Metro Area Housing Programs Seeing Increased Demand
By Libby Smith
COMMERCE CITY, Colo (CBS4) - ACCESS Housing runs an emergency shelter in Commerce City. It also administers housing vouchers and maintain transitional housing units. In the current market, the organization is seeing an increased demand for housing help.
"The homeless numbers in Adams County are increasing," said Angela Bornemann, the executive director of ACCESS Housing.
She says that people often think of homelessness as a Denver problem, but it's happening throughout the metro area. In many cases, families are moving from town to town trying to find a place to live.
LINK: ACCESS Housing
That's what happened to Sophia and Keenan Nathanson. They lost their home. Keenan lived on the street around downtown Denver trying to pick up work. Sophia was homeless farther north in Adams County, and their 7-year-old son was shuffled between family members' houses.
"I love my son with all my heart, and it was heartbreaking to go through all that and leave him because I couldn't provide for him," Sophia told CBS4.
"I'm not going to lie, some depression really did set in when I was a man and I couldn't provide for my family," Keenan added.
Keenan got the family on the waiting list at ACCESS Housing, so while the family struggled day-to-day, they kept in touch with the housing program and waited about seven months until space became available. Keenan remembers getting the call that an apartment was available.
"It took me three times to dial the number for Sophia because I was so excited I kept messing up," he explained.
The increased demand for emergency shelter prompted ACCESS Housing to drop the number of days that a family can stay.
"That's why we're keeping a 60-day length of stay, it had been 90 to 120-days. We're keeping it 60 so hopefully we can serve more families and provide more services in the community," Bornemann explained.
"We finally got a new start and it was all because of ACCESS Housing," Sophia said.
Keenan is now working, Sophia is looking for work, and Kyle is going to school and thriving now that he's back with his parents.
"We are noticing that the economy is better. There are more jobs out there, however rents are increasing and the wages for a lot of positions are not," Bornemann said.
Now that the Nathansons are reunited, they're facing the next big challenge in the current housing market -- finding a permanent placement that will accept a housing assistance voucher. Sophia recounts the reaction she's gotten from landlords as she looks for a place to take the voucher.
"I'll get all the information then I'll tell them it's a voucher, 'Oh … no … we don't take that. You can't live here.'" Sophia said.
"It's a pretty significant and difficult challenge that they're facing," Bornemann added.
Even in light of the housing demand, ACCESS Housing has had to do its own downsizing. The organization maintained 27 transitional housing units, but recently had to sell two because of it's own funding squeeze.
"It will allow us to provide more solid services to the families that we're currently serving," Bornemann explained.
But it also means two fewer homes that would be guaranteed to help a family like the Nathanson on their road to recovery.
Libby Smith is a Special Projects Producer at CBS4. If you have a story you'd like to tell CBS4 about, call 303-863-TIPS (8477) or visit the News Tips section.
