COLORADO SPRINGS – Pikes Peak 211 has been busy in 2019, offering social services to furloughed employees–but certain resources are limited.
“Having an additional emergency like this puts an additional strain on that,” said Deana Hunt, Senior Vice President of Community Impact at PPUW.
“Right now, we don’t have a lot of resources for the rent and mortgage assistance–but our navigators will try and help to provide other places we can provide that assistance,” she added.
For more information on local resources, click here.
Some people are turning to the state for help.
There are 52,000 federal workers in Colorado, according to the Department of Labor and Employment
Between December 22nd and January 3rd, 370 federal workers had filed for unemployment in Colorado. Now–at the 3-week mark–that number has jumped up to 1,642 people.
“What’s different about this shutdown in our experience is how the claims are increasing day by day,” said Cher Haavind, with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. “So 100-200 claims, let’s say, on average, of an increase since the shutdown started.”
It typically takes 4-6 weeks, but some claims have already been processed.
“We have already paid out just over $10,000 to some of these workers who started filing claims the day this shutdown begin,” said Haavind.
Unfortunately, none of that money can be approved for furloughed employees having to work, without pay, for more than 32 hours a week.
“That is a part of our law–it’s a state to state law,” Haavind explained. “That is currently a part of Colorado law. That being said–if someone is working under 32 hours and not getting paid, they certainly should file for unemployment.”
For more information on how to file for unemployment, click here.
