AURORA, Colo. — With a new nonprofit on the way, the city of Aurora is changing which organizations get the city's money. The Aurora Regional Navigation Campus is expected to open in 2025. It is supposed to provide wraparound services for those experiencing homelessness.
The new organization may be one of the reasons why a couple of other groups, including Sungate Kids, will not be recommended for funding during the next city council meeting.
"So, Aurora is our largest reporting district," Diana Goldberg the executive director at Sungate Kids said. "They need our services and victim service agencies like ours more than ever."
Sungate Kids is an organization that helps children who have been abused. The group conducts forensic interviews and works with families on everything that comes after abuse from therapy to prevention education.
Goldberg said over the years demand has increased but the dollars have not.
"Sungate Kids received money through the public safety funding grant [within the city of Aurora]," Goldberg said. "We did receive as much as $50,000 that amount has been cut steadily over the last several years."
In an Aurora City Council study session earlier this month, the city's homeless services made their recommendations for the upcoming year. The department gets funding from a few places including marijuana revenue public safety assistance grants.
Sungate received $17,000 in 2023 from the public safety assistance grants. In the recent study session, they were recommended to receive $0 in funding.
"For the city of Aurora to turn its back on us and say we are not going to give you any money really translates to we are not investing in the well-being and the health and the future of our children and youth," Goldberg claimed.
Initially, the city of Aurora said it was because of a shift in focus, with the Regional Navigation Campus opening they wanted to prioritize groups that provide services to families that are experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness.
In a statement the city said the two organizations that didn't get funding "...either don't primarily work with families, or don't provide homeless services."
But in 2023 those were the same requirements and Sungate received funding. When NEXT followed up, a city official pointed to a scoring rubric saying the groups that didn't get funding simply "didn't score as high as the others..."
The rubric looks into things like how successful the organization is in terms of helping people achieve self-sufficiency and getting them housed. Last year Sungate scored 79.5 out of 100. This year's scores were not presented.
"We’re providing a service to the city of Aurora. The city needs to step up and make an investment and show that they value what we bring to the community," Goldberg added. She said the funding loss may mean cuts for the organization and that's the last thing she believes this city needs.
"Its very easy for people to say well they can just find funding elsewhere, there is no elsewhere," she stressed.
The city of Aurora said it's focusing on families this year because the Aurora Regional Navigation Campus will be for single adults. City leaders also recommended the Colorado Safe Parking Initiative receive zero funding, that group gives people a safe place to sleep in their cars.
The Aurora City Council is expected to vote on these recommendations next week.
The full statement provided by the city of Aurora:
"This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) plan, if approved by Council at its regular meeting on December 2, will support organizations and agencies in our community that have specific skills in providing services to families experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. The city used this particular NOFO opportunity to prioritize organizations that provide services to families, due to the fact that the Regional Navigation Campus will ultimately serve only single adults. The two organizations that staff did not recommend for NOFO funding either don't primarily work with families, or don't provide homeless services. The fact that this funding plan is moving forward demonstrates the city of Aurora’s continued commitment to funding homeless services. The city’s dedication to addressing homelessness is further exemplified by the acquisition of the Crowne Plaza Hotel and Convention Center, set to open in late 2025. This facility will significantly enhance the services available to individuals experiencing homelessness. In addition to purchasing the property, the city is collaborating closely with our operator, Advance, Inc., both financially and strategically, to ensure any service gaps are addressed until the Regional Navigation Campus becomes fully operational."