DENVER — City Council has approved two financial programs to help those struggling financially in Denver.
The City and County of Denver approved financial relief programs for families struggling with food insecurity resulting from the pandemic and recent rising costs and for 140 individuals experiencing homelessness, the city said this week.
What to know about the relief program for families and individuals struggling with food insecurity:
Due to inflation, the cost of groceries has skyrocketed in the past few months. Many families all over the country have been struggling to keep food on the table. The City of Denver program is intended to take that burden off some individuals and families.
The program will use $1 million in interest from the city's American Rescue Plan Act to provide provide a $200 gift card to up to 4,000 individuals and families who have experienced food insecurity due to hardship and inflation. The city will also host multiple food box distribution events.
The grocery gift cards will be supplied by the city’s Agency for Human Rights and Community Partnerships (HRCP), Denver Human Services, Denver Department of Public Health and Environment (DDPHE), Denver Office of Economic Development and Opportunity, and Office of Children’s Affairs to local community nonprofit partners for distribution to residents who use their services based on referrals.
Referred residents will receive a gift card by the end of September. Qualifying candidates must be under 200% of the federal poverty level. Only one gift card will be offered per household.
A limited amount of gift cards will be available at the Denver Human Services locations on a first come, first served walk-up basis at the end of the month. The city has not released a date or time those will be distributed.
The food box distribution events will be hosted throughout the month of October. The city has not released dates or locations for the events.
What to know about the relief program for those experiencing homelessness:
The City Council approved a $2 million contract with the Denver Basic Income Project to help individuals and families facing homelessness. The program will provide up to $1,000 a month for a year in direct cash assistance to eligible people currently using the shelter system.
The Denver Basic Income Project will connect individuals 18 years and older with a partner service provider. In order to the eligible, these individuals can't have a severe or untreated mental health or substance use concern.
The program will be evaluated by the University of Denver’s Center for Housing and Homelessness Research. The evaluation will monitor the course of the program by looking at housing outcomes, utilization of shelter and other homeless services, and improvements in psychological health and substance use.
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