In July, El Paso County will open an outreach center at the fairgrounds in Calhan, next to the north parking lot. The center will be housed in a 1,000-square-foot modular building donated to the county by a developer.According to a press release issued by the county, the building’s three offices will house nonprofit organizations, and the following are included.
- Pikes Peak United Way 2-1-1, referring people who need help with utilities, housing, food, clothing, health and dental care to organizations
- Alzheimer’s Association, answering questions about the disease
- Community Intersections, providing services for the developmentally disabled
- National Multiple Sclerosis Society, supporting the newly diagnosed and those living with MS
- The Resource Exchange, providing services for the developmentally disabled and their families
- Women’s Resource Agency, helping teenage girls and women enter or re-enter the work force
In addition to nonprofit organizations, representatives from the El Paso County Department of Human Services and the Pikes Peak Workforce Center will be at the center every Wednesday.Arturo Serrano, county human services representative, said his department is sending an expert on food assistance and Medicaid eligibility. ìIf someone comes in and applies for those two programs, we can process their application the same day,î Serrano said.The DHS representative will also provide answers to questions about other programs by connecting with experts at the Citizens Service Center in Colorado Springs.ìWe’re putting a scanner (at the center), so we’ll be able to scan documents and send them directly to the person who needs them,î Serrano said. ìSay someone on the long-term care program needs to submit documents. We can scan those documents and e-mail them to the person requesting them in our office in the city.îDHS is starting with one day a week and could expand to two days a week, if the demand is high enough.The Pikes Peak Workforce Center will have a staff member on-site who can work one-on-one with job seekers, said Michelle Graham, PPWC’s business and community initiatives director.ìRight now, we have quite a few (people) driving all the way out to our office in Colorado Springs for services, so we’re hoping having an office closer to home will help those job seekers,î Graham said.The PPWC office at the Calhan Outreach Center will house computer terminals with Internet access to resource materials, as well as training modules on interviewing skills, professional image and resume writing.Like DHS, PPWC is starting with one day a week.ìWe wanted to start off small. Based on demand, we can look at building up our hours,î Graham said.According to the county’s press release, the center is a partnership between El Paso County and St. Paul Community Outreach Center. The county will lease the building to the St. Paul Community Outreach Center in Calhan for $400 a month to cover utilities and other operating expenses.ìWe want to be of as much assistance as we can for people currently on any programs,î Serrano said. ìIf someone gets a notice in the mail they don’t understand, they can come down on Wednesday and hopefully get their question answered and not have to come downtown.ìI think it’s going to be great for the community out there.îA ribbon cutting ceremony will be held July 21 at the center at 366 10th St. in Calhan.
