Improve your vocab...and feed the hungry

If you're anything like me, you will procrastinate on homework by surfing the web, checking your facebook, etc. Suddenly, you look at the clock and hours have flown by. You think, "wow, I just wasted all that time." Sound familiar?

Well, you're welcome Colorado residents because I have come across a fabulous website that helps you procrastinate in a charitable way...and you may actually be SMARTER when you're done.

freerice.com is a wonderful website that gives you a word, and a list of synonyms. For example:

Quiet Means:
       1. bad
       2. chubby
       3. silent
       4. not good

You choose "silent" and BAM! 10 grains of rice get donated to a starving country. The words get more difficult as you go on, too. So next time you're looking for a way to waste time, consider wasting it in a way that feeds the hungry!

Fort Collins Habitat-Long Post

It’s taking some serious elbow grease for the local chapters of Habitat for Humanity to combat the ailing economy this year. Fortunately, they specialize in getting the job done.

Candace Mayo, Executive Director of the Fort Collins chapter, says that all non-profit organizations have taken a hit from the poor economy.

“While donations aren’t down too much, we know that our sponsored families are starting to have problems making house payments.”

This poses a problem because the money received from those payments funnels directly into sponsoring construction of the next local house.

Since it’s inception in 1993, the Fort Collins chapter has built 43 homes in the area. And for every home built locally, the sector builds another home overseas. So in reality, the chapter is losing funds for two houses at a time.

“[The economy] also makes it hard for applying families to qualify for a home,” Mayo said.

In order to be eligible for a Habitat for Humanity house, the family must have good credit, be able to make a $1000 down payment, and must contribute 300 hours of sweat equity into their home. 

“Lower income families are, understandably, getting deeper into debt so they become ineligible for a home,” Mayo said.

Even though the economy is not on their side, the Fort Collins chapter is still working hard to raise money.

“We’re hosting a gala on April 10 at the Embassy Suites, that’s the big thing. We also send out direct mail to the community, and we get regular donations that way,” Mayo said.

The Fort Collins chapter also gets help from the Habitat Home Supply Store located at 4001 S. Taft Hill Road.  Profits made from sales at the store go towards the organization’s cause and also to help pay the employee’s salaries.

“The store is really great because it works as sort of an advertisement, it let’s people know we’re here,” Mayo said.

With awareness comes sponsors, and Mayo says that often times people are excited about the houses that their donations of money and time have helped to build.

“Many of our homeowners tell us that cars will drive by and the people inside are smiling and pointing at the house. Ours is a great non-profit because you can see where your money is going.”

The Colorado State University chapter is hoping to help build a house of their own. At the beginning of the year, the club set a goal to raise enough money to co-sponsor one house build this year.

“It costs anywhere from $10,000 to $15,000 to co-sponsor a house. We still need to raise about $5,000 to reach our goal,” Laura Bowman, President of CSU Habitat, said.

The club has hosted a benefit concert along with smaller functions such as gift-wrapping sessions and RamRide to raise money in the past. Recently, with the economy taking its toll, they have decided to put together a community yard sale instead.

“This year is a new beginning for our club and we decided our annual fundraiser needed to be redone as well.  We wanted something that would have a connection to Habitat and the homes we build.  The club thought there is nothing better than home furnishings to help fill your house,” Bowman said.

The CSU chapter is currently working with churches and the campus parking services to try and reserve an empty parking lot to hold the sale. Additionally, the club members will design advertisements, pitch the sale to local neighborhoods, and provide pick up of donated goods before the event in early May.

“It is a great cause, and while it takes a lot of effort to pull something like this off, I think in the end we will be very proud of what we accomplished and excited to put the money directly towards building someone's new home,” Ashley Johnson, secretary of CSU Habitat, said.

Founded in 1976, the International Habitat for Humanity organization has built over 350,000 houses around the world in over 3,000 countries.  Those homes have provided 1.75 million people with affordable housing. With this kind of reputation, local affiliates remain optimistic.

“We will bounce back, we’ll be ok,” Candace Mayo, Fort Collins Executive Director said.  “This is a good cause.  Our homeowners remember how their house was built and the people that helped build it, and that makes them cherish it even more.”

Operation Christmas Child Denver

While Operation Christmas Child is not exclusive to the Colorado area, it is the LARGEST Christmas project in the world. The idea is simple: a shoebox filled with toys, snacks, clothing and other items is sent to children around the world living in impoverished conditions. While it is a Christian-based organization, anyone can sponsor a box regardless of their beliefs. 'Tis the season to give back. If you are interested in sponsoring a shoe box, you may contact the Operation Christmas Child processing center in Denver. Find their information here.

