DENVER — For nearly 50 years, Denver nonprofit Warren Village has been helping single-parent and low-income families achieve financial independence and “economic self-sufficiency.”
It’s a tall task, one that has been made harder by the pandemic, which has disproportionately affected lower-income individuals and those experiencing homelessness.
“The goal, really, is bringing in people who are homeless or unstably housed and providing them first with safe and affordable housing, and stacking on top of that supportive services for adults which really is about college attainment or workforce certification attainment,” said Ethan Hemming, President and CEO of Warren Village. “And while they’re working on that, finding supportive care and education for their littlest kids, from zero to five [years old].”
Hemming said the COVID-19 pandemic has “dramatically changed” how Warren Village operates.
“And of course it’s changed the circumstances that our residents are living in,” he continued, “and particularly that of our alumni—those who have left us—how they have been living has been dramatically affected.”
Warren Village staff said that because of the challenges presented by the pandemic, residents are staying 6-12 months longer than normally expected.