Devorah

Hilary

Robin

Rose

Sara

Homeless on Colfax Ave:

The Invisible Community

Systems theory

What social systems are present/absent?

EmploymentHealthSafety and securityEducationHousingSocial welfare

Employment Health

65,000 jobs by 2020 68% low wage 69% Colorado’s

minimum wage earners are adults, 60% are women

Most homeless in motels work

Obesity and malnourishment

Developmental disabilities, low IQ

Mental health concerns

Safety & Security Education

Reoccurring prostitution and drug use

Night police unreliable 50% homeless

women and children are fleeing DV

30% children not enrolled

43% of homeless are children

Teachers report homeless children struggle

Transportation to school is a concern

Housing

Eviction orders up 55% Only 72% of housing demand is met Motels provide “defacto” transitional

housing at high cost Full month rent at motel $540-720 350 Aurora families w/children need

improved housing

Urban Renewal Welfare All motels are

‘blighted,’ Fitzsimons will

displace many Denver renewal

Ogden to Colorado Blvd.

Voucher’s time limited Aurora: 7.1% of Metro

shelter capacity TANF $300-$400 SSI/SSDI: $545

“Redevelopment should serve the neighborhood and serve Fitzsimons, which is a huge economic engine. There will be business needs, employee needs, food and housing needs, and still neighborhood needs, because there's been no investment in the neighborhood for so long."

What are the subsystems present?

BusinessesGovernmentChurchesService providersHealth care

Businesses Cater to transient

community Redevelopment is

adversarial

Government Adams/Arapahoe

County Public, minimal benefits

Local police improved

Churches Health Care

Minimal church presence

Local churches provide meals, CCN

Churches give donations

Aurora mental health Stout Street Clinic MCPN

Service Providers Colfax Community Network:

-after school programs-groups for moms, teenagers -hygiene and food pantry-deposit assistance

Habitat for Humanity

Minimal transitional housing beds:-Comitis Crisis Center -Gateway -Sabin Group

How is the homeless community functioning?

Invisible community transient, vulnerable families cycle of transition

-migrating-permanent housing unstable

Mutual supports-motel identities-childcare

Vertical & Horizontal relationships

Vertical Needs met through hierarchical authority Serve providers unequal relationships

Horizontal Community within motel Relationship based on survival

Ecological Theory

“Original aurora shows the population increased by 45% while housing stock increased by 3% which resulted in overcrowding of housing units”

Geographic boundaries

70-225 to the East Syracuse to West 1 block to the North

and South of Colfax

History

City of Aurora founded in 1891

1921- military base built 1960- 50,000 residents 1970- Population boom,

increased to 158,000 by 1980

1990’s- economic prosperity 2000- Aurora’s population

increased to close to 300,000 residents

Demographics 1,919 homeless persons in Aurora per year

E. Colfax Poverty rate nearly double the average for Aurora

43% of the homeless are children

35% of homeless families are headed by single women

60% have moved at least twice in the last twelve months

25% have moved between at least two motels in the last 12 months

35% moved to CO from another state in the last 6 months

60% have lived in Aurora for less than one month. 30% stay for 6 months or longer, 10% are long term/permanent residents

20-30 (7%) families a year move into permanent housing

There are 5,700 households live at $10, 700 annual income

Developmental stage

One hotel vacant boarded up for five years

progressively all the motels blighted

City Council discussing relocation options

Culture / People / RelationshipsEthnicity of homeless

48% White 24% Hispanic 24% Black 2% Native American and mixed

motel community is a closed society

the longer the stay, the more entrenched

There is some cohesiveness, majority of relationships fighting/gossip.

Result of analysis:

Transient homeless families in motels A complexity of issues contributing Limited transitional housing People caught in expensive motel

“solution” Proposals for urban renewal and growth

will exacerbate problem

Social Planning

“Let’s get the facts and think through the logical next step”

(Rothman, 2005, p. 38)

Force Field Analysis & Change

Who wants change?•Motel residents•Churches and Service Providers•City of Denver/Aurora•Police•Businesses in the area•Social Workers

Who doesn’t want change?•Owners of the motels•Managers/employees•Longtime residents of motels•Tax payers•Day labor/temp agencies

3 goals for macro change :

• Build more housing units for families and single adults • Hold seminars teaching people about saving money, finding

employment, health, substance abuse• Organize a drive to get mattresses/carpeting/furniture for rooms

