US GDP Grew 33.1

Page 4 Lost Creek Guide November 4, 2020

U.S. GDP Grew 33.1% in Third Quarter, Colorado Parks and Wildlife Invites Public to Fastest Expansion Ever Nominate Properties, Share Ideas for Future State Parks

by JOHN CARNEY DENVER - As Colorado Parks and Wildlife opens Fishers Peak State Park for a limited “sneak

The U.S. economy grew at the fastest pace ever recorded in the third quarter, expand- peek” recreation opportunity, the agency continues to look ahead for future state park opportuniing at an annualized pace of 33.1 percent, the U.S. Commerce Department said Thursday. ties. Demand for accessible outdoor spaces remains high in the state, and CPW invites Coloradans

The economic rebound means the U.S. recovered significant ground following the re- to share their ideas for properties or partnerships that may become the next Colorado state park. cord-breaking collapse of “Our state parks, along with other public lands in Colorado, continue to see record visitation,” output due to lockdowns said Dan Prenzlow, director of Colorado intended to stem the Parks and Wildlife. “This year during the spread of the coronavirus. pandemic, we’ve seen even more exploDespite the third-quarter sive growth in park attendance, which gains, the economy is still proves the importance of providing 3.5 percent smaller than these outdoor spaces to Coloradans and it was as the year began. our visitors.” Economists had ex- State parks offer important places for pected the economy to outdoor recreation while benefiting logrow 30.9 percent, ac- cal economies, public health, and qualcording to Econoday. ity of life. CPW is committed to providSome economists, how- ing a quality state parks system, which ever, had been expecting a bigger expansion The Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area is a linear recreation area that follows the Arkansas River includes the opportunity to grow the system and provide additional access following the release this for 152 miles from the high mountains near Lead- opportunities for our residents and visiweek of positive data in ville, Colorado, to Lake Pueblo. There are a number tors. recent news on durable good data and international trade. The Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow had third-quarter growth at 37 percent. of highways and roads entering the valley, providing access to Gold Medal waters, world-class rafting, camping, picnicking, wildlife watching and more. “Knowing how important these spaces are to Colorado residents, we invite them to share with us the lands and outdoor

The third-quarter GDP gain was fueled by a record 40.7 percent increase in consumer spaces they would like to see be a part of the state park system,” said Prenzlow. “We’re opening up spending. Business investment surged 20.3 percent during the quarter, reflecting a 70.1 the opportunity to lend your voice in finding unique places that just may become one of our next percent jump in investment in equipment. The housing market is booming: residential state parks.” investment grew at a rate of 59.3 percent. When sharing ideal properties and the needs for our future parks, we ask that nominations

The standard formula for calculating GDP in the U.S. annualizes the quarterly changes, submitted include opportunities that: which can exaggerate the changes. Absent annualization, the economy grew at 7.4 per- • Provide outstanding nature-based recreation cent in the third quarter, by far the largest quarterly gain in records that began just after • Conserve natural resources World War II. The previous record was 1950’s 16.7 percent rate of growth, a 3.9 percent • Meet Colorado’s needs quarterly gain. • Provide community value

The third-quarter growth follows a 31.4 percent decline in the second quarter, a 9 per- • Support a financially sustainable system cent contraction on a quarterly basis, and a five percent annualized (1.3 percent non- Additional details on these five key criteria can be found on the CPW’s Future State Parks webannualized) contraction in the first quarter. page. Nomination instructions as well as the Nomination form can also be found on the page. A

The economy is still expanding, albeit at a slower pace. Economists expect the economy story map to help visualize opportunities across the state is also available to inform nominations will grow in the fourth quarter but still register a contraction for the full-year. for Colorado’s future state parks. For additional information on how you can help Colorado live life –The Associated Press contributed to this report. outside, visit cpw.state.co.us.

UWWC CAHPS to Enc Vet’s Homelessness

2020 has been a dismal and unprecedented year due to COVID-19. However, we have some good news to share. Homelessness is being eliminated in northern Colorado one person at a time, especially among the homeless veteran population.

By the end of 2021, United Way of Weld County, in partnership with over 40 partner agencies, hopes to end veteran homelessness in Weld and Larimer counties. We will do this by utilizing the Coordinated Assessment and Housing Placement System (CAHPS), which UWWC facilitates by employing the staff member responsible for the coordination of these 40-plus partner agencies. The system provides streamlined and equitable access for northern Coloradoans who are experiencing homelessness. CAHPS is a collaborative effort, relying on numerous agencies in Weld and Larimer counties to achieve success. The success of the program since 2016 has been amazing. Below is a story showing an example of the success of CAHPS.

Marcus, an Air Force veteran, had been stably housed for years. Following a stroke, Marcus not only lost the use of the left side of his body, but also his housing. Confined to a wheel chair, he was forced to sleep on the streets. As things got worse for Marcus, he began to lose hope and eventually stopped trying to meet even his most basic needs.

Through CAHPS, Marcus was assessed to determine his level of vulnerability. Based on his score, it was determined that without housing he had a high likelihood of dying while homeless. Marcus was connected, through CAHPS, with permanent housing and the medical health care he needed.

Under the old system, Marcus would have been placed on a waitlist and likely would have waited years to come to the top of the list. Considering his high level of medical needs, it is very probable that Marcus would not have been able to survive this long. Instead, with CAHPS, Marcus was able to access housing within months and now is stably housed, health and happy.

Since February 2016, 406 veterans have found stable housing through CAHPS.

In April 2017, we rolled out CAHPS for single adults experiencing homelessness and 252 single adults have been housed.

Since March 2018, 241 families have found stable housing because of CAHPS.

The CAHPS process started with youth in January 2019, and 11 youth have found stable housing.

Dan Dennie is a former UWWC board member who was always impressed at United Way of Weld County’s efforts to help people become more self-sufficient.

“But as a 21-year veteran of the Air Force, I’m even more impressed by their efforts to assist veterans,” Dennie says. “While I knew that Weld County was home to many veterans, I had no idea that there were so many homeless veterans. Often, when a veteran leaves the military, they have difficulty adjusting to a new life with struggles of finding employment that matches their military experience, demands on their finances that they are not accustomed to and a lack of real interviewing experience. Unfortunately, these struggles all too often result in difficulty finding meaningful employment and permanent housing. And as a fellow veteran, it makes my heart happy to know that through CAHPS over 400 veterans have found a real home.”

CAHPS does not work alone. CAHPS is a partnership and a collaboration. It is 40 agencies and organizations across Weld and Larimer counties working together to house individuals and families experiencing homelessness. As the CAHPS coordinator, I am honored to work with so many providers that care so much about our homeless populations and are willing to go above and beyond to help them find stable housing.

In order to continue to do the work we do, we can’t do it alone. UWWC will not continue to survive as a nonprofit in Weld County and do this work without contributions and community support. Please consider donating or volunteering to UWWC. Call us at (970) 353-4300 or go to unitedway-weld.org for more information.

Summer Garcia is the CAHPS coordinator. Dan Dennie is a Greeley resident and former chairman of the board of directors for United Way of Weld County.