At a community update Wednesday, the Greeley Housing and Homeless Solutions Department and several other organizations presented on homelessness throughout the city, emphasizing the primary drivers of homelessness in the city and the teams working to address it.
Mandy Shreve, the director of the Housing and Homeless Solutions Department, kicked the meeting off by exemplifying the relationship between government funding in social services and how that correlates to the rate of homelessness across the nation. Shreve showcased how the rate of homeless individuals rose dramatically during President Ronald Reagan’s administration when social service programs were cut but dropped by 30% when former President George Bush adopted the Housing First Model, the same model the city uses.
“Government in general has been involved around homelessness for a long time,” Shreve said. “When these programs are not funded, it has a direct impact on the community.”
While government funding plays a large part in addressing the issue of homelessness, Shreve also stated that the primary cause of homelessness is the affordability of housing. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, states with more expensive rent, such as Washington and Colorado, which have a median rent of around $1,600, have around 24 homeless individuals for every 10,000 residents.
This is compared to other states, such as West Virginia, which has a median rent below $800 and only 7.7 homeless individuals for every 10,000 residents.
“The number one cause of individuals entering homelessness is affordability of housing,” Shreve said. “There is a direct correlation between how much rent is per month in a community and the homeless rate.”
However, this issue is not abstract, as 85% of Greeley households cannot afford a home in the city, which has increased to a median cost of $414,500. Despite Greeley residents having an average median income of $80,200, 85% of households are considered rent burdened, meaning that over half of their monthly income goes to rent alone.
This issue of affordability and stagnant wages creates the real possibility that anyone in the city could just be a single unexpected expense away from slipping into homelessness. Where prevention fails, however, the Housing and Homeless Solutions team and several other organizations throughout Greeley are making their best efforts to address the issue.
According to Rachel Pinkston, the Homeless Solutions Outreach Team supervisor, of the 820 individuals who enter homelessness yearly in Greeley, 60% can be lifted back out of homelessness with only temporary assistance. The outreach team helps homeless individuals by helping them get housing and also providing rides to wherever they need to go, such as UC Health or the Veterans Affairs office.
“Last year, we provided 515 transports, 291 housing supports, 413 document services like social security and birth certificates,” Pinkston said. “We also provided 1,670 basic needs supports, such as food, water and clothing.”
The Homeless Solutions Outreach Team is the seven-person point of contact team for anyone experiencing homelessness in Greeley. Through this team, individuals can be directed and provided with any service in the city that would be most beneficial to them, such as the Guadalupe Community Center, North Range Behavioral Health and the United Way of Weld County’s Day Shelter, which is still operational after the closure of its overnight shelter.
Individuals needing housing assistance can contact the Homeless Solutions Outreach Team at (970) 351-5005, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.. The team can also provide in-person support from noon-2 p.m. Wednesdays at the LINC Library, 501 8th Ave.
Those who witness a homeless person who is being affected by drugs, in mental duress or seems to need help are advised to call North Range Behavioral Health at (970) 347-2120.
For more information about the city’s efforts to address homelessness, go to greeleygov.com/homelessandhousingservices. Residents can also share their thoughts on homelessness in Greeley at SpeakUpGreeley.com, and a video of Wednesday’s presentation will be available on Speak Up Greeley on May 16.
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