Resources Scarce For Rural Homeless

Like other rural communities, a southern Colorado town struggles to provide services to homeless people without adequate assistance from the federal government.

1 minute read

October 12, 2006, 8:00 AM PDT

By maryereynolds


According to John Parvensky, executive director of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, "We are concerned that the focus on chronic homelessness may have the unintended consequence of shifting services away from families and rural communities." The Coalition is one of several groups pushing the federal government to turn more attention to rural areas. The federal government blames rural communities for not accurately tracking the number of homeless people. Philip Mangano, the Bush administration's chief coordinator of homeless services says: "Like any profile of the homeless, there is a lot of anecdote and hearsay, but you need data and research to create policy."

Trinidad, Colorado, is a former old West coal town of 9,000 near the eastern slopes of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. Here, homeless people sleep under bridges or in tents and shacks behind the Wal-Mart. Sandi Espinoza, who directs the Open Door Soup Kitchen, says her organization is serving more meals than ever: to families, veterans, men just released from prison and a wide assortment of people smelling of liquor before noon. About 85 people come daily for lunch, twice the number from a few years ago.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006 in The New York Times

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 18, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Two people walking away from camera through pedestrian plaza in street in Richmond, Virginia with purple and white city bus moving in background.

Vehicle-related Deaths Drop 29% in Richmond, VA

The seventh year of the city's Vision Zero strategy also cut the number of people killed in alcohol-related crashes by half.

June 17, 2025 - WRIC

Woman and young girl looking at subway map, woman pointing.

Can We Please Give Communities the Design They Deserve?

Often an afterthought, graphic design impacts everything from how we navigate a city to how we feel about it. One designer argues: the people deserve better.

June 9, 2025 - John Pobojewski

Ground crew person signaling to airplane with red batons on runway on a rainy day.

Judge Halts Trump Order Tying State Transportation Grants to Immigration Actions

Ruling applies to Colorado, which was among 20 plaintiff states.

45 minutes ago - Colorado Newsline

Crowded stairwell in New York City subway station.

New York MTA to Reimagine Subway Bottleneck

Changes proposed in a recently approved five-year plan would resolve a nearly century-old snarl that routinely delays trains.

1 hour ago - Gothamist

Close-up of yellow and black goldspotted oak borer beetle on blade of grass.

Southern Californians Survey Trees for Destructive Oak Pest

Hundreds of volunteers across five counties participated in the first Goldspotted Oak Borer Blitz, surveying oak trees for signs of the invasive beetle and contributing valuable data to help protect Southern California’s native woodlands.

June 22 - UC ANR Green Blog