Why a Community Collaboration Will Change Lives: Sarah’s Struggle

Hungry, desperate, and facing eviction, single mom Sarah can drive to the Hilltop Resource Center where they will refer her to the Grand Junction Housing Authority for help with a roof over her family’s heads, and they can direct her to the food bank to supplement the month’s grocery budget.

But her doctor, who she just saw last week, has no way of knowing she’s hungry and about to be evicted. And even if she did confide in her healthcare provider, how would they know what services would be best or even available?

What if they could have offered immediate assistance before Sarah was desperate and on her last leg?

Hundreds of social-needs organizations across western Colorado work hard to help everyone in our community live their best life.

From the single mom with food needs to the veteran struggling with addiction, chances are good you will find the specific help you need in this community. 

However, when we met with these groups to see why people’s needs still often fall through the cracks, we discovered that simple communication between caregivers, access to a common resource directory, and the ability to make simple electronic referrals and track those referrals, are widely disparate across the community.

Without a common place to track and plan care for a person, we were essentially asking the person to take the burden of their need upon their own shoulders as they navigate the care system. Until now. See part of our solution. Watch the video below.