Families across Boulder County are facing a crisis. In a region known for opportunity, rising costs and shrinking resources are pushing our neighbors to the edge, testing the limits of our community’s safety net. Job losses, food insecurity and housing instability are the daily reality for many families in our community, and the systems in place to help them are under strain like never before.
Through the Family Resource Network (FRN), nonprofits, schools and government agencies work together to make Boulder County a place where all families can thrive. We are family resource centers, domestic violence agencies, childcare providers, community health centers and food pantries — all providing essential services such as shelter, nutritious food, medical care and early childhood support.
Consider a family currently struggling to avoid eviction after losing a job and health insurance, followed by a hospital stay, childcare needs and a rent increase. Food banks and rental assistance funds helped for a while, but the family’s needs exceed the support available. Or consider a single mother who had to send her daughter to live with relatives after reaching the limit for emergency housing just so her child wouldn’t have to sleep in a car.
These stories are not isolated incidents but reflect a new normal; more people are experiencing need, and at a deeper level.
Some of these challenges are the result of higher rents and the impact of inflation on household goods that make it harder for families to be financially self-sufficient. Compounding the problem are changes in how state and federal food, health care and child care systems are funded.
This, coupled with the end of COVID-19 assistance programs, means government and nonprofit agencies don’t have the ability to help everyone in need and can’t help for as long as people need to become financially stable. Local nonprofits are stretched thin, and resources have become critically low, even as the demand for services continues to grow.
In fall 2024, FRN members urged the community to take action. That call is just as urgent today. We’re committed to doing all we can with the resources that we have available to create a stronger and more resilient community. But we can’t do this alone.
Boulder County has always been a community that steps up when it matters most, and as we start 2025 the need is more urgent than ever. Here are a few impactful ways to help ensure agencies that provide basic needs assistance (such as food, shelter, health care and child care) can continue to serve our community:
• Give financially: Every dollar helps ensure the existence of essential programs that give people hope and a foothold during tough times.
• Volunteer: Many organizations need help sorting food donations and materials or providing other support. Even a few hours can make a difference.
• Advocate and engage: Support policies that reduce financial burdens, improve access to health care and boost housing stability.
In a time of growing need, let’s ensure Boulder County is a place where families are supported in their most critical moments, and where we continue to unite for transformative, lasting positive impacts for everyone who calls our communities home.
Learn more about the Family Resource Network at boco.org/FRN.
Marc Cowell is chair of the Family Resource Network and executive director of Longmont nonprofit OUR Center. Elizabeth Crowe is vice chair of the Family Resource Network and deputy director of the City of Boulder’s housing and human services department.