Living in a group has ups, downs for 100,000 Coloradans

When families first come to the Greeley Transitional House, they are apprehensive about living in a group setting.

But Jodi Hartmann, executive director of the transitional house, spends a lot of time reassuring residents that the group setting is ultimately a supportive environment for them, she said.

According to numbers released today by the U.S. Census, more than 100,000 people in Colorado live in a group setting such as in dormitories, nursing homes or in prisons. That accounts for more than 2 percent of Colorado's population.

Hartmann said that the group living arrangement isn't ideal, but that her facility is designed to be suited for family life and to help people get back on their feet.

Poverty is a big problem that's not improving and that may reach epidemic levels if not treated soon, Hartmann said. Of these people living in a group setting in Colorado, nearly 70 percent of them live in poverty.

There may be stigma and shame that goes along with the transitional house for residents, Hartmann said. "But it gives you some breathing room to catch your breath," she said.

The statewide numbers might be skewed a bit by students who live at colleges and make less than the threshold for poverty. For a single person under age 65 with no children, they are considered to be in poverty if they make less than $10,488 per year. In 1990, more than 22,000 students lived in Colorado dormitories.

Nate Haas, spokesman for the University of Northern Colorado, said 2,900 students live on the UNC campus.

Students go through an orientation program to accustom them to living in a group setting, Haas said.

He added that the university doesn't track how much students make, nor does it track if students have a job to support themselves.

Another group living situation is a nursing home.

About 17,000 people live in 220 nursing homes around the state, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Dan Gauger, executive director of the Life Care Center of Greeley, said each of the 120 residents in his facility has a unique funding situation, so it's difficult to know how many of them live in poverty. The center takes Medicare and Medicaid patients as well as people funding their stay themselves.

"Necessity compels us to become real good at (accommodating group living)," Gauger said.

By the numbers

Number of people living in group setting

In all of Colorado: 102,994

Weld County Jail: 503

University of Northern Colorado: 2,900

Nursing homes around state: 17,000

Source: U.S. Census. Weld County Sheriff's Department, University of Northern Colorado, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment