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Colorado News :: Housing and Homeless

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1/5/2009

Homeless aren’t out of sight anymore | Gazette.com

http://www.gazette.com/articles/homeless_45731___article.html/people_springs.html It might be a family sleeping in a car. A drunk passed out on a bedroll by a creek. A teenager strung out on drugs, crashing on a friend's couch. On any given night in Colorado Springs, at least 2,000 people don't have a permanent place to call home, and while it might not sound like a lot in a city of about 500,000, the homeless put a disproportionate strain on police, hospitals and social service agencies, and test a community's sense of compassion. Homelessness is nothing new; people have crashed in cardboard boxes, doorways, parks and other public places for decades. But the issue is taking on new urgency as the deteriorating economy threatens to put more people on the streets while crippling the budgets of the agencies that assist them. As Colorado Springs officials prepare to embark on a 10-year plan to deal with homelessness, The Gazette is launching a series of stories that will examine the challenges and issues surrounding the area's three major homeless populations: families, the fastest-growing; chronic, the most costly; and teens, a group that tends to fall through the cracks.

Homelessness: Families getting trapped in the cycle | Gazette.com

http://www.gazette.com/articles/homeless_45744___article.html/homelessness_series.html Scott Parnell is not what many people envision when they think of someone who's homeless. Divorced and raising two daughters, he made a decent living as a landscaper and maintenance worker in Cañon City. Then the economy tanked. Parnell, 39, got laid off and couldn't find another job. After using up his savings, he and his children were evicted from their rental home, and they became part of the area's fastest-growing homeless population: families. "People still think of the 55-year-old scraggly bearded guy as the face of the homeless, but we're seeing 18- to 30-year-old kids with kids," said director of programs Lyn Harwell, adding that the average age of a homeless person in the U.S. is 9. Their numbers are hard to count, but homeless advocates estimate that at least 1,600 parents and their children in the Pikes Peak region don't have a permanent residence. Like Parnell, many are headed by hardworking citizens slapped down by a bad economy.

Durango Herald News, Foreclosed properties double in ‘08

http://durangoherald.com/sections/News/2009/01/02/Foreclosed_properties_double_in_08/ Foreclosures soared in La Plata County in 2008 to a level not seen in more than 20 years. The county recorded 148 foreclosure filings in 2008, double the 74 filings seen the previous year. It was the most foreclosures filed in the county since 1987, when 149 foreclosures were filed. The high number of foreclosures indicates that La Plata County is not immune to the economic distress seen across the nation. Other indicators also showed signs of the recession: Unemployment locally rose from 3.5 percent in October to 4 percent in November. That was still significantly below the statewide unemployment rate, which increased from 5.3 percent in October to 5.7 percent in November. While the number of La Plata County foreclosures in 2008 was high by historical standards, it was insignificant when compared with foreclosures on the Front Range.

The perfect storm - low prices, interest rates give buyers hot deals | GreeleyTribune.com

http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20090104/NEWS/901039928/1002/NONE Greeley’s real estate market may have caught a wave in the swell of foreclosures in the last few years. In its wake, first-time homebuyers are experiencing the real estate equivalent of the perfect storm — low sales prices, falling interest rates and at least, for now, a steady flow of homes on the market. “I’ve been telling people that everything really is on sale now,” said Chalice Springfield, CEO and managing broker of Sears Real Estate, 2021 Clubhouse Drive. “It’s almost like the perfect storm, or more like the rainbow after the storm.”

12/19/2008

State to cut homeless funding as situation turns ‘bleak’ : Updates : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/dec/18/state-cut-homeless-funding-situation-turns-bleak/ The state is preparing to slash funding for programs aimed at helping the homeless just as more people are using shelters and food services, advocates for the homeless say. The Denver Rescue Mission says it served 5,000 more meals in October than last October, and shelters in Jefferson County are reporting a 100 percent increase in the number of people seeking food and lodging. Colorado Coalition for the Homeless President John Parvensky says funding cuts combined with an increase in the homeless population make for a bleak situation. He warned more homeless people could die on the streets. "The situation is bleak," he said. Parvensky says Denver's Department of Human Services is cutting its budget for homeless programs by 24 percent.

Vigil held for homeless who died : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/dec/19/vigil-held-for-homeless-who-died/ The cold and damp weather Thursday night was the perfect reminder of the conditions that many of the homeless must endure on a day to day basis. "There is no good time to be homeless," said Denver mayor John Hickenlooper. Hickenlooper spoke to more than 80 people gathered in front of the City and County Building for a candlelight vigil to remember the homeless who have died this year. It is the twelfth year for the vigil organized by the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. This year, 164 names were read - a 37 percent increase from 2007 - and audience members shouted out the names of three other people.

Final salute to homeless who’ve died - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_11266937 For a second in time, their names were on the lips of the mayor, as John Hickenlooper read off the names of the homeless who had died in Denver this year. "We will remember," said the mayor and a chorus of hundreds who came to pay their respects in the bitter wet and cold Thursday night on the steps of the City and County Building. This year, 164 names were called out, the most in the memorial's 22 years. The ceremony is organized by the Colorado Coalition of the Homeless. "This weather is certainly fitting," Hickenlooper said. "It's cold. It's damp. It's heartless."

$20 brightens the holiday for hundreds of homeless - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_11266945 Temperatures were in the teens before sunrise Thursday when people began lining up outside Denver's Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, waiting for a Christmas gift. About 1,500 people, many of them homeless, received $20 as part of a long-standing charitable tradition started by the late Monsignor Charles B. Woodrich. Woodrich, a Denver priest and champion of the homeless, started giving out $10 bills almost two decades ago. He died in 1991, but his generosity lives on, and the dollar amount was doubled in 1998.

More stories in National/Religion | Colorado/Religion

12/18/2008

Advocates: Cuts will cost lives of homeless : Updates : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/dec/17/coalition-fears-economy-driven-increase-homeless/ Rising unemployment and home foreclosures are putting a strain on homeless services, and advocates fear cuts at the state and local levels will put people at "great risk of significant deaths on the streets," officials said Wednesday. John Parvensky, president of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, said 2008 has seen more than 140 people die on the streets of Denver - a 30 percent increase in homeless street deaths from 2007. The coalition will hold a candlelight vigil tonight for those who died this year. "Colorado stands at a crossroads," Parvensky said. "The safety net in our state and our nation is seriously frayed and stretching to the breaking point." Standing inside the Stout Street Clinic, where the coalition handles patient visits for the homeless, a line already was forming outside as Parvensky and other advocates pleaded for government, individuals and corporations to increase giving.

24% cut in city funding triggers alarm - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_11257282 The city of Denver plans to cut nearly a fourth of its funding for homeless initiatives just as the city's homeless population has risen dramatically during the economic downturn. The cuts, and the increase in the homeless population, have prompted advocacy groups to declare a state of emergency. "The situation is bleak," John Parvensky, president of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, said at a news conference Wednesday morning. "And we're running the risk of having more deaths on the street." Authorities say 140 people have died this year from causes either attributed to or made worse by living on the streets, a 38 percent increase over last year. Denver County Coroner Dr. Amy Martin said the most common causes of death of people living on the streets are chronic alcoholism, acute intoxication from alcohol and drugs, untreated conditions such as diabetes, emphysema or pneumonia, as well as unnatural causes like traffic accidents and drownings.

Loan-modification firms subpoenaed - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_11257786 The Colorado Division of Real Estate has issued subpoenas to 13 mortgage loan-modification companies in Colorado, California and Arizona. "Our concern is that there appear to be fly-by-night operations that are soliciting Colorado consumers who appear to be in trouble," said Erin Toll, director of the division. "We're trying to be proactive instead of always reacting to what we read about in the paper or hear has already become a widespread problem," she said. "This is a brand-new cottage industry. These loan-modification companies are springing up like wildfire." Problems occur, Toll said, when the companies or individuals charge large up-front costs, usually one month's mortgage payment, plus a fee of several hundred dollars, then fail to return the borrowers' money when they are unable to renegotiate the loan.

Lower rates spark refinancing mortgage boom : Real Estate : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/dec/18/lower-rates-spark-refinancing-mortgage-boom/ Dave Anderson recently called his mortgage broker and said to keep in touch as rates inch downward. The broker called when rates hit 5.25 percent, but Anderson said that wasn't low enough. The broker called at 5 percent and 4.875 percent. "When it gets down to 4.75 percent, call me back," he said. Anderson, a retired engineer with a little more than $120,000 left on his mortgage for his Lakewood home that has been appraised for $350,000, got his wish late last week and exchanged his old rate of 6.375 percent for the new 30-year fixed loan of 4.75 percent. "It saves me about $115 a month," Anderson said. "When you have been retired for 15 years, you try to save money wherever you can."

