While the ultimate goal of Homeless Solutions for Boulder County is to find housing for those experiencing homelessness, for those like Ruby who need shelter right now, HOPE also is working with its partners to provide year-round shelter in Longmont with storage and showers. Of the 2,000 people screened during its first year of existence, Homeless Solutions for Boulder County successfully helped 400 individuals exit the homeless services system, 188 of which found their own housing, 145 were reunified with support systems and 50 were referred to other programs such as Ready to Work, the Inn Between, or substance abuse treatment. “We recognize that this is likely to be a growing problem and we want to see what we can do to get ahead of it and what systems we want to bring into the process to make sure we can address those needs as they occur,” said Jim Adams-Berger, the manager for strategic initiatives for Boulder County Community Services and Homeless Solutions for Boulder County. People need to know that there are people out there who will help you if you swallow some pride and just ask.”Īlong with outlets such as the OUR Center, the Longmont Senior Center, Homeless Outreach Providing Encouragement (HOPE) and the Inn Between, all of which provide sustenance and financial assistance to those at risk of or who are currently experiencing homelessness, Homeless Solutions for Boulder County, a conglomerate of several homeless services organizations in the area, has formed a working group to explore potential solutions to the aging homeless population. We can’t say enough about these programs. When you reach this age you have to feel some sense of stability and security, otherwise you’re constantly worried, which can cause more health issues. “We’re basically starting over and this has allowed us to catch up on our bills, but more than anything it’s the security. “It’s changed our lives,” Roberta Fjeld said. Just before their two-year lease with the Inn Between was up, they were given the opportunity to be the first people to move into Micah Homes, a new six-unit supportive housing complex built on land donated by the United Church of Christ in Longmont and run by the Inn Between. Working with Payan, a community services manager at the Longmont Senior Center, and staff at the Inn Between, after seven months in their camper, Paul and Roberta were able to find temporary housing at one of Inn Between’s apartment complexes. “By 2016 the writing was on the wall and we reached out to Amy Payan at the Senior Center for help.” “We were robbing Peter to pay Paul and ran through our savings trying to keep the house,” Roberta Fjeld said. With Paul’s disability check only a third of his previous salary and medical bills starting to mount, Roberta’s checks from substitute teaching weren’t able to make up the difference, so Paul and Roberta were forced to sell their home of 24 years and move into their camper. It becomes a time of more stress, risk and worry, not so much because of a loss of income, but because of health care costs.”įor Paul and Roberta Fjeld, 60 and 61, respectively, Paul’s chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which was caused by being exposed to chemicals while working as a janitor, not only racked up large medical bills, but also took him out of the workforce. “We’re always told our later years are the golden years, but for many people that doesn’t happen. “We definitely have seen more elderly people coming to us for help,” said Edwina Salazar, the executive director of the OUR Center in Longmont. Another 17 percent of the population is between 50 and 64. I may have to file for bankruptcy.”Īs the baby boomers retire and housing as well as health care costs continue to rise throughout the country, Kulpa’s story is becoming increasingly common - especially in Boulder County.Īccording to Homeless Solutions for Boulder County, of the roughly 2,000 people who were screened for homeless services, 5 percent of the county’s homeless population and nearly 6 percent of the homeless population in Longmont is older than 65. “There are a lot of new places being built, but they’re all so expensive. “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” she said. Having moved to Longmont in 2016 so she could be closer to her doctors after she was diagnosed with cancer for the third time, Kulpa immediately put her name on the waiting lists for all of the subsidized housing projects and affordable senior centers in the area, but demand is high and she’s not sure her name has moved any closer to the top of those lists. “It’s a lot of stress on my part and asking for help after years of being self-sufficient is very hard.” “I’ve worked my entire life and all I have to show for it is a 10-year-old car,” she said.
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