Residual whiffs of maple-glazed bacon lingered amid a 3,000-square-foot layout furnished by a living room, a large kitchen, a bathroom with a shower, an office, cubbies, laundry machines and a closet full to the brim with items like winter coats and extra pairs of snow boots. It was soggy and overcast shortly after 2pm last […]
homelessness
Posted inLocal Government
GarCo and Glenwood discuss homeless issues at public webinar
Just 90 minutes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order at the White House on July 24 to crack down on homeless people across the nation, Garfield County elected officials and staff from the City of Glenwood Springs hosted a webinar about the local unhoused population. Prompted by a fire that ignited in late […]
Posted inNews
Nearly homeless phenomenon echoes nationwide
Homelessness and housing insecurity are hot-button issues across the country, and are increasingly of concern in the Roaring Fork Valley where living costs are some of the highest. While more and more people become at risk of homelessness, KDNK and The Sopris Sun highlight the nuances of this complex issue in an ongoing series by […]
Posted inNews
WSVC advances tiny house project for homeless veterans
The Western Slope Veterans Coalition (WSVC) is pressing forward with an ambitious project to construct a tiny home community for homeless veterans in Silt.WSVC board members Jeremie Oates, president; John Pettit, treasurer; and John Beckius, marketing committee member, welcomed The Sopris Sun to share their insights on the tiny house project. The project strives to […]
Posted inLocal Government
One year after unhoused newcomers influx, regional response coalescing
It was November 2023 when Voces Unidas de las Montañas, an advocacy organization, sounded the alarm about close to 100 unhoused people, mostly from Venezuela and unfamiliar with a Colorado winter, camping in cars and tents beneath the Veterans Memorial Bridge at the north entrance to Carbondale. According to Carbondale Police Chief Kirk Wilson, what […]
Posted inColumns
Phase 3 of Carbondale’s response to unhoused migrants
Since November, the Town of Carbondale has been responding to an unprecedented influx of unhoused migrants — specifically addressing housing needs during the winter months. We are now transitioning to our third and final phase of this response which involves gradually phasing out emergency services while participating in a coordinated regional approach to homelessness throughout […]
Posted inNews
Sudden spike in unhoused population exposes regional gaps
“It’s nice to know the folks here have shelter to go to. We’ll see what the next phase brings, but it buys us some more time,” Carbondale Trustee Colin Laird said on Jan. 30. In more than one way, Laird has been on the frontlines of Carbondale’s response to the recent influx of more than […]
Posted inNews, Uncategorized
Homeless collaborative receives massive grant
The Valley Alliance to End Homelessness (VAEH) is made up of a group of organizations with a mission to do just what its name implies: end homelessness in the tri-county area. West Mountain Regional Health Alliance (WMRHA) was awarded $2,743,690 through the Transformational Homelessness Response Grant Program (THRGP), within the Colorado Department of Local Affairs […]
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CDHS makes way for first director of homelessness initiatives
The Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) has created a new position in an effort to focus in on the towering dilemma of homelessness within the state. The director of homelessness initiatives will coordinate between existing services and programming in hopes of assisting a greater number of people to secure and maintain housing. Cole Chandler […]
Posted inNews, Uncategorized
Housing Stability Coalition pursues solutions
These days, here in the Roaring Fork Valley and well beyond, the subject of housing comes up in conversations held from family dining room tables to city council meetings. Rent is sky high and the average sale price for a home in Carbondale is well over a million dollars. Many folks work within the community […]