Or, if you are interested in learning more about the program as a whole; such as where the Christmas boxes go, check out the organization's website here.

Denver Homeless Stats

Did you know that the state of Colorado has one of the highest homeless populations in the nation? With the economy continuing to decline, more and more people are facing homelessness in our state. While this blog's main purpose is to highlight organizations that are helping to fight poverty in the state of Colorado, I feel it is important that I share some facts about where our state stands right now. The information I will share is from The Gathering Place in Denver.

At a Glance:

• As of January 2012, 12,605 people were homeless in the Metro Denver Area
• 25.7% were "newly homeless," meaning they lost their homes within the past year
• 1 in 4 Homeless individuals have a full or part-time job
• 27% of the homeless population are children
• The fastest growing homeless population in families with children
• 44% of the homeless population are single mothers

Some stats are surprising, right? Did you know that many homeless individuals have at least a high school diploma? Some even have undergraduate or post-graduate degrees! I think it's a good reminder that we may not know the whole story, and we shouldn't make assumptions or generalizations. 

Child Homelessness- Long Post

Homelessness and Children

On the outside, Nicholas looks like your typical 9-year-old. He wears a bright orange Hot Wheels shirt, and proudly displays the fading temporary tattoo of a motorcycle on his left arm. But ask him about his childhood, and the bubbly personality is lost to silence. Until recently, Nicholas lived on the streets of Denver with his mother. Life consisted of dumpster diving and looking for aluminum cans to turn in for nickels. And while this seems bad, in many ways Nicholas is lucky. His story is much brighter than that of the average homeless child, and with the American economy still in a deep recession, more and more children must face the hardships of a life on the street.

According to the Center on Budget and Policy priorities, the number of Americans in “deep poverty” has risen by 4.5 percent (approximately 6.3 million people) since 2009. This means that approximately 1.1 million families were at risk of becoming homeless, and the numbers continue to rise.

“Currently, about 1 in 50 children are homeless,” Christina Murphy, Director of the Campaign to End Child Homelessness said. “That’s almost 2 million kids who are at risk of mental and physical health problems.”

The effects of homelessness begin in infancy. Children born into homelessness are more likely to have lower birth rates, and are four times as likely to be born with heart and respiratory defects. Additionally, 40 percent of homeless mothers are substance abusers. This means their babies may be born addicted to cocaine or other drugs, and may have physical and mental disabilities due to exposure to alcohol. Since drugs remain in the circulation system of an infant much longer than an adult, the addicted babies will suffer through withdrawals more intense than an adult addict’s, according to the American Pregnancy Association.

“I have had babies come to our shelter that must be immediately transferred to a hospital because they have things like severe muscle spasms, diarrhea, and even seizure –like withdrawals,” Amber Callender, Executive Director of The Denver Road House, a 90-day shelter, said. “It’s terrible to think about the babies who don’t have access to hospital care, and must go it alone.”

If a homeless child survives infancy, every year it spends on the streets can lead to more psychological and physical hardships. The state of Colorado is ranked 35^th in the nation for child homelessness, with 38 percent of children living on the street. Colorado’s homeless children face additional hardships because of the harsh weather conditions in the winter.

“When it’s snowing outside the Denver homeless shelters see a surplus of people and since it’s first come first serve, many must be turned back to the streets even if we surpass shelter capacity,” Jamie Glennon, Public Relations Specialist at The Denver Road House, said.

No shelter means no food in many circumstances, and more than one-third of homeless children are forced to skip at least one meal a day, according to the Campaign to End Child Homelessness.  Since 2008, as a response to the recession, the demand for food aid has risen from 20 percent to 40 percent, forcing many shelters to turn away hungry children. Additionally, the child population receives little to no education, and as a result the proficiency rates for homeless children in reading and math fall 16 percent lower than other students. This is a problem because homeless children who do not receive a high school diploma are more likely to continue living in poverty when they themselves have children. 82 percent of homeless children come from families where neither parent has a high school diploma, according to the National Center on Family Homelessness.

“It’s this vicious cycle,” Murphy said. “A child grows up on the streets, and then they have children who grow up on the streets, and this pattern means that gradually the homeless population will increase in size and affect their access to shelters and resources.”

In order to combat this cycle, many organizations in Colorado and nationwide are developing programs that offer housing options and financial aid to homeless families. Obama’s 2009 approval of the FY12 budget proposal has been a huge step forward in the campaign to end child homelessness, because it will allot $1 billion to the National Housing Trust Fund. This funding will support a two-year plan to build rental homes for low-income households using environmentally conscious building materials.

