COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — Donella Sharp-Braxton leans in to her faith in times of crisis and for more than a year she has been in the middle of one. She was working full time and had recently earned her MBA when she was laid off from her job in August of last year.
"I did apply for unemployment," Sharp-Braxton said. "I did receive that until February of 2025 and they said the funds had been exhausted, so it's like, oh God, what do I do?"
In the meantime, she kept applying for jobs, dozens of them.
News 5's Dianne Derby: It's hard to imagine that you couldn't find a job.
Donella Sharp-Braxton: I am still in awe at that.
Sharp-Braxton even earned an graduate certificate in artificial intelligence systems management, hoping it would increase her chances of getting one.
"I think in order for us to grow, we need to know what the latest technology is if we want to be relevant," Sharp-Braxton said.
Since then, she says she has gone through all of her savings and even cashed out her 401K. She got behind on rent and was facing eviction.
She applied for help from the non-profit organization Community Economic Defense Project. It's one of the state's key non-profit partners that distributes money from the state's emergency rental assistance program.
That funding cannot exceed seven months of rent, or $10,000, whichever is a lesser amount.
CEDP tells News 5 it gave Sharp-Braxton's landlord $4700 to cover the amount she was behind.
"I am so grateful," said Sharp-Braxton. "It makes the difference for me being unhoused."
Elaina Bailey was facing eviction, too.
"I lost my job, I was unemployed for two months before I was able to gain employment," said Bailey. "Once you're unemployed and you fall behind, it is very hard to get caught back up."
Bailey says at one point she thought about living in her car.
"I don't have anyone to fall back on," Bailey said. "All of my family is taking care of family. I was googling 'How to live in your car effectively'."
Bailey said her savings is down to 17 cents.
"That's because I just had to fix my car," said Bailey. "I had $300 until this past Friday and my starter and my alternator went out at the same time."
The Community Economic Defense Project came through for Bailey, too.
"They ended up paying $3800 to my apartment complex to make sure I was caught up with my rent," Bailey said.
"We offer both emergency rental assistance, which can stabilize a tenancy, as well as access to an attorney," said Zach Neumann.
Neumann is the Co-founder and co-CEO of the Community Economic Defense Project. He says last year in Colorado there were 61,117 eviction filings, more than triple what it was in 2020 at 19,549. Neumann says the state is one track to exceed that number this year.
I asked Neumann why the number of evictions in the state has more than tripled since 2020.
"It's so expensive to live in the state," he said. "It's hard for people who work even two jobs to afford rent, and so many families in our community are one economic emergency...a flat tire,a medical bill, a sick kid...away from not being able to pay the rent and facing eviction."
And the reality is, even though both women are grateful for the help they got, they could easily end up in the positions they were just in.
"It's not any lack of trying, it's just lack of income," Bailey said.
Sharp-Braxton says she's worried about what will happen next month if she can't get a job.
"My faith is really nervous," said Sharp-Braxton. "But I just believe that God didn't bring me this far just to bring me this far."
The state's emergency rental assistance program opens once a month. There are several qualifications.
The next monthly pre-application window is set open at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, and close at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 14, 2025. Click here for more information.
There is also a daily random selection through the Care Center. you must have a documentation of the court summons. The Care Center is open Monday through Friday. Call 303-838-1200 for more information.
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