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Boulder County quickly utilizing housing assistance vouchers for veterans
Nov 9th
Housing assistance staff hopeful success will lead to additional voucher awards
Boulder County, Colo. – After only four months, Boulder County has utilized nearly 70 percent of the federal vouchers it received earlier this year to provide rental assistance to homeless military veterans.
Earlier this year the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced an award of $229,620 to help coordinate housing and other crucial supports for chronically homeless veterans in Boulder County. The assistance is in the form of 25 Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers which since July have been administered by the Boulder County Department of Housing and Human Services (BCDHHS) in partnership with the VA. As of Veterans Day 2012, 17 of the vouchers have been issued to homeless veterans. Of these, 11 veterans have been fully housed.
“Knowing how many homeless veterans we have here in Boulder County, I’m not surprised by how quickly these vouchers are being utilized,” said Willa Williford, director of BCDHHS’ Housing Division. “But it’s a great feeling to know we’re opening doors for people who really need help.” As of January, the homeless population count was nearly 1,800 individuals in Boulder County. About 10 percent of the county’s homeless are veterans.
Housing Assistance Program Manager Amanda Guthrie noted that the Department of Veterans Affairs has indicated Boulder County’s work with the VASH vouchers thus far has been excellent. “According to their feedback, we’re quite successful in part because we’re philosophically well-aligned to serve this population, making us strong candidates for additional funding in the future,” she said.
BCDHHS is able to link clients to a wide range of services, including food and financial assistance, health coverage, and housing counseling, among others. In addition to rental assistance, the agency has been working closely with the VA to help stabilize the formerly-homeless veterans and support them on a path to self-sufficiency.
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Boulder Walker Ranch Management
Nov 8th
Boulder County, Colo. – The Boulder County Parks and Open Space Department will host a review of the Management Alternatives proposed by Parks and Open Space staff for the Walker Ranch Management Plan Update.
What: Walker Ranch Management Alternatives meeting
When: Tuesday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m.
Where: Boulder County Transportation office, second floor 2525 13th St., Boulder
Staff will give a presentation of the management proposals followed by a question-and-answer period.
Ideas received at a public open house in 2011 have been incorporated into the proposals. Staff will present those proposals at this meeting and take public comments and questions. This will not be the last opportunity for public input.
Based on public responses to the alternatives and information gathered during alternatives review, staff will develop and update the plan and present a draft final management plan to the public in December. A 30-day comment period will follow the December presentation. The final proposal to the Parks and Open Space Advisory Committee and the Board of County Commissioners will be scheduled in early 2013.
For more information about the Walker Ranch Management Plan Update, visit www.bouldercounty.org/os/openspace/pages/walkerplan.aspx or contact Resource Planner Jesse Rounds at 303-678-6271 or jrounds@bouldercounty.org.
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Boulder police warn parents about two incidents involving suspicious males
Nov 6th
Boulder police are warning parents about a suspicious male or males who may be attempting to approach school-age children. Two separate incidents have been reported. No one was injured in either incident.
In the first incident, a 7-year-old boy and his 6-year-old sister were walking home from Whittier Elementary on Monday, November 5, when they say they were startled by a man in the area of 24th and Spruce. The boy said the man did not attempt to contact them or follow them, but he reported that he believed the man might have been carrying a gun and/or a knife. The children ran away and told their (mother) about the incident, which occurred at approximately 3:20 p.m.
The children describe the man as:
- Dark-skinned white male
- About 30 years old
- Average build
- Dark-colored baseball hat with a smiley face emblem
A second incident allegedly occurred at 3:45 p.m. in a shopping center located in the 600 block of S. Broadway. A 12-year-old boy said that a man seemed to be following him and attempting to make eye contact with him. The boy was frightened and went to a nearby store to call his mother to come pick him up. The mother reported the incident to police at 8:12 p.m. Investigators were not able to interview the 12-year-old boy last night because he was asleep by the time the incident was reported.
Police are at Southern Hills Middle School this morning to talk to the young man and gather more information about what happened.
He described the suspect to his mother, who shared the description with police:
- Dark-skinned white male
- Dirty blue jeans
- Olive-green colored hoodie
- In his 20’s
- Approximately 190 pounds
- Short dark hair
- Dark blue baseball hat
Boulder police officers are looking for the males, and ask anyone who sees a male matching the descriptions to call 911 immediately to report his location.
Extra patrol and traffic officers are in currently in place around Southern Hills Middle School, the Table Mesa Shopping Center, Whittier Elementary School and the area of the park on Folsom between Spruce and Pearl, where the first incident occurred. Detectives are contacting businesses in the shopping center on S. Broadway to try to obtain possible video of the suspect.
If video is available or if any of the children can provide enough information to complete a composite sketch, that information will immediately be made available to the public.
Police advise anyone who sees anything suspicious to report the activity immediately to police. Anyone with information about the incidents is asked to call Detective Kristin Weisbach at 303-441-4474. Those who have information but wish to remain anonymous may contact the Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or 1-800-444-3776. Tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website at www.crimeshurt.com. Those submitting tips through Crime Stoppers that lead to the arrest and filing of charges on a suspect(s) may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000 from Crime Stoppers.
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