Here’s How the Big Beautiful Bill Will Hurt Coloradans Most in Need of Assistance

Living paycheck to paycheck is tough, but it is increasingly the situation for families in Denver and across Colorado. In fact, more than one-third of families in the United States would not be able to cover a $400 emergency, and nearly half have no emergency savings at all. This means that many families are one paycheck away from disaster.

As a social worker and researcher, I’ve met many families like this, some of whom have landed in shelters because a single small crisis caused the economic dominoes to fall. Imagine a mom with two kids, aged 8 and 11. She’s a solo parent after losing her husband to COVID and works as a shift manager at a local coffee shop, earning just enough to pay rent and put food on the table. But then her youngest catches the flu. Soon, it spreads to her other child and eventually to her. She quickly maxes out her sick days and loses her job.