If passed, the Emergency Shelter Grant, which is currently being reviewed by congress, would provide $2 billion to prevent low-income households from losing their homes. Funds would also “re-house” those that have lost their homes as a result of the economic recession.  Approximately 400,000 households would benefit from this grant, according to the National Center on Family Homelessness.

In 2003, The Denver Road House collaborated with homeless individuals, city council, local businesses, nonprofits and neighborhood organizations to address homelessness in the Denver metro area. The goal was to create a ten-year plan that would provide financial and legal assistance so that local homelessness would no longer exist. So far, the organization has developed almost 2,000 new housing developments for the homeless population, and has employed 5,253 homeless individuals.

“It’s not enough to just give them jobs though, we really wanted to make sure they were prepared to financially support their children in the long run,” Callender said.

Therefore the Denver Road House offers a free financial counseling course, which teaches homeless families how to manage their money and budget for the needs of their children.  Similar programs have been launched in New Mexico and Kansas at their local shelters. While these types of programs benefit children in the long run, there are other organizations that cater specifically to the emotional well being of the homeless children.

One example is Birthday Smiles, a local non-profit organization that throws birthday parties once a month for the children who live at The Samaritan House in Denver. 

“I thought about how important birthday parties were to my children and wanted to make sure every child that we could reach felt as special for a day,” Risë Justice, founder of Birthday Smiles, said.

Birthday Smiles began hosting parties in July of 2009, and has since hosted a birthday party every month, plus a Halloween party. Local donations, combined with money Justice takes out of pocket, provide each birthday boy or girl with $50 worth of presents, plus cupcakes and ice cream. The families of the children receive “points” which they can eventually exchange for things like diapers and school supplies.

Justice originally got the idea from the Massachusetts-based Birthday Wishes, a large-scale birthday program that has branches in New York, California, and Maryland. They also recently opened up a branch in Kentucky, ranked 42^nd in the nation with almost half of the entire child population labeled as homeless. 

“The reaction has been what keeps us inspired,” Lisa Kutner, Fundraising Coordinator for Birthday Smiles, said. “Parents have come up to me constantly to thank us for helping to give their children something they were not able to afford at this time.”

Nicholas is one of two children who celebrated his birthday at the Samaritan House this month. With wide eyes he tore off the wrapping paper to reveal a bright red, remote controlled monster truck (his favorite color), and six different Lego sets. He is quick to share his new toys with the other children in the room “so everyone can have fun,” he says.  With the help of the Samaritan House, Nicholas attends the local public school every weekday, and the financial classes have helped his mother learn how to start a college savings account for his future.

“I can't think of one night that I have not been able to pull up the memory of a special child that puts a smile on my face before I fall asleep each and every night,” Justice said. “Maybe when those children grow up, they will look back at this experience, smile, and give back.”

Colorado Weather= Scary Situations for Homeless

With the temperature steadily dropping, we are all ready to crank up our thermostats. But while the cold weather means cozy fireplaces and heaters for us, it may mean life-threatening conditions for the homeless. Colorado based non-profit "A Place to Call Home" works to provide cold care packages for the homeless people who must survive Colorado winters without shelter. Each package includes a warm blanket, food, a first aid kit and other survival necessities. They are a small non-profit and could use the help! If you have any extra winter gear lying around the house, consider donating to this great, local organization. Visit their website here. 

Relationship Workshop Lessens Poverty

Did you know that if a child grows up in an unstable household, they are seven times more likely to turn to drugs, alcohol, crime, or domestic violence as an adult? It is easy to assume that poverty is always tied to lack of money or finances, but in fact lifestyle can greatly determine whether or not an individual will be capable of maintaining a safe family home.

That's where the Aurora Mental Health Center comes in. While they cannot prevent violence or abuse in a home (that is a police matter and MUST be reported), they do offer lifestyle and community classes that educate families about the proper ways to manage stress, anger, and relationships. I had the privilege of attending a relationship class this past summer that focused on how to work with families with a history of domestic violence. It was extremely eye opening to see how much violence could have been prevented if only the family knew a few key coping skills to solve arguments and conflict.

You do not have to be in an unstable relationship to attend these classes. They even offer community classes so that you can get an entire neighborhood involved! I would definitely recommend checking out their services. Relationships can drastically impact poverty rates, wouldn't it be nice to know how to keep yours healthy?

For more information about AMHC check out their website here.