A Longmont homeless advocate is asking parents not to throw away those blue jeans your son has outgrown. And please don’t toss old backpacks as families buy new ones for the upcoming school year, said Alice Sueltenfuss, executive director of HOPE, or Homeless Outreach Providing Encouragement.
“For those unhoused individuals walking around, a purse or wallet just won’t cut it,” Sueltenfuss said via email. “A backpack of necessities such as vital documents, snacks, and water, are a must.”
Sueltenfuss is asking parents and others this month to drop off slightly used backpacks and jeans to the HOPE’s Outreach Center at 804 S. Lincoln St. as the facility looks to restock its shelves.
She said men’s jean sizes 30-34 are a hot item at the outreach center. “But our shelves are empty due to the great need caused by a lack of affordable housing and limited resources from the pandemic,” Sueltenfuss said via email.
A summer street effort helped the HOPE staff reach at last five out of 10 targeted individuals deemed “super vulnerable” with great needs, she added. HOPE staffers were able to link the five with housing vouchers.
“We worked on their vital documents and we will help them along the way,” Sueltenfuss said. Using a housing voucher means that a person has in hand their birth certificate, ID and their social security card, she said.
“We take individuals to Louisville to get their social security questions met and their applications started,” Sueltenfuss said. HOPE can also hold documents so they won’t be lost or stolen, she said.
The backpacks and jeans are all part of a package of necessities that will get the homeless the help they need, Sueltenfuss said. “A backpack and a fresh set of clothing goes a long way to help someone work towards housing goals with us,” she said.