12/17/2008

Colorado housing hotline grows hotter - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_11248209 The state's foreclosure hotline for financially troubled homeowners continues to do brisk business even though foreclosures fell during the last quarter in Colorado. Calls to the hotline more than doubled in November, even as foreclosure filings fell by 24 percent during the third quarter. During the first nine months of the year, calls to the hotline climbed a more modest 32 percent over last year. Hotline officials said news about the financial crisis and recession spurred concern among many homeowners. Callers are phoning in at earlier stages of delinquency than in the past, increasing their likelihood of avoiding foreclosure, said Ryan McMaken, spokesman for the Colorado Division of Housing, which oversees the 2-year-old hotline. Hotline workers urge callers who face the prospect of foreclosure to meet with a housing counselor to review their finances and mortgage options.

Foreclosures down, but pleas for help up : Real Estate : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/dec/17/foreclosures-down-but-pleas-for-help-up/ At 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Rogelio Rodriguez, a foreclosure prevention counselor at Brothers Redevelopment Inc., picked up his phone. It was Susan, who was scheduled to meet him Thursday to talk about her home, which was headed for a foreclosure sale in March. All Rodriguez knew was that the lender had not responded to her request to modify her loan, so she called for help from Brothers, which manages the Colorado Foreclosure Hotline (1-877-601-HOPE). The hotline receives an average of 75 calls a day, and Brothers has more counselors than any of the 26 nonprofit agencies that provide the network of help for the hotline. Susan will meet Rodriguez in Brother's Edgewater office, a garden-level suite of offices. One wall is covered with signs from groups that charge as much as $3,000 for "loan modification" help that HUD-approved counselors, such as those at Brothers, will do for free, said Shannon Peers, Brothers' housing counselor manager.

Alarm sounded for homeless : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/dec/17/alarm-sounded-for-homeless/ A local advocacy group will declare a state of emergency for the homeless in Colorado today - the first time it has ever felt compelled to do so. The culprit, the group says, is the struggling economy. The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless will release data showing a large increase in homeless within the state - including a 16 percent increase in patient visits at the Stout Street Clinic. Coalition spokeswoman B.J. Iacino said the clinic served 12,000 people. "Our president has been working on homelessness for 23 years and said, for the first time, we're facing significant risk of death on our streets due to lack of affordability of housing," Iacino said. "We think things will get worse before they get better." Iacino said shelters are being swamped with first-time homeless and that 60 percent of the homeless are families with children.

Homeless situation stirs emergency call - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_11249513 The economic downturn affects people in various ways. But for the homeless, the effects can be as serious as a heart attack. So far this year, 140 people in the metro area have died from conditions related to or made worse by being homeless, homeless advocates say. That's a 38 percent increase over last year's 104 deaths, with more arctic weather to come. The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless has scheduled a news conference for 10:30 this morning to declare a state of emergency for Colorado's homeless families and individuals, calling the situation "bleak." Caregivers to the homeless say they're seeing not only more people becoming homeless, but also donations and support for the homeless dwindling. Demand is up, and supplies are down.

Proposed housing project stirs emotions at meeting : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/dec/17/proposed-housing-project-stirs-emotions-at/ Emotions ran high Tuesday night when representatives of three neighborhood associations spoke out against a proposed 28-unit housing project to serve the homeless in the Five Points area. "We feel this facility will be a detriment to making this a better, viable area," said Linda Dowlen, president of the Whittier neighborhood association. "This project does not serve the community." Nearly 100 people packed into the Whittier Community Center for a public meeting to discuss the proposed $5.5 million apartment complex to be built near Downing Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard. The project, dubbed The Fourth Quarter, is a part of Denver's Road Home program, which aims to move the homeless into permanent housing and provide support services for them.

Generosity of strangers brightening lives of families in motels - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_11248585 Offers of cash, jobs, food and clothing have poured in after The Denver Post on Sunday published a story highlighting the plight of families who make their home in some of the city's most run-down motels. "This is the first day in months I've been relatively worry-free," said Willis Rouse, who works for a pressure washing company. "I actually slept today." On Monday, an angel arrived at Rouse's crowded Commerce City motel-room home — where he lives with his wife, two children and parents — with enough cash to cover their humble home until mid-January.

