Hurricane Ida evacuee family in Colorado Springs still seeks long-term housing four months after arriving
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- A family of 17 relatives from New Orleans continues to face challenges four months after losing everything in Hurricane Ida and arriving here hoping to start their lives over.
Tricellea Washington, the family matriarch, said that some of the family is living at Family Promise, a former motel converted into temporary shelters on South Nevada Avenue.
"We've been trying to find something better but it's been hard," she told KRDO by phone last week. "Some of us were staying at an apartment with my son who has already been living here. But the landlord doesn't want a lot of people staying in one apartment. I heard that another son and his daughter may be evicted from their place soon."
Washington was supposed to meet with KRDO NewsChannel 13 for an interview Monday but did not immediately return calls or texts; she later explained that she didn't have her phone because she gave it to one of their sons.
Washington also said that the family's school-age children have had a hard time adjusting.
Kala Roquemore, a manager at Family Promise, said that 15 of the shelter's 16 rooms were occupied Monday.
"Normally, a family can stay for up to 90 days but everything is worse with COVID," she said. "We've had some people stay as long as a year. If we find the right property manager or landlord, we can try to put a large family into a duplex so that we can keep them together. But the cost of housing and rent make that difficult."
The harsh reality for the Louisiana family is that it's not easy to meet all the needs of a 17-member family who unexpectedly shows up with few or no options.
"Around 10% of our families have no housing options," Roquemore said. "To get into stable housing when coming from complete homelessness, that's really hard. And then you have to consider all the other things a family has to do. Go to work, find day care, get food and medical care if you need it. And all of that is even more challenging if you have to rely on public transportation."
Former city councilman Richard Skorman said that he -- and local agencies -- have done all they can to help the family.
"When they first came, we really were able to get them everything they needed," he said. "We found them places to stay. We had a church adopt them. We got them money right away for eating. I think some of the adults have found part-time jobs but I haven't heard from them in a while."
Washington said that she brought her family to Colorado Springs because of the resources available for her and other evacuees from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and she thought they would still be available.
