‘Mission Impossible’ collective for Families in Deep Trouble
The quiet work of a behind-the-scenes group of key government and nonprofit agencies in Colorado Springs can seem like “Mission Impossible.”
The Family Solutions Collaborative, which includes representatives from 56 local organizations, brings forth in monthly meetings the most difficult cases of families who have fallen into homelessness or are drowning in a sea of instability.
Those around the table brainstorm what the community has to offer these families, one at a time, so they can handle their crises or avoid impending disaster.
These are the people in the know, since collaborative members embody every sector involved in solving family homelessness, including judicial and legal services, schools, domestic violence prevention programs, housing providers, respite care for kids, health organizations, Head Start, overnight shelters, the library district and a host of other entities.
Clients never know the intense cooperative effort that goes into responding to their call for help.
For some cases, referrals pan out, a commitment for a personal recommendation makes a difference or general suggestions lead down the right path.
Other times, it’s hard to find available resources, said Michelle McNease, program manager for the Family Solutions Collaborative.
At last week’s August case-conferencing session, transitional housing providers with hundreds of units online had no immediate openings to place homeless families, outside of overnight emergency sheltering.
Housing is one of two issues that rise to the top of the needs’ list, McNease said. The city lacks on-the-spot, safe and secure general housing for homeless families, she said, calling it a noticeable gap.
Existing transitional housing programs including Partners in Housing, Family Life Services, Mary’s Home and Family Promise, operate different programs that carry requirements for clients — which sometimes can become a barrier, McNease said.
Other transitional programs such as Homeward Pikes Peak and Greccio Housing accept federal housing vouchers, which means waiting lists are typical.
The organizations “stay in their lane doing what they do, and it’s not a fit for everyone,” McNease said.
The other missing link in the community is transportation.
“Whether it’s needing their car to be fixed or losing transportation, that can really put a family into a crisis,” McNease said. “It’s a huge gap and it’s definitely increased or maybe just stands out because we don’t have the resources here.”
Bus passes are available from a few agencies, such as Westside Cares and Mercy’s Gate, but “that’s complicated and not realistic for a family that needs to get their kids to school or childcare or themselves to work,” she said.
Dealing with trauma
Five service providers formed the Family Solutions Collaborative in May 2019, with a goal of uniting organizations working on the front lines to zero in on the tough-to-crack cases of families who are about to be evicted, have spiraled into homelessness or are having difficulty providing necessities like food and transportation.
“We wanted to make sure they weren’t being lost off the radar,” said Mary Stegner, executive director of Partners in Housing, one of the collaborative’s founders. Her nonprofit offers a one-year of transitional housing program with support services for unmoored families.
In the industry, families are often called the hidden homeless — they typically aren’t the street people the public sees panhandling or hanging out in doorways, she said. Homeless families often live out of their cars or on couches and floors with relatives or friends, or they stay in temporary shelters.
Their needs are different and more complex than a single homeless individual, said Andy Barton, president and CEO of Catholic Charities of Central Colorado, another founding partner.
“A lot has to do with the addition of kids,” he said. “You have one or two adults managing shelter, transportation, finances, childcare, school, the health of a child, the trauma they’re dealing with,” he said.
There are no firm numbers on how many homeless families live in El Paso County, McNease said, but she estimates thousands.
Times are tough, and many families are struggling with the increased cost of living, wages that haven’t matched inflation, and trauma and stress from their precarious circumstances, Stegner said.
It often just takes one bad thing — no child care, an out-of-commission car or a medical issue — to send a family into a tailspin that produces an eviction notice, said Tanya Lark, executive director of Family Life Services, another founding coalition member that provides a two-year residential program to self-sufficiency.
“And once you start down that path, it’s hard to go back,” she said.
More often, scenarios are complex with clients having multiple needs, said Matthew Ayers, CEO of Dream Centers, which runs programs for single-mother-led families exiting homelessness, including Mary’s Home, a long-term residential program.
“One of the most powerful things about this collaborative is when organizations come together, there’s immediate understanding if a family needs five or six supports,” he said.
To read the full article from the Colorado Springs Gazette, please visit here.
This article was written by Debbie Kelly of the Gazette
