COVID-19 Resources

The COVID-19 outbreak is causing widespread uncertainty and putting a strain on our most vulnerable populations. In response, the TPC member organizations are striving to provide support and interaction remotely to ensure teen parents and their families get the help they need. Now more than ever, we need to work together to help come up with solutions, co- create responses to the ever changing environment, and pool knowledge and resources to ensure access to services for our teen parents and their families. The TPC is here for its members and we can help support each other as we all navigate the challenges that we will see over the coming weeks.

To that end, we have compiled some information on community resources and TPC member activities—highlighted below—so that we can share ideas and work together to help connect teen parents with necessary resources and services. As you come up with innovations during this time of crisis, or as you need support in adapting love to hear from you. Please email us at teenparentcollaborative@gmail.com to share information on your program’s remote services and supports. As we receive responses, we will share them with the TPC community. And as our partners need support, we will work to connect organizations to manage solutions across the network.

Teen Parent Specific Resources:

Hope House “Grab & Go” Curbside supply service: Hope House has generously made available to all TPC members and their clients, access to their “Grab & Go” curbside supply service.  They are able to make this available to all teen moms who are served by a TPC member and fall within their service requirements, which include:

  • Must be between age 15-20
  • Must be currently parenting (not pregnant with first child)
  • Must be a US citizen or documented resident
Supplies available include food for up to three meals (fresh produce, meat, and dairy as able and shelf-stable food), hygiene supplies and diapers (wipes as available).There is an easy 3-step process required to receive services.1. Go to the following link and click “apply now” to fill out a short application. https://www.hopehousecolorado.org/can-i-apply/
2. If you have any trouble with the application, call 303-429-1012 and ask for a Program Team member, who will fill out the application for the teen mom (sometimes it doesn’t work well on a mobile device.)
3. Hope House Admissions Coordinators will contact the teen mom quickly, walk her through downloading an app called Slack, and will make her an appointment to come get supplies (we use Slack for communication in general, and for making appointments for the Grab & Go supply pick up.)

 

Nurse Family Partnership — Nurse Family Partnership nurses are still meeting with  clients via “telehealth” and supporting them virtually. They also are continuing to receive referrals and signing clients up via telehealth!  Visit them at https://www.nursefamilypartnership.org/ for more information, or contact by email if you have questions.  You can access their easy-to-fill referral document for their programming here.

Tri-County — Tri-County Health’s Birth Control/Sexual Health Clinics have some openings and are serving clients during this time, contact their App’t Line: 303-363-3018.  Open clinics include Aurora East, Westminster and Englewood.  Aurora East, Castle Rock and Westminster clinics are open for limited immunizations for kids up to 24 months: 303-451-0123.

Cloth Diapers & Reusable Wipes — Several organizations are looking to support new moms with cloth diapers and reusable wipes.  Hope House’s parent educator, Melinda Smith, can provide instructions for making your own baby wipes. Please email her with questions.  Abbie Meyers with Mile High United Way, also provided some informational resources that might be handy if parents are interested in learning online, how to cloth diaper or make reusable wipes.  Abbie notes that when working with teen parents on this issue, she has found that: “It’s important to spend some time validating the struggle of finding products first before jumping to offer these ideas. I find it helps to hear their frustrations first before offering a solution they might not be comfortable with yet. Some clients just do not find this way of doing things sanitary so be sure to validate first before giving suggestions and then work through some ideas. They may have attempted something similar or just ask for some ideas and then just try this approach.”

Families Forward Resource Center  — mentioned that they are providing support to mothers and fathers, no matter what age.  Reach out to Aliss Hardy, family advocate, via email Alliss@familiesforwardrc.org.  Families Forward Resource Center provides free support to all counties.  Among other services, Alliss is a lactation consultant that will provide support to teen moms who need breastfeeding assistance.  She is also bi-lingual (English/Spanish).

Food Assistance:

School Breakfast/Lunch distribution —Metro-area school meal distribution site map helps families locate resources for breakfast, lunch and dinner throughout the Denver metro area. Article about the program in Spanish can be found here.  CDE has a statewide spreadsheet that captures districts distribution across the state, including outside of the Denver-metro area.

Hunger-Free Colorado’s Food Resources During the COVID-19 Outbreak — website provides information on food resources, school meals, and food pantries available throughout Colorado.

Cooking Matters/Share Our Strength — are offering a number of opportunities and resources related to food prep and distribution. Notably, they have moved their cooking classes to an online format. Visit their website for more information.  Other food resources they are providing partners include:

      • Education toolkits – including Exploring Foods Together, which has great activities to do with kids!
      • Cooking Matters Recipes – low-cost, healthy recipes
      • Cooking Matters App – available on Android phones
      • Food Bank of the Rockies “Find Food” locator
      • Stretching Food Resources – specific tools and messages related to these times
      • One of the most important things you can do is make sure families know these meals are available and where they can find them. Help spread the word by sharing on social media and with your friends, family and colleagues. Visit https://www.nokidhungry.org/find-meal-sites to find additional resources you can share.
      • With schools across the country closed in response to the coronavirus pandemic, kids who rely on school meals are at risk of going hungry. No Kid Hungry has launched a texting hotline to let parents know about emergency food distribution sites in their neighborhoods. Parents & caregivers can text the word “FOOD” (or “COMIDA”) to 877-877 to find the nearest sites.

