From the desert to downtown Grand Junction, a veteran finds stable housing
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GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — One year ago Dave Like was living in a camper in the desert north of town while recovering from spinal surgery. Years of manual labor had taken their toll on his back and legs.
He couldn’t work. He lost his house and businesses. Like and his Aussiedoodle, Annie, were experiencing homelessness.
Today, Like has an apartment in Grand Junction and a vision for his future. He still has trouble getting around and uses a scooter when the pain from his spinal injury is bad but that hasn’t slowed him down. Like’s scooter is an all-terrain model and he often pushes the boundaries of its off-road capability while chasing down frisbees at Sherwood Park with Annie.
His apartment was provided by Catholic Outreach, a nonprofit in town that has helped people experiencing homelessness since the 1980s. Like, an Army veteran, is one of 62 people the organization provides apartments for, including 14 other veterans.
There are an estimated 2,300 people experiencing homelessness in Mesa County, according to a report from the City of Grand Junction. According to a survey in that report, 11% of people experiencing homelessness identified themselves as veterans.
“I don't know what I would have done. I would have figured it out, but it was a godsend. It really was a relief,” Like said of the apartment. “I walk in and then all of a sudden, everything's here, brand new furniture, dishes, silverware.”
Quick with a smile and a story about his life, Like says “hi” to everyone he sees, and often does not stop there.
“I was in the Army for six years, and here in town I've had two nightclubs, three construction companies, a roofing company, I was in the oilfield for a while, and then I was in the car business off and on for 20 years. So I've done a lot,” he said.
Catholic Outreach, which started more than 30 years ago as a collaboration between four Catholic churches to run a soup kitchen has since grown to a nonprofit with an annual budget of just over $2 million.
The soup kitchen is still going, serving hundreds of people a day, but the organization now has two apartment complexes that provide permanent housing to 62 people. Construction on a third apartment is set to finish this winter.
That upcoming 40-unit building, called Mother Teresa Place, on the corner of 4th Street and Ute Avenue, is a few blocks away from Like’s apartment. It’s also near another Catholic Outreach facility, the Day Center, where people can receive mail, visit clinicians, and do laundry.
The organization takes applications for the apartments from individuals who’ve been chronically unhoused. Rent is 30% of a tenant’s income, so if someone only makes $100 a month, they pay $30 in rent. The apartments are furnished, and utilities are paid for.
“So the hardest part for me, through all this, is to stop and be gracious and let people help me,” said Like.
Like, who was a lab tech in the Army, learned about Catholic Outreach through a Veterans Affairs program that offers rental vouchers to veterans. The Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program funded $20 million worth of vouchers to public housing agencies across the U.S. In Colorado, 184 vouchers are awarded to the Grand Junction Housing Authority. Fifteen are reserved for St. Martin Place, the apartment complex where Like lives.
Like has a studious attitude, and went digging for programs that could improve his quality of life, even after moving into his apartment.
“I can't pick stuff up off the ground. It's difficult. Doing laundry is hard, you know, everything is difficult for me,” he said.
Through his research he discovered Veteran Directed Care, a program that pays for caregivers in situations where veterans may not need medical professionals, but could still use help in their daily lives.
Like got help with the apartment voucher program at Western Region One Source in Grand Junction. The VA facility on 28 Road has a common area, meeting rooms, and Wi-Fi, amenities not found north of town near the Book Cliffs.
Like studies at Western Region One Source. He doesn’t visit as often now that he has his own place, but still comes by to get a dog biscuit for Annie from time to time. Video: Joshua Vorse, Rocky Mountain PBS
The VA paid for his camera gear so he could participate in a photography program. That program, Vocational Rehab, helps veterans learn new job skills if they’re unable to do some kinds of work because of a disability.
Today, Like enjoys seeing people’s faces light up when they spot Annie going for a walk on Main Street.
Sitting, standing or walking too long causes pain for Like, so he’s constantly on the move, just in different ways. Video: Joshua Vorse, Rocky Mountain PBS
“Be good to each other, treat each other nicely and do unto others. That's what we're supposed to do,” he said. “We wouldn't be so divided if we could just figure that out.”