Community turns to a data-driven approach to address homelessness

Community turns to a data-driven approach to address homelessness

A few years ago, elected leaders in Cañon City knew they needed to address what was becoming a growing issue in the community- the number of people without a home.

Mayor Ashley Smith says in 2019, 395 households were homeless in Cañon City.

"For a small community that's a really big deal," Smith said, "it was something that whether we wanted to or not we had to address it."

CARE AND OTHER RESOURCES FORVETERANS.ONE SOUTHERN COLORADO COMMUNITYSAYS THEY'VE FOUND A WAY TOREDUCE THE NUMBER OF VETERANSTHAT ARE HOMELESS.IT'S THROUGH A NATIONALPROGRAM.....WHERE THE MAINPRIORITY INVOLVES DATACOLLECTION....BUT MAKING SURE THOSE WHO HAVESERVED....NEVER FEEL LIKE ANUMBER....I BECAME HOMELESS IN 2005, IREALLY WASN'T PLANNING ON BEINGHOMELESS I WAS JUST PLANNING ONRELOCATING OUT WESTSIGHSEVERYTHING JUST DIDN'T COMETOGETHERLIKE SO MANY WHO HAVE SERVED..THE TRANSITION FROM MILITARY TOEVERYDAY LIFE BECAME A BATTLE OFITS OWN FOR WILLIAM DUMFORD.I GOT TO THE POINT WHERE I JUSTDIDN'T CARE, I WAS SORT OF STUCKIN THIS RUT TRAVELING FROM NORTHCAROLINA TO COLORADO...HE FOUND HIMSELF HOMELESS...ANDDEALING WITH ADDICTION.A FEW TIMES OVER THE YEARS HEFOUND HIMSELF HERE AT LOAVES ANDFISHES MINISTRY...BUT HIS MOST RECENTVISIT....SOMETHING CHANGED...ABOUT SIX MONTHS AGO I DECIDEDTHAT WAS IT-- I MEAN I'D HAD ITI'D BEEN THROUGH HELLI HAD TO MAKE UP MY MIND THAT IWASN'T GOING TO GOOF NO MORESHAKES HEADTHIS TIME I CAME IN FOR MEFAST FORWARD TO TODAY...HE'S RECIEVED HELP....IS NOWLIVING IN HIS OWN PLACE....ANDGETTING FINANCIAL HELP....AND LOOK WHAT I GOT??

I GOT APLACE TO LIVE THAT'S MINE ,THISIS MY HOUSE BUT HERE IN FREMONTCOUNTY..THE EFFORT TO HELP VETERANS LIKEDUNFORD GET INTOHOUSING...STARTED A FEW YEARSAGO.PROBABLY ABOUT THE PAST 3 YEARS,HOMELESS HAS BECOME ONE OF OURTOP PRIORITES IN CANON CITY"MAYOR ASHLEY SMITH WAS AMONG AFEW LOCAL LEADERS TO LEARN ABOUTTHE "BUILT FOR ZERO PROGRAM"IT'S A NATIONAL EFFORT....AIMEDAT USING DATA COLLECTION TOREDUCE HOMELESS POPULATIONS.IN 2019....MAYOR SMITH SAYSTHERE WERE NEARLY FOUR HUNDREDHOUSEHOLDS WITHOUT A HOME INCANON CITY.SHE SAYS IT STARTS....BYLEARNING MORE ABOUT THE UNIQUECHALLENGES EACH PERSON ON THESTREETS FACES."IT'S NOT A ONE SIZE FITS ALL,EVERYONE HAS DIFFERENT NEEDS ANDBY GETTING THOSE SOLUTIONSPERSONALIZED IT HAS MADE ALL THEDIFFERENCE"IN A RURAL COMMUNITY LIKEFREMONT COUNTY...THERE ARE CHALLENGES IN TRACKINGDOWN THE HOMELESS POPULATION...BUT WITH A ROBUST TEAM...THEY'VEFOCUSED ON SMALLER GROUPS TO ENDONE OF THE COMMUNITY'S BIGGESTCHALLENGES...AND IT'S HARD TO EXPLAIN WHY WEGET STUCK WHERE WE'RE AT"THE MOST SUCCESSFUL STRATEGY ISBUILDING A TRUSTINGRELATIONSHIP"TRUSTING RELATIONSHIPS...WHICH WERE BUILT BY LEARNINGSIMPLE THIGS....SUCH AS PEOPLE'SNAMES.WE TRIED TO TACKLE THE WHOLEPROBLEM ALL AT ONCE, AND INSTEADTACKLE ONE POPULATION FIRSTDEE DEE CLEMENT WITH LOAVES ANDFISHES MINISTRY SAYS BY FOCUSINGON LOCAL VETERANS...IT GAVE THEM A FRAMEWORK AND THEPROGRAM THEY SIGNED ONTOINCLUDING A SYSTEM DATABASE TOHAVE A BETTER IDEA OF THE NUMBEROF PEOPLE IN THE HOMELESSCOMMUNITY.BEFORE THIS THERE WAS NO WAY OFTRACKING OUR PROGRESS THE ONLYWAY WE KNEW HOW MANY PEOPLE WEHAD HOMELESS WAS WITH OUR ANNUALCOUNTTHE COMMUNITY THEN BUILT A TEAMOF PEOPLE TO REACH OUT TO THEHOMELESS..MAKING SURE THEY WERE GETTINGRESOURCES BEYOND A MEAL...ANDHAVING CONTACT INFORMATION TOKEEP IN TOUCH WITH THEM AS THEYWORKED TO GET THEM INTOHOUSING...INCLUDING AT PLACES LIKE THISAPARTMENT COMPLEX CALLED JOURNEYHOME."SO INSTEAD OF BECOMING OH"THOSE PEOPLE" EATING UP OURMONEY, IT ACTUALLY BECAME VERYPERSONALIZED"SOME OF THE INITIAL CHALLENGESIN HELPING PEOPLE OUT OFHOMELESSNESS..IS OFTEN TIMES THERE ARE BIGGEROBSTACLES THEY FACE...SUCH ASADDICTION....A LACK OFIDENTIFICATION....AND THE KEY ISWORKING THORUGH SOME OF THOSEASPECTS OF THEIR LIFE IN ORDERTO GET THEM INTO A HOME.SOMETHING THAT TAKES A VILLAGETO WORK THROUGH...HOMELESSNESS IS NOT A ONE AGENCYPROBLEM, THIS IS TRULY ACOMMUNITY PROBLEM AND IT TAKES ALOT OF COLLABORATION FOR PEOPLELIKE DUNFORD...THE EFFORTS FROM THECOMMMUNITY....HAS GIVEN HIM ANEW START....WHEN YOU'VE HAD NOTHING,EVERYTHING LOOKS GOOD TO YOUWITH DATA COLLECTION BEING SUCHA BIG PART OF ALL OF THIS...FREMONT COUNTY OUTLINED"FUNCTIONAL ZERO" AS THREEVETERANS STILL EXPERIENCINGHOMELESSNESS...THIS FROM ABOUT A COUPLEDOZEN...BUT THERE IS STILL PROGRESS TOBE MADE...AS THE NEXT STEP IS ADDRESSINGCHRONIC HOMELESSNESS IN THEAREA...BEYOND THIS DATACOLLECTION....WHAT ARE SOMEOTHER WAYS THEY MAKE SURE PEOPLEARE GETTING HOUSED IN FREMONTCOUNTY?ADLIB