The Grip of Homelessness Only 'One Paycheck Away' for Some
Posted 11/16/2009
Willie will likely never forget the bear he encountered in Colorado Springs, at the appropriately named Bear Creek Regional Park.
“He came right up to the car. He was big,” Willie recalled.
Willie wasn’t in the park looking for a place to picnic or camp. Nor was he there for a leisurely stroll or bike ride. It was nighttime, and Willie was in the park – with his calico cat Cee Cee – sleeping in his car.
Luckily, the bear was easily deterred. “I flashed my lights and I think it stunned him because he stumbled off into the woods.”
Willie was also a little stunned at the time. The former security guard and chef for 14 years had come across tough times after having his hours cut at work.
“There are a lot of folks out there who are like I was, just one paycheck away from being homeless,” said Willie. “I had my hours cut at work and, before I knew it, I couldn’t afford to pay rent. It spiraled out of control.”
For months he would drive around at night in search of a quiet, secluded place to sleep. Local parks and dark streets were common destinations.
The thought of remaining homeless had him depressed and suicidal. He placed a call to Pikes Peak Behavioral Health Group, which he did volunteer work with years ago, and was soon off the streets.
“I was on the brink of ending it all. Every time I think back to what I had to go through and what I have now … there are no words to express how happy I am,” he said.
Homeless individuals in El Paso County like Willie will receive housing, comprehensive mental health care and substance abuse treatment as well as vocational and educational training through a five-year, $1.5 million grant from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA).
Homeless camps like the one pictured above off the
Sante Fe Trail can be found throughout Colorado Springs.
The Colorado Springs Shelter Plus Care Services Enhancement Project is a joint effort of Pikes Peak Behavioral Health Group and the Colorado Department of Human Services, Division of Supportive Housing and Homeless Programs (SHHP). Pikes Peak Behavioral Health Group provides the outreach, treatment, training and case management services; SHHP administers the rental subsidies.
The goal is to help individuals become self-sufficient through employment or by obtaining state or federal benefits. In the process, they’ll experience improved function, become more connected socially and experience fewer symptoms from their mental illness.
“In addition to providing traditional mental health care, we’ll help these individuals get a GED, or train them for jobs in businesses like construction or catering, and prepare them for job interviews,” said Morris L. Roth, President and CEO of Pikes Peak Behavioral Health Group. “We want to get them off the streets, but we want them to gain the skills and confidence they need to be productive members of our community.”
The project is an extension of the Shelter Plus Care program that Willie found. It administered housing vouchers to 56 individuals last year. Under the grant, El Paso County will receive $250,000 this year and $30,000 extra the next four years to cover additional participants.
Outreach services are also included in the new grant to help identify individuals at local shelters, soup kitchens and camps who are chronically homeless and eligible for services either paid for by the grant or available through community partners.
“It seemed like a miracle to me. It has made me feel so much better about myself,” Willie said. “I hope one of these days I’ll be able to give back. I do believe what goes around comes around.”
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