County, school board butt heads over Aspen teacher housing | AspenTimes.com

http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20081217/NEWS/812169933/1001/NONE The Pitkin County commissioners and the Aspen School Board on Tuesday began hashing out their differences on building teacher housing in Woody Creek, but continue to be locked in a stalemate. The school board believes it has the authority to bypass the county review process and build six duplexes on its Woody Creek property with a state review. But several county commissioners believe the district must — or should — follow the county review process for the rezoning the project requires. To further complicate matters, a county review process could result in a denial because the property is outside the urban growth boundary.

More stories in National/Education | Colorado/Education

12/16/2008

Homes go for bargain-basement rates : Real Estate : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/dec/16/homes-go-for-bargain-basement-rates/ Maybe it was foreshadowing. Auctioneer Shelly St. John warmed up the crowd by auctioning a dinner for four at the Coral Room, plus a bottle of wine, for the nonprofit Denver's Road Home and the top bid came in at only $60 - less than half of a typical bill at the northwest Denver restaurant. "Come on people, it's for a good cause," implored St. John, of AJ Karas Auctioneers. But the 30 or so people in the room kept a tight grip on their wallets. That trend continued when the winning bidder paid the minimum $680,000 for a home at 776 Ivanhoe St. in east Denver - which also was where the auction was held. The house had been appraised at $1.2 million. The winning bid was $700,000 for a home at 4546 W. 36th Ave. in northwest Denver, which had been appraised at $900,000. The winners must pay an 8 percent fee to the auction house, which includes a 3 percent commission to their brokers.

Layoffs hit staff at homeless coalition : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/dec/16/layoffs-hit-staff-at-homeless-coalition/ For the first time in 20 years, the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless is laying off employees. The layoffs affect the family benefits acquisition team, which consisted of one full-time and one part-time position aimed at helping homeless families obtain Social Security benefits. The team - a two-year-pilot project - had been funded with a $100,000 Denver city grant that is due to expire at the end of the month, said Coalition President John Parvensky. Instead, the coalition will focus on advocating for Social Security benefits for individuals rather than families, he said.

The Pueblo Chieftain :: Shelters bring in homeless

http://www.chieftain.com/articles/2008/12/16/news/local/doc4947452e39df5517386226.txt Posada has shelter space for 25 families and 20 single men, but bitterly cold weather brings more people to the agency's doors.

"We do what we have to," Stattelman said, indicating the agency rents motel rooms and finds other warm places when the need requires. "We never know what the need will be until folks start showing up in the evening."

Council OKs downzoning at Wash Park : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/dec/16/council-oks-downzoning-at-wash-park/ The Denver City Council approved a two-pronged plan Monday that will prohibit the construction of multifamily dwellings in West Washington Park, a mostly single-family neighborhood that has attracted a string of new, high-density developments. Cheers and applause swept through the crowded council chambers after the votes. One part of the plan will limit development on 208 acres to single-family homes through a so-called downzoning. The area is generally bounded by East Cedar and East Mississippi avenues and South Downing Street and an alley west of South Clarkson Street.

W. Wash Park gets single-family rezoning - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_11241933 The Denver City Council on Monday approved a rezoning for West Washington Park after property owners jammed the chambers to complain about huge duplex developments going up in their neighborhood. The council on a 11-1 vote rezoned 208 acres in the neighborhood at the urging of Councilman Chris Nevitt, a resident of the area. Councilman Charlie Brown was the only dissenter, and Councilwoman Jeanne Faatz, who has expressed opposition in the past, was absent.

The Longmont Times-Call - Notify nonprofits, police about homeless

http://www.timescall.com/News_Story.asp?id=12943 Bitter temperatures have homeless advocates working hard to make sure that people without shelter are brought in safely out of the cold. Bray Patrick-Lake, executive director for Homeless Outreach Providing Encouragement, said Monday that the cold and snow have encouraged most to accept help. However, she said, anyone who sees someone who is apparently without shelter during this cold snap, forecasted to last through the week, should call HOPE at 720-210-7217 or 303-819-4584 or Longmont police at 303-651-8555. “We’re educating people about upcoming weather and services that are available and how to access shelters,” Patrick-Lake said of HOPE volunteers who hit the streets nightly to touch base with the homeless and provide basic supplies. “The goal right now is to get everybody in some type of shelter right now.”