COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado — They're often known as the "hidden homeless" population. Every year more than 100 families in Colorado Springs find themselves without a roof over their heads.
Social workers will tell you that number is most likely undercounted. Non-profit organizations and city leaders are striving to improve services and provide relief for families who find themselves in this stressful situation. For some, that relief can't come fast enough.
George Cole and his daughters fled domestic violence in their home state of North Carolina last year. He says the girls' mother struggled with substance with substance abuse and would become violent.
"The last day that we were together, she punched me in the eye with a Bic lighter and destroyed my retina, so I'm partially blind in my left eye I see white and shadows," he said. "She tried to attack my oldest and I called the cops."
He and the girls camped for a time in the national forest. They later moved in with relatives in Louisiana. That turned out to not be a safe situation as there were no utilities and more substance abuse in the home.
George said they sought help from homeless groups in Texas and Louisiana.
"And each one told me no single fathers," he said. "We don't help, we don't have anything set up for single dads, just the mothers."
George suffers from Multiple Sclerosis. He said he traveled to Colorado so that he could use medical cannabis here for pain management.
"I don't wanna take the pills that they give me they give me a lot of pain pills and with their mother's history. I didn't want to have a repeat of that with me."
He and the girls have been housed recently in an emergency program for homeless families. The program is temporary, most clients only stay for 90 days.
"I'm told every day by certain people in the program that I don't have much time, I'm gonna have to figure it out," he said.
Data from the most recent Point in Time Survey conducted last January counted 130 families experiencing homelessness in El Paso County, a decrease of 13 families from the previous year.
However, service providers in the Springs say that number is lower than reality.
"People would say I know where homeless people are, next to the rivers camping in tents. But with families, the number one place that a family is homeless is not a shelter. The number one place is sleeping in their car," explained Captain Doug Hanson of the Salvation Army.
He said many families are reluctant to seek help or to be counted in surveys.
"I believe the stigma is this: families think if you count or register us as a homeless family, you'll take my children from me," Hanson said.
"It's not illegal, or worthy of taking a child from a parent if they're homeless."
The Salvation Army reopened the downtown shelter in May after remodeling the building to specifically house homeless families. It's already full.
"What we're seeing every night with the availability to house 31 families that were returning 5 to 8 families because we ran out of space," Hanson said.
Andy Barton, the President and CEO of Catholic Charities of Central Colorado told us one of the biggest obstacles for homeless families is the high cost of rent.
"It just gets ramped up with families by virtue of the fact that you've got more bedrooms that you need and those units are more expensive and right now in this community we just have a real short, shortage of those, especially at affordable rate."
His organization is remodeling the vacant Helen Hunt School to create 24 new transitional housing units for families.
"They needed a place where they could ensure that families had a place to live for 18 months to get kids stable in school to get parents dealing with employment and getting their cars in and getting assistance and all those things," Barton said.
They plan to open the property in February of 2025. In the meantime, his group is working hard to prevent families from becoming homeless through diversion programs.
Steve Posey, Chief Housing Officer for the City of Colorado Springs said that housing relief is on its way. New affordable units are being built every day.
"The number of affordable apartments that are being permitted continues to stay pretty high," Pose said.
But for George and his girls, the relief can't come fast enough.
"What am I gonna do with three kids on the streets of Colorado when it's cold and snowing," he said.
George has an appointment coming up later this week to try to get into a transitional housing program. It's not guaranteed. So, he created a donation page through an online fundraising site to try and come up with some cash in case the transitional housing falls through.
Catholic Charities and the Salvation Army can always use donations and help from volunteers.
Click here to help the Salvation Army.
Click here to help Catholic Charities of Central Colorado.
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