Westside CARES

01/01/2021

Starting Points & Care Packages

At Westside CARES, we believe in new year's resolutions. We believe in every-day resolutions. Because each new dawn is a new opportunity to move a little differently in the world. Whatever your new year's resolutions might be, may we suggest adding self-compassion and deep self-care to the list? And, if you really want to dive into these ideas, here's a tool we love from our friends at The On Being Project :

Thoughtfully curated collections of audio, essays, and poetry from The On Being Project’s deep archive. Revisit old favorites and find new ones.

12/31/2020

A *partial* listing of our gratitude for this year, on this New Year's Eve. We love you all. #blessed #BelovedCommunity

12/31/2020

Gratitude diaries 12/31/2020

12/31/2020

Denver Residents Living in Vehicles Still Stuck Without a Space

As much as we wish for better, many people still live in their cars and struggle to find safe places to sleep:

It's illegal to park in the same spot for more than 72 hours.

12/31/2020

We will be closed today, December 31, in observance of New Year's Eve. We thank you for your trust this year, and look forward to bright beginnings in 2021!

12/30/2020

A Westside CARES Thank You moment, from C.
Learn more about our impact and how you can make a difference at http://indygive.com/wc
#belovedcommunity #westsidecares #loveyourneighbor #gratitude

12/30/2020

The Westside Community Center is closed today, December 30, and our pantry will unfortunately be closed as well. On behalf of all the volunteers who make this pantry run smoothly, we thank you for your trust in us and look forward to seeing you in the new year!
If you need food tomorrow, December 31, please visit the Sacred Heart Pantry at 2030 W Colorado Avenue between 10am-12pm!

12/29/2020

New Colorado Law Requires Courts to Suppress Eviction Case Records | Pagosa Daily Post News Events & Video for Pagosa Springs Colorado

Because we can all use good news:

New Colorado Law Requires Courts to Suppress Eviction Case Records by Special to the Post | Dec 15, 2020 | News/Politics This article by Moe Clark first appeared on Colorado Newsline on December 10, 2020. A new Colorado state law requires courts to suppress records of eviction cases while they are m...

12/28/2020

Homeless and doubled up, families living with other households may fall into aid blind spot

Oh, we hope this isn't true:

Vital housing assistance, such as rapid rehousing, may not be available to families that don’t meet the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s definition of homeless, including those who have had to move in with other households.

12/27/2020

U.S. poverty jumps the most in 60 years

"While the nation's headline unemployment rate has fallen to 6.7%, poverty has steadily risen over this period. One explanation is that although fewer Americans are jobless, the official rate of unemployment doesn't capture the millions of workers who've given up looking for a job altogether. Other workers may be employed full time, but have had their hours cut and earn incomes that put them below the poverty line."

Nearly 8 million Americans fell into poverty between June and November, a new analysis shows.

12/26/2020

The CDC blocked evictions during Covid. Why are tenants being evicted?

Yikes:

“If policymakers don’t intervene, we are facing the very real possibility of tens of millions of people losing their homes this winter,” said an advocate.

12/25/2020

Gratitude diaries 12/25/2020

12/25/2020

Celebrating the holidays? Colorado health officials release tips to keep it COVID-friendly

Our greatest Christmas wish is for YOUR health and safety. We're happy to share these tips for safe holiday celebrations:

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) has released a list of important things to remember to keep your loved ones and communities safe during holiday celebrations.

12/24/2020

Pandemic Housing Shifts Will Speed Recovery in 2021

This hopeful piece creates more questions than it answers. If a robust, overpriced housing market will speed economic recovery, we wonder for whom? and at what cost?

A slumping home market dragged out a rebound from the 2008 recession; this time the industry will help, not hinder, the economy.

12/24/2020

We regret that we are closed today, December 24.
We know this Christmas Eve holiday will be unlike any before or after it. No matter where you are, we wish you warmth and health and belonging - today and every day. We look forward to seeing you next week!

12/23/2020

A Westside CARES Thank You moment, from J.
Learn more about our impact and how you can make a difference at http://indygive.com/wc
#belovedcommunity #westsidecares #loveyourneighbor #gratitude

12/23/2020

One of the things that makes Westside CARES special is the personal relationships we have with our neighbors - we get to know them deeply so we can better support their hopes and dreams - and they know us too. We believe that relationship is transformational - and we know YOUR support is the foundation of that. Thank you for supporting us in the ways you do, and if you're in a position to support our work during this holiday season, we invite you to join our community in that way. https://indygive.com/nonprofit/westside-cares/

12/22/2020

Birthday shenanigans!!

12/22/2020

Colorado may not recover jobs lost this year until 2023, CU forecasters predict

According to this study, and everything we've seen so far, economic recovery will be a long haul for many Coloradans.

Colorado is on track to lose nearly 149,000 jobs in 2020, and digging out of that that pandemic-induced hole will take a couple of years, even with the promising vaccines rolling out in the coming …

12/21/2020

Here's How Officials Want To Use Denver's New Homelessness Resolution Fund

"The ultimate goal of the fund is to establish 1,800 homes with support services over the next 10 years, create 500 to 600 new units of shelter, housing or catalytic projects, regrow lost homeless shelter space, and continue expanding support services for people experiencing homelessness."

