Colorado has majestic mountains and fertile plains. It has inner-city places, remote locations and many types of communities in-between.
Interestingly, when the 13 independent United Way organizations in Colorado come together, we find that we are tackling most of the same challenges across the state. Jan. 27 was “United Way Day on the Hill” at our state capitol. This annual event provides an opportunity for United Ways from all corners of the state to share our work, dreams and concerns with our legislators and to share solutions with each other as we all work to improve lives in our individual communities. The day was dominated by discussions in three main areas: affordable housing, early grade reading and mental health care.
Consider housing. You may already know that our large second-home market contributes to higher housing values across much of the state. Additionally, we learned that about 100,000 people moved to our fair state last year, and another 100,000 are expected this year. Tourism economy or not, this influx of people puts a strain on any housing market and pushes prices upward. United Ways across the state are doing what they can to encourage increases in housing supply so working families can stay here, but we primarily work on the other side of the equation. We support many programs that help people to better afford housing – programs that promote education, job skills, financial literacy and the importance of savings.
Related to early grade reading, we discussed the overwhelming amount of evidence that shows investment in kids at their youngest ages helps them to be proficient readers by third grade. This, in turn, makes them four times more likely to graduate from high school. Across the state, United Ways are investing in high quality early care to increase the odds of success for kids. Many United Ways are now looking to find creative ways to reach those kids who spend their first few years outside formal child care settings. New strategies for encouraging high quality in “Family, Friend and Neighbor Care” are emerging. This is critical because more than half the children in Colorado do not attend preschool before kindergarten.
Finally, we discussed mental health care across the state. Interestingly, all but six counties in Colorado have adopted mental health and/or substance abuse as one of three top priorities to address in their communities. We heard praise for integrated care models (where mental and physical health are addressed seamlessly in one setting). We also heard a call to address mental health concerns early and not wait until symptoms are significantly impacting a person’s life (which is commonly what happens). For example, we don’t ignore a growing mole, but we will easily ignore a growing depression. This needs to change in our culture of care.
Together, the 13 United Ways created a state summary of our local work on these community issues from the mountains to the plains. You can read it at unitedway-swco.org. Thank you for Living United across Colorado.
Lynn Urban is president and CEO of United Way of Southwest Colorado.
