[Colorado] Pueblo's Poverty Rate Increases

From KOAA

A non-profit group in Pueblo that helps people get back on their feet says the city's homeless population is growing. Posada says the number of homeless people has increased by 14-percent over the past year. That means there about 3,700 people in Pueblo without a place to live. That figure does not include hurricane evacuees who moved to Pueblo last year.

Posada says, in part, rising utility costs have lead to this growing problem. Posada's Executive Director, Anne Stattelman explains, "I am sure that people are surprised by that large number in Pueblo, but we have a high rate of poverty. We have more people applying for services at Social Services, so all the indicators show us that poverty is increasing. And when poverty increases, homelessness does too."

To address this problem, the Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded Posada today two grants, worth a combined $475,000 dollars.