City of Denver — Resources for housing, food assistance, health care, etc compiled by our community partner, COLOR

Housing Information and Assistance:

Colorado Tenant Guide to COVID-19  —  English version, Spanish version

City of Denver — Resources for housing, food assistance, health care, etc compiled by our community partner, COLOR.

ACLU — ACLU has also compiled a list of resources that include immigrant specific resources, LGTBQ resources, housing assistant, food assistance, and more.

Housing and eviction resources — contact covid.eviction.defense@gmail.com to get connected with a volunteer attorney who can review documents that clients may have received from their landlord regarding lease agreements. Colorado Legal Services is also a resource if you are trying to understand a payment agreement, negotiate with your landlord, or respond to a legal document sent by your landlord. They have offices across Colorado that can be reached at the numbers listed on this website.

Internet Assistance:

EveryoneOn — might be of interest, they offer a search engine by zipcode that helps families identify low cost internet options, computers, etc. (also translated in Spanish).

Xfinity/Comcast — Xfinity.com/wifi is providing free nationwide access to virtual hotspots.  Visit their website for more information.

 

Covid-19 Relief Payment & Tax Information:

TPC — The Teen Parent Collaborative has summarized the different relief payment that teen parents may be eligible for from the COVID-19 Relief payments enacted by Congress, and from regular tax supports (i.e. EITC, child tax credit, etc).

Tax Help Colorado — Provides free support to Colorado taxpayers with filing their tax returns and getting important income supports like the EITC and the child tax credit.  Free support is given to help get the highest refund and support filing of forms.  They can help taxpayers understand both if they are eligible, and how to get their COVID-19 relief payments.   Visit them at their website to schedule a remote appointment.

Non-Profit and Business Assistance:

Colorado Non-Profit Philanthropic Response — JVA has compiled a list of funders who have developed emergency response funding and/or more flexible grant guidelines.

Philanthropy Colorado — A list of resources and response provided by Colorado’s philanthropic community.  This list is updated regularly.

Federal Small Business Relief — Informational document outlining small business relief grants and opportunities.  Additionally, the Small Business Administration is preparing to open up the small business loan application process on Friday, April 3, for some businesses. Some SBA resources that might be useful: Sample Application Form (shows what kind of information will be needed to apply). Importantly, loans will be available at the local level from banks and credit unions participating. Guidance on small business loans can be found here.

Information on Critical Businesses — Governor Polis has issued guidance on critical business to stay open.  Information on who that includes can be found on the state’s COVID-19 response page.

Colorado State Business Assistance & Resources — Colorado has provided a website with resources and information the state is coordinating to support business, as well as Colorado families.

Early Childhood and K-12 Resources:

Colorado Emergency Child Care Collaborative — Colorado has coordinated child are for workers considered essential and in need of child care.  If you are a provider who would like to provide child care, or you are an essential worker who needs child care, you can visit them here for more information or to apply.

Colorado Early Intervention — Colorado is adapting their early intervention screenings, assessments and service delivery to a telecommunication model.  For the most updated information on procedures, visit them at their website.

Nurse Family Partnership — Nurse Family Partnership nurses are still meeting with  clients via “telehealth” and supporting them virtually. They also are continuing to receive referrals and signing clients up via telehealth!  Visit them at https://www.nursefamilypartnership.org/ for more information, or contact by email if you have questions.

School Based Health Centers — Some School-based health centers are still providing services during the COVID-19 business closures.  The School Based Health Center Alliance has a list they are updating with the current activities of each SCHC operating during this time.

IDEA — If you need support or want to know about serving children with disabilities during COVID, visit the IDEA website for guidance and information on FAQ’s.

Colorado Department of Education — COVID updates and education resources

Zero to Three – Answering your child’s questions about COVID

Road Trip From Home: Member tested and recommended (Thank you Alex, Amy, & GG) These are fun and wonderful websites that will show you different parts of the world, famous landmarks, beautiful works of art, historic marvels, science adventures and so much more!

Virtual Field Trips — Free resources to virtually tour landmarks and museums

Toddler Activities — List of easy activities to enjoy

Free Learning Resources — List of education apps offering free services for kids during COVID outbreak

More free learning resources

Vroom app —free parent/child education activities app including hygiene games, and much more.

Virtual Field Trips — take virtual, COVID friendly field trips all around the world.

Lulu’s Lifestyle Blog — Learn to knit, make jewelry, and other fun activities.

Immigrant Resources:

CIRC — Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition has compiled a list of resources for the immigrant community, including information about the Public Charge, a legal services hotline, and state and national resource lists.

ACLU — ACLU has also compiled a list of resources that include immigrant specific resources, LGTBQ resources, housing assistant, food assistance, and more.

Servicios de la Raza — Julissa Soto mentioned resources through Servicios de la Raza.  Julissa is organizing a food distribution site for undocumented families through the YMCA of the Rockies.  

Colorado Coalition for Immigrant Health — The Coalition has compiled both resources, and informational documents on COVID-19 resources and health issues specific to the immigrant community in Colorado.  Visit this website for detailed information, and resources in Spanish.

Aurora Area Resources:

Rise Colorado – Rise Colorado has compiled a comprehensive resource list of Aurora specific services to meet housing, food, school, mental health, and many other needs.

Pueblo Area Resources:

Pueblo Area Food Resources – Includes food pantries, meal services, etc

Helping Pueblo – FaceBook group for Pueblo area non-profits to connect and coordinate

Resources for Pueblo – spreadsheet with area resources