More and more Coloradans are turning to friends, relatives, and even strangers to help pay for their rent. GoFundMe says there has been a 30% increase in eviction fundraisers in Colorado compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Cindy Lopez, a single Denver mom, said she had no other choice but to find a place to stay in August. She was down on her luck with nowhere to go.
“Our only option was a shelter,” said Lopez. “We have one room, with four bunkbeds and a TV.”
She now stays at a shelter in one room with her eight children, ages two to 14. It’s a situation she never thought she’d be in.
“It’s not the best place to keep kids, to grow kids. It’s a very hard impact,” said Lopez.
For Tami, an Adams County resident who wanted to remain anonymous, ongoing health issues piled up.
“Over the last four-and-a-half years, I have been under general anesthesia 32 times, and I got to the point where I just can’t do it financially,” said Tami.