Homeless advocates say more and more families are in Garrett’s shoes, and even in a community known for its generosity, there’s not enough help to go around. For years Teresa McLaughlin, the director of Pikes Peak Homeless Outreach focused her efforts on the homeless camps of Colorado Springs, where single men and women tried to eke out an existence by living in tents.
Now, joining this group of homeless people are those like Garrett, who have suddenly lost their jobs, who can’t pay their utilities bills and who have lost their homes. “White collar people are now starting to get into that situation,” McLaughlin said. “You see a few upper middle as well as lower class … It’s everybody, it doesn’t matter who you are.”
The newly homeless family wind up on the streets unfamiliar with programs that can help them get a roof over their heads. The winter months are the busiest for organizations like McLaughlin’s, when the cold drives families to shelters in lieu of car-camping.
Read more: http://www.gazette.com/articles/garrett-131379-homeless-families.html#ixzz1iw3Arg6X
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