Locality Development

Needs: Secure shelter, transitional housing, safety from crime, steady income, reliable transportation to job

Assets: Social support in motels, no strict regulations, proximity to labor, transportation and food

ACTIONS

Community Building Hold outreach events in

order to survey resident’s perceptions of problems

Teach-Ins where homeless learn to advocate for each other and themselves

Identify natural leaders and build natural relationships with them

Self-help/Mutual Aid Immediate motel

beautification working with owners & employees

Giving Circle in permanent housing; groups of adults are responsible for one another’s monthly payments

Community garden

Social Action

“Change never ever, ever comes from the top down”

(B. Mikulski 1982)

PLAN FOR DIRECT ACTION:

Vision: Safe and stable housing for all

Goal: Transitional housing integrated into redevelopment

Target: Fitzsimons campus and City should be accountable

Primary Constituency: homeless individuals living in hotels

Develop Leaders: Homeless hotel managers

Action: Tent city in parking lot of abandoned motel, media coverage, demand the space be converted to affordable transitional housing

Outcome: Tenants pay 30% income and stay up to 2 years

Transformative/Empowerment

“For the most marginalized people in U.S. society, the very poor and least educated, the transformative approaches appear especially well suited” (Hanna, M. & Robinson, B., 1994)

GOAL: Create unified social will around the need for affordable housing in Aurora

Create small study circles; a great way to promote liberation and empower members inherent capabilities

Empower the people so that ultimately we can make the external changes in the housing situation that we wish to make.

Find out individual self-interests and feelings about the group

Deal with the homeless crisis on a personal level Eventually, the group would press the City of Aurora to

include affordable housing

Intervention

“Assisting community members in awakening to and pursuing their own legitimate aspirations for social autonomy and recognition”

(Adams & Goldbard, 2001, p. 19)

Target:

Confront influential socio-economic

interests, especially Fitzsimons campus

GoalRaise awareness of

invisible homeless on Colfax. People are

empowered when their voices are heard.

Lived Realities

Homeless Children’s

Intervention: Community Arts Project

oral documentary using audio and photographic mediums

After-school program teaches community youth how to collect visual/audio snapshots of their daily experience of motel living

build relationships with Fitzsimons campus display images and audio exerts on hospital campuses. mobilize democratizing potential of media by playing

audio segments on public radio and news stations

Timeline

Begin immediately utilizing already existing after-school program and CCN

Three week training with kids learning audio and photographic medium

Form relationships with hospitals to secure an venue for project

First Friday opening event including youth artists, targets, and media. Display for one month.

Social work values and ethics

Values Dignity and worth of

the person Social Justice,

challenge injustice of homelessness

Service, help motel residents

Ethics Self determination

through use of voice in art project (1.02)

Cultural competence and social diversity, strength of homeless community (1.05a)

Intervention draws from:

Intervention models: Community Development Transformative Social Action

Utilizes skills of: Listening Training Teaching Communication building alliances and

coalitions publicity skills

Bibliography Adams, D, & Goldbard, A. (2001). Creative Community: The Art of Cultural Development. New York: The Rockerfeller

Foundation. Aurora Housing Task Force, The. (June, 2004). Aurora Housing Needs and Strategies. Prepared by: Economic & Planning Systems,

Inc. Aurora History. www.auroragov.org Bobo, K., Kendall, J., & Max, S. (2001). Organizing for Social Change: Midwest Academy Manual for Activists. Santa Ana, California:

Seven Locks Press. Colfax Community Network, Inc. www.colfaxcommunitynetwork.org Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. www.coloradocoalition.org Dugger, C. W. (January 18, 2005). “U.N. Calls on rich nations to double aid.” The New

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Hanna, M. & Robinson, B. (1994). Strategies for community empowerment: Direct action and transformative approaches to social change practice. NY: The Edwin Mellon

Press. Homan, M. (2004). Promoting Community Change: Making it happen in the real world

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a Model for Developing Extremely Low Income African-American Communities. Journal of Community Practice, Vol. 7(3), pp. 67-84.

Weil, M. & Gamble, D. (1994). Current Models of Community Practice for Social Work, Received from Katharine R. Hobart, Ph. D., MSW, LCSW, Community Practice I Class, University

of Denver, Graduate School of Social Work.