strategic about next steps.” Commissioners and staff are looking for regional solutions when it comes to homelessness. For years, organizations in the county worked separately to address homelessness. In 2021, commissioners decided to kick off a regional SEE HOMELESS, P10
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