by Leslie Swanson

The recession’s effect may not be as noticeable in Southwest Colorado as other parts of the country, but its harsher realities are growing by the day. Many La Plata County residents are struggling to stay in their homes, while others have lost that battle and are just trying to stay alive. Countywide, requests for such basic needs as food and shelter have risen dramatically over the past three years.

Warren S    mith, Manna Soup Kitchen’s chef and kitchen manager, serves up a tray of stewed veggies for a hungry client. The soup kitchen served 57,210 meals in 2010 and is already up by 20 percent this year. Manna, the Durango Community Shelter, the Southwest Safehouse and other nonprofits are all digging deep to meet increasing local needs./Photo by Stephen Eginoire

“The biggest impact since the recession is an increase in all our financial-assistance and food-assistance programs,” says Lezlie Mayer, La Plata County’s Director of Human Services. “Since 2008, we have seen a 40 percent increase in food-assistance applications. We have also seen an increase in requests for temporary assistance for needy families, Medicaid, financial assistance for seniors and disabled adults.”

Can this community, reputed for its friendliness, rise to the challenge of feeding and housing its poor? So far the answer appears to be yes, thanks to those who are stepping up their efforts to keep pace with the need.

On La Plata County’s front lines of crisis relief, Volunteers of America and the Manna Soup Kitchen are putting food on tables and roofs over heads for growing numbers of homeless and/or hungry people.

“We’re seeing a lot of first-timers,” reports Sarada Leavenworth, Division Director of VOA’s Southwest Colorado office. The group runs the Durango Community Shelter and the Southwest Safehouse. In 2010, the shelter served 20 percent more people than in 2009, and the safehouse has seen a 30 percent increase in residents this year over last.

“Two things are guaranteed to go up in an economic crisis,” Leavenworth explains, “violence in the home and drug or alcohol issues. We have seen that increase here.”

VOA’s Community Shelter, with two dormitories and four family rooms, has had to refuse applicants on occasion. The Safehouse, one of only two domestic violence shelters in this five-county region, never turns anyone away. Their average residency is 12 women and children per night. When all beds are full they convert common areas to sleeping space. “We need to bring victims in right away. They only have one or two chances to get out in a given time,” says Leavenworth. “We make room.”

Manna Soup Kitchen has been feeding Durango’s hungry since 1985. The kitchen was founded in response to the starvation death of a woman in a horse stall at the La Plata County Fairgrounds. Reportedly, the words “nobody cares” were scrawled next to her body. Originally church-based,4 Manna has grown to include a wide range of volunteers, from individuals to civic groups and businesses. Manna serves breakfast and lunch at its own facility, with hot and cold take-out meals for dinner.

Over the past four years, the kitchen’s clientele has grown steadily; from serving 39,342 meals in 2008 to 57,210 meals in 2010. So far, 2011 has seen a 20 percent increase over last year.

“We are making it, but fund raising is a constant demand because 100 percent of our operating budget comes from donations,” says Sarah Comerford, Manna’s director.

To the community’s credit, donations are up as well – from 120,000 pounds of food in 2008 to 190,000 in 2010. Manna’s food comes primarily from local businesses, including markets, farmers and restaurants. This year, contributions are up 17 percent so far. Cash contributions from grants, businesses, churches and individuals are also on the rise. Since 2008, Manna’s event income has doubled, individual gifts are up by 150 percent and business donations have quadrupled.

“We run a very tight ship with a small shop of four people,” says Comerford. “We are able to run efficiently because of the unbelievable volunteer support we get from the community.” One way the soup kitchen converts volunteer labor to cash is by having volunteers wash coffee cups for the train. At $10 a case they will raise $10,000 this year.

Still, increased donations are barely keeping up with the recession. How are humanitarian organizations handling the rapidly rising demand? Groups and governments across the region are fighting back by “partnering” – pooling their resources and skills to address specific problems i.e., when the going gets tough, the tough get together.

One recent partnering success story is the new Cedar View Phase Two senior housing development. Cedar View celebrated its Grand Opening on July 15 - thanks to the cooperative efforts of the Volunteers of America, the Regional Housing Alliance, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, City of Durango, La Plata County Government and two individuals, Reid Ross and Bill Mashaw.

Ross (supposedly retired) and the late Mashaw were neighbors back in 1987 when they started the Community Development Corp., which purchased the land Cedar View was built on. Ironically, at the time of its opening, all the apartments were full. Ross, who received a certificate of special recognition at the ceremony, refuses to rest on his laurels. “We have NOT saturated the market for affordable housing,” he noted.

Another successful partnership venture is the Community Emergency Assistance Coalition. With members from United Way, the Salvation Army, local churches, La Plata County Human Services Department, Volunteers of America and the La Plata Electric Association, the coalition pools money to distribute to families on the brink of homelessness. The CEAC reviews applications and dispenses money weekly for financial emergencies from medical bills to car repairs. In one case, they purchased a tank of propane for an 82-year-old woman who could not afford to heat her trailer.

“Many people who still have homes and jobs are only one paycheck away from crisis,” Leavenworth reports. “If we can work on serving AND preventing homelessness, we can affect both sides of the issue at once.”