Public input on plan accepted until Dec. 21.

12/20/2020

As pandemic lifelines expire, Americans in housing free fall

"America’s mom-and-pop landlords, along with their tenants, have been dangling by a thread for nine months. Now, with Congress still deadlocked over the contours of a second pandemic stimulus package, they are entering a new housing abyss, a perilous period of pandemic limbo as the last of the safety nets are set to expire."

Clarence Hamer doesn’t expect to hang on to his house much longer.

12/19/2020

Joe Johnson Music

Westside CARES is so grateful to the talented Joe Johnson of Joe Johnson Music (and all the beautiful co-creators) who put together this sweet Holiday Hootenany to benefit our neighbors in need. If you need a little sweetness this holiday season, we highly recommend putting this concert on repeat.

Don’t miss this show tonight at 7:00pm Mountain time! It’s a star studded, nationwide live stream affair featuring guest performances by Cary Hudson, Grant Sabin and the Juke Joint Highball, Duane Mark, and Jacob Klock... as well as a rock and roll closing number with my son Bradyn Johnson on drums. It’s gonna be a good way to end the year.

Tips from tonight’s show will be donated to Westside Cares of Colorado Springs, so you get the bonus feeling of helping someone in need!

12/19/2020

Up to 40 million Americans could lose their homes if Congress doesn't act: "It's life or death for me"

Now is the time to act to help renters and landlords alike:

A recent study found over 400,000 additional coronavirus cases and 10,000 deaths were linked to the expirations of various state eviction protections over the summer.

12/18/2020

Educator Survey: K-12 Students Face Housing Challenges | Enterprise Community Partners

According to this study, "3 in 4 educators (76%) reported housing-related challenges are somewhat common or very common among their students. At the same time, more than 1 in 3 educators (38%) indicate they do not know how to connect students experiencing housing challenges with necessary supports, including housing, academic assistance, mental health services and others." Yikes.

Current economic, educational and societal factors prompted Enterprise Community Partners and The NHP Foundation survey of educators on the connection between housing stability and educational outcomes

12/17/2020

Gratitude diaries 12/17/2020

12/17/2020

Today, Westside CARES is so grateful for the Front Porch Giving Circle, whose members bless us with incredible generosity - including these much-needed items for our food pantries!

12/17/2020

Yesterday, we served over 90 families and 250+ people at our two pantries... and we were able to do that because of our community's incredible support, in the form of hard-to-find items! Thank you all!!

12/17/2020

Where Will The Latest Round Of Colorado Coronavirus Relief Money Go?

Housing help, broadband access, childcare and small business help are the targets of the Colorado Stimulus package:

Renters, undocumented people, food pantries and more will see pieces of the $342 million aid package.

12/16/2020

A Westside CARES Thank You moment, from T.
Learn more about our impact and how you can make a difference at http://indygive.com/wc
#belovedcommunity #westsidecares #loveyourneighbor #gratitude

12/16/2020

Give! 2020: A tough year for some, means a busy year at Westside Cares

We thank our friends at @FOX21 News for this beautiful piece about what our community's support makes possible for, well, our community:

COLORADO SPRINGS — In the years since Westside Cares began in the 1980s, the need for the help the organization provides has grown then gone away, depending on the bad times and the return of…

12/15/2020

Food Pantries Face New Challenges As They Respond To Unprecedented Demand During The Pandemic

We may have shared this before, but it's worth sharing again. Makes us so proud of our Sacred Heart Parish, Colorado Springs, Trinity United Methodist, Stratmoor Hills, and Church in the Wildwood, United Church of Christ , and Westside Community Center pantries and the people and faith communities that keep the latter running: Grace Lutheran Church of Colorado Springs; Gateway Presbyterian Church; and Christ the King Lutheran Church. Plus all the community members who help to keep this pantry - and all our pantries, stocked.

Business at Jewish Family Service’s Weinberg Food Pantry has quadrupled from 40 households per day to 160 per day during the pandemic.

12/14/2020

Council of Neighbors and Organizations (CONO)

Our very own Shelby will be presenting at this event on behalf of Westside CARES! Join if you can and learn about how we can all support our neighbors:
https://www.cscono.org/cono-cares

12/13/2020

Millions of Hungry Americans Turn to Food Banks for 1st Time

Westside CARES served 280 households at our Westside Community Center Pantry in November - and over 20% of those households were visiting our pantry for the first time. This is real:

As a year marked by coronavirus nears an end, millions of Americans are depending on food banks to stave off hunger.

12/12/2020

Rosy Vaccine Outlook Brightens World Economic Forecast, But Recovery May Be Uneven

Make no mistake - recovery will not only be uneven internationally, but within our own states. Those with the least to lose in this pandemic have lost the most and it is our responsibility at Westside CARES and as citizens to remember them and support them over the long haul.

China is predicted to account for more than a third of global economic growth next year, while the U.S. and European countries will lag behind, according to the OECD.

12/11/2020

Gratitude diaries 12/11/2020