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Letter: Help for homeless

I am a junior at Glenwood Springs High School taking a history class called The Fundamentals of American Democracy. In FAD, the final project of the year consists of learning about different public policies and then applying our knowledge to problems in our community — the assignment is called Project Citizen.

My group was assigned the topics of homelessness and substance abuse. As a group, we have researched and devoted countless hours to surfing the web to find programs in other communities that have made a largely positive impact on their homeless population. In Salt Lake City, the idea to provide houses for the homeless without any strings attached was proposed by Lloyd Pendleton. An article in Mother Jones highlighted that shortly after this was implemented, there was a decrease of 72 percent of homelessness in the Salt Lake City community.

In Glenwood Springs and throughout the Roaring Fork Valley, a sense of community and closeness is undoubtedly present. Because of this, I have grown up knowing what it is like to give and receive kindness. This has allowed me, as well as the five other members of my group, to take this project very seriously.



Our proposition for Project Citizen is to launch a pilot program that follows the lead of programs similar to the one that was implemented in Salt Lake City, Utah. Our hope is to create a place for them to live, focus on sobriety, concentrate on finding work and eventually saving for a place of their own.

All that we ask is for the support of this charitable community. With your help, we can create homes and lives for those who have lost everything that they have. Even though it may take time, monetary expenditures and dedication, this program has been proven to save money in the long run. Anyone who wants to contribute or comment can email me personally at isabel34433@rfschools.com.



Isabel McMahon

New Castle


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