State anti-poverty task force meets in Lafayette to hear testimonials, trade ideas
By John Aguilar Camera Staff Writer
Posted: 10/21/2011 10:51:33 PM MDT
LAFAYETTE -- Poverty in Boulder County got a face Friday. Three faces, in fact.
A trio of single mothers -- two from Longmont and one from Lafayette -- stood in front of a packed room at Sister Carmen Community Center to tell an anti-poverty conference what it's like to do without.
They spoke about children with special needs, fathers vanished, multiple low-paying jobs, and the importance of public assistance to get them by. They bemoaned the "cliff effect" of social services, where aid is suddenly terminated as soon as the recipient makes some income or returns to school.
They also spoke about pulling themselves out of an abyss of despair, depression and low self-esteem. One of the women is close to closing on her first house, while another is starting a new job that finally pays above minimum wage.
"I, for one, will be jumping for joy when I can come off assistance," Longmont resident Jennifer Lappin said.
She credited Boulder County's Circles Campaign -- a program that pairs volunteer mentors with people working their way out of poverty -- for giving her the guidance and confidence to gain a measure of stability for herself and her 10-year-old son.
"I have a group of people who believe in me," Lappin said. "That empowered me like you would not believe."
Brenda Spencer, a Longmont mother of four children who makes $800 a month at her waitress job, said Circles Campaign has helped teach her how to update her resume and prepare her for a career as a dental assistant.
"The social network is invaluable," she told the crowd of 70 or so people.
In the audience were several state legislators -- including Sen. Evie Hudak, D-Westminster; Rep. Ken Summers, R-Lakewood; and Sen. Betty Boyd, D-Lakewood -- who form the Economic Opportunity and Poverty Reduction Task Force.
The task force's goal is to develop a comprehensive plan for reducing poverty by at least 50 percent in Colorado by 2019.
The 2010 Census showed child poverty rates in Boulder County are more than double the rate in 2000, with almost 15 percent of the community's families living in poverty. The bureau estimated that 16.6 percent of Boulder County's children under age 18 -- or 10,247 kids -- were below the poverty level. That's one in every six children in the county and 26 percent higher than 2009.
Robin Bohannan, director of Boulder County Community Services, said local government can take innovative approaches to helping people escape from the trap of poverty.
She said Boulder County and its municipalities can give low-income people an automatic interview for government jobs while giving preference in the bidding process to companies that are willing to hire low-income employees.
"We guarantee them an interview -- that's an open door," Bohannan said.
She said programs like More than Wheels, a New Hampshire-based organization that gives low-interest car loans to those in need, could work well in Boulder County.
But she said, most of all, it takes grassroots initiatives like the Circles Campaign to plug people who feel alienated from society back into society and give them a sense of purpose.
"I can't say more than enough that getting out of poverty is getting connected," Bohannan said.
Pat Guilbeault, of Boulder, decided to connect through the Circles Campaign with a young college student who is having trouble supporting herself. Guilbeault, who was on welfare herself as a young single mother, became a mentor -- or a Circles Ally -- in June and will work with the woman for 18 months.
"I'm really trying to empower her," Guilbeault said, "because I believe relationships can help."
