DENVER, CO – With the Dow reaching 10,000 for the first time in little over a year, Catholic Charities is hopeful that our economic recovery is finally underway. However, this achievement is “too little, too late” for many of the men, women, and families that have come to us for help.

 

“Catholic Charities Samaritan House Homeless Shelter has been operating at capacity,” said Geoff Bennett, Vice President of Shelter and Community Outreach. “Each day, 350 people, men, women, and children, call [Samaritan House] home. Many have exhausted their entire life savings as they struggled to ‘hold on’ while searching for a job in this very competitive time.”

 

Even with an economic recovery, many more Colorado families remain in a delicate situation. In the month of September, Catholic Charities received requests from over 1,700 households for emergency assistance with food, rent/utility payments, and personal care items. Over 600 of these households were seeking help for the first time.

 

“We have been able to provide over $145,000 in direct, financial assistance to help these families avoid evictions and utility shut-offs,” said Bennett. “The sad reality is that we were only able to assist 325 households, little over 1,000 people, before our funds were exhausted. We’re actively seeking more funding for emergency assistance – hopefully, this economic milestone will translate into greater giving.”