By Karen McNeil-Miller & Kyle Rojas Legleiter
2020 was a uniquely challenging year for Coloradans and local governments alike. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to test the strengths and weaknesses of local governments, revealing where improvements must be made in order to serve those who feel the brunt of our public health crisis.
Our communities continue to face economic disruption, loss of small businesses, rising unemployment and threat of eviction. While many local governments have instituted significant shifts and cuts to their budgets, most will not feel the full fiscal impact of the pandemic until next year and beyond. To offer assistance and help bridge some of these gaps impacting health and well-being, The Colorado Health Foundation has provided more than $40 million to local agencies, nonprofits and community organizations serving Coloradans most vulnerable to ongoing economic and social impact from the pandemic. But, we know money alone cannot relieve the deepening challenges Coloradans face.
Through our August 2020 Pulse poll, we heard directly from Coloradans across the state about what they are experiencing and the issues that matter most to them. For example, we found that two in five Coloradans struggle to afford health care, housing, or food.
The pandemic has made the impacts local governments’ decisions have on our lives all the more visible. Whether it’s our first responders or local government administrators, our communities are learning we can rely on state and local organizations to support us through challenging times.
While the year 2020 may be in our rear view, its impacts will last far beyond the page turn of the calendar. Many of us are ready for things to “get back to normal” and return to activities and traditions that have been suspended for months. The thing is, our old “normal” was not working for a lot of our Colorado neighbors, friends and communities. That “normal” left health and well-being out of reach for many Coloradans. At the Foundation, we believe we must aim for something better: a new normal that acknowledges the inequities people experiencing less power, privilege and income shoulder every day; a new normal that brings health in reach for all Coloradans.
To help focus decision-makers at the federal, state and local levels of government, our team has identified a list of policy recommendations to advance health, well-being and equity in 2021. We recommend local governments:
- Prioritize the safe opening of childcare and schools, especially for the youngest learners.
- Partner with trusted organizations and community leaders to ensure the public has timely and accurate information about how and where they can get vaccinated in places near them.
- Collect and publicly report demographic data about COVID-19 vaccine uptake to help those coordinating vaccine distribution address gaps in access where they exist.
- Make local information about COVID-19 and economic relief programs available in all of the languages commonly spoken in your communities.
- Allocate local resources to implement automated messaging programs for hunger relief programs to ensure food assistance reaches people in your community.
- Invest in safe outdoor spaces for people experiencing homelessness and provide pathways to services and stability.
- Work to keep tenants in their homes by expanding eviction moratoriums, strengthening eviction legal defense funds, and rent or mortgage relief programs.
- Ease financial burdens on renters by eliminating and regulating unnecessary late fees.
- Establish and maintain partnerships with local mental health centers to increase the public’s awareness of their services and help build their capacity to meet behavioral health challenges.
- Prioritize public transparency and accountability in the implementation of local law enforcement reforms required by recent changes to Colorado state law.
- Assess how changes to local government’s operating procedures during the pandemic have impacted how much the public engages with local policymaking decisions and permanently adopt rule changes that have made it easier for voices from the public to be heard.
As we find our way out of the pandemic’s rubble, the Foundation will continue listening to and partnering with communities hit hardest by conditions that erode health. While others in our state’s nonprofit and philanthropic sector are doing the same, we cannot do it alone. We call on all of Colorado’s local governments to redouble their efforts to make sure our state is a place where all of us can say, “We have all we need to lead healthy lives.” By considering our recommendations, and by creating opportunities for community members to express their needs and ideas, we believe a better normal is possible.
It’s important, too, that every Coloradan has the opportunity to express their concerns and to hold decision-makers accountable. The local governments in our cities and towns make real decisions that impact our lives, and they are often the most accessible part of government. If you talk to your neighbors and friends, you’ll likely see that they’re worried about many of the same issues you are.
Karen McNeil-Miller is president and CEO, and Kyle Rojas Legleiter is senior director of policy advocacy, of The Colorado Health Foundation. The Foundation is bringing health in reach for all Coloradans by engaging closely with communities across the state through investing, policy advocacy, learning and capacity building. Learn more at www.coloradohealth.org.
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