Emergency Assistance
Denver Services

We help families in crisis get back on their feet. We help low-income families and individuals to pay their housing and utility bills. We serve residents of Adams, Arapahoe, Denver, and Jefferson Counties.

We Prevent Homelessness

For Fiscal Year 2017/2018, 1,163 Households were provided utility assistance and 320 Households were provided with rental assistance. We’re preventing homelessness, one home at a time!

The Impact of Emergency Assistance

Bonnie’s Story: In need of a helping hand

“When it seemed like there was no hope, Catholic Charities was a helping hand to catch me.” Catholic Charities was contacted by the Saint Vincent DePaul (SVDP) society at a Denver parish. They had arranged a home visit with Bonnie, an elderly client. She had recently lost her husband and was in a fragile state. SVDP paid her utility bill to avoid her service from being shut-off. SVDP society referred Bonnie to our Emergency Assistance program for more help. We were able to pay her rent for the month. With the help of SVDP and Catholic Charities, Bonnie was able to pay off a large debt and gain stability at a difficult time. She is very grateful for all the help she received.

The Need

Mile High United Way receives over 100,000 calls each year from people seeking help.

Catholic Charities is one of few agencies to whom United Way can refer their callers.

Preventing Homelessness

Many of our clients are weeks – even days – away from eviction. Fortunately, with just a little help, they can get back on track.

By helping them to pay their utility, rent or mortgage bills, we are essentially preventing homelessness. Our brief and relatively small assistance is often all they need to regain stability.

 

Need Help?

We provide limited rent/mortgage, and utility (gas/electric) assistance.

Phone Appointments only – NO WALK-INS PLEASE.

Please call (720) 377-1313 Monday – Friday 8am – 8:45am to make an appointment.  The recording will explain what funding is available.

Please note: Appointments are limited and are based on funding and appointment availability. We receive a large volume of calls daily.

Guidelines to Receive Financial Assistance

In order to receive any financial assistance, ALL clients must bring the following to the appointment:

PICTURE ID – The driver’s license may be from Colorado or another state. Examples: Driver’s license, work ID, Dept. of Corrections ID, Recreation ID card, etc.

CURRENT PROOF OF ADDRESS – Example: a bill from a utility company, a phone bill, etc.

PROOF OF EMERGENCY – Documentation of the emergency is REQUIRED at the time of appointment. Example: loss of income, illness, accident, unforeseen expense with paid receipt (such as a car repair/medical bill) etc.

PROOF OF INCOME – Examples: pay stub, letter from employer on company letterhead, unemployment benefits, Social Security benefit letter, etc.

For RENTAL ASSISTANCE, we require all of the following:

• An eviction notice for the current month’s rent – allowed back rent must be paid before an appointment is made.
• A current lease.
• If Catholic Charities commits to payment, landlord must agree to house client for 30 days.

For UTILITY ASSISTANCE (Xcel Energy), we require all of the following:

• The bill must be in client’s name (not the landlord’s name).
• Utility bill must be at least one day in arrears.
• Total X-cel bill may not exceed $1,000.