Rising number of homeless families led by single moms in Colorado Springs
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — With Mother’s Day just around the corner, Partners in Housing is using the holiday to spotlight a growing problem: families experiencing homelessness.
According to the non-profit organization, families are now the fastest rising demographic when it comes to people entering homelessness. A majority of those families are led by single mothers.
Partners in Housing, which has been around for more than 30 years, helps families experiencing homelessness get back on their feet. They offer several programs, including a one-year housing program.
Last year, Partners in Housing helped 134 families, 94% of them were led by single moms.
“You know when the pandemic came around and they no longer knew if their kids were going to be in school or in daycare. Most of them lost their jobs then,” said Mary Stegner, the executive director for Partners in Housing.
That also was exasperated during the pandemic with child abuse and neglect all those things we saw a huge rise in that, so recovery from those is part of our program as well,” said Stegner.
Another part of the program is finding these moms good-paying jobs.
“We’re working really hard now to get them back on their feet, back working again in a field that will support their families. So, not just running from fast food to cleaning to doing different things, but really get them in a career field where they’ll benefit for themselves and their kids,” said Stegner.
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This article was written by Jessica Gruenling, a reporter for Good Morning Colorado.
