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Mayor John Hickenlooper is to be congratulated for his efforts to increase affordable housing in communities and student performance in Denver schools, characterized as the “doorbell-to-school bell approach.” (“Mayor to tackle affordable housing, school performance,” July 25).

Housing and education are closely intertwined because if you don’t have the stability of a doorbell, it’s hard to even reach the school bell.

Decent, stable housing provides the critical foundation for success in school.
When students miss days of school, it demonstrably reduces reading and school performance levels.

Students with a nearly perfect (95 percent) attendance record have 20 percent higher testing scores than peers who attend class 80 percent of the time or less.

School turnover is a major problem in Denver, reaching as high as 100 percent in some schools.
This constant moving is driven in many cases by a lack of affordable housing options. (A recent study conducted by Enterprise and the City of Denver concluded that Denver had 25,600 fewer affordable housing units than the number of households that earned less than $30,000 annually.)
Dilapidated housing conditions contribute to health problems, which also result in the chronic absenteeism so undermining to school success.

In the 2005-’06 school year, Colorado had 12,689 students enrolled in public schools who lived on the streets, in shelters or doubled-up with friends or family members.

Homeless children miss up to 25 percent of school days because of a range of circumstances. Their absence not only reduces class time but also limits their interaction with peers, essential to social development at a young age.

We think Denver is taking a step in the right direction with a “doorbell-to-school bell” approach because a stable, healthy home must be in place in order to succeed at school.

Alana Smart is executive director of Housing Colorado!

READER COMMENTS

While this article seems to have capture some powerful sentiments, lets not completely ignore reality.

As long as there is a minimun wage insufficient to afford housing, there will be a housing problem.

Right now the housing wage required to afford a two-bedroom apartment at fair market rents (neccessary for a household with children) a household must earn 16.43 an hour. Do the math, how many minimun wage jobs does it take?

So before getting too upset, think about your service providers and how much you appreciate paying them pennies. If it is not "possible" to consider raising the minimum wage, at least to begrudge the children a safe place to sleep.

Is it too much?

While this article seems to have capture some powerful sentiments, lets not completely ignore reality.

As long as there is a minimun wage insufficient to afford housing, there will be a housing problem.

Right now the housing wage required to afford a two-bedroom apartment at fair market rents (neccessary for a household with children) a household must earn 16.43 an hour. Do the math, how many minimun wage jobs does it take?

So before getting too upset, think about your service providers and how much you appreciate paying them pennies. If it is not "possible" to consider raising the minimum wage, at least to begrudge the children a safe place to sleep.

Is it too much?

Bad housing and kids doing poorly in school? How many kids should the tax payer pay for for the woman with 4-5 kids and 4-5 different fathers.How about the Mayor going door to door making sure each woman who keeps pumping out the kids take their extra strength birth contrpl pill every morning. I'll sign up for that.

Awww, yes, we come for your money. We must provide housing for everyone, health care for everyone, free tuition for illegals.... No, sorry, not into that.

It is wrong to ask your neighbors to pay for your house. If they want to donate f their own free will, that is fine, but to coercively steal from them, as you want to live in a shiny new house, is immoral.

But, I guess, to a liberal, theft of another's work is a good thing.

I am not the slightest bit impressed with these (ignorant) comments from readers. This is nothing to do with politics, it has everything to do with people of all colors, social classes, etc. I am not surprised by the banter given the Rocky's readership but c'mon people, get an inkling of the issue!
Reader alert- this is NOT just a denver issue and the statewide concern between bad housing and kids doing poorly in school is an issue everybody needs to understand. Alas, I must employ the "ding, dong, ding dong" analogy once again- hello? Who's there? You. Open your minds and see what's really at issue!

Too bad for Northeast Denver blacks, J-Loop has no respect for their protections afforded in the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Northeast Denver blacks didn't elect J-Loop to the DPS board, they elected his day-time flunkie, Kevin Patterson (JUDAS). J-Loop put a "JIHAD" on DPS. He commandeered DPS in manner, that must have Bull Connor blushing. In violation of USDOL-OFCCP and US Dept. of Education federal appropriation laws, J-Loop is guilty of federal funds fraud, waste, and abuse. J-Loop silenced the black lambs, when he tossed them a bone in his DPS hiring of tired-a$$ Webb-disciple, Allegra "Happy" Haynes ($90K). J-Loop blew an additional $40K in a phony nationwide search for a DPS supt., when he knew the decision had already been made to hire his racist "Brownie" crony. This provided him cover for his illegal hiring of Michael Bennet, with an entry-level salary of $400K. Bennet had no BFOQ's for this job. A black woman did and J-Loop threw her under the bus. This is a high price to pay for Bennet to "ring door bells". J-Loop andNacchio would make a great prison family (husband/wife).

Most of the people he the letter writer is talking about are Hispanics,legal and illegal.

So now they want to add a bright shiny new home to the list of freebies and someone to go to therir homes get their lazy rear ends up and walk them to school. Or maybe they'll send limos.

Whatever happened to the work ethic this country was built on?

Why do we need to provide everything for those who don't step up and work as hard as the rest of us?

When are the the politicians going to stop coming up with feel good entitlements for people who are not doing everything in their power to provide for themselves and stop making the tax payers pay for them?

It has got to stop. My taxes keep going up which lowers my standard of livingand goes to people not willing to work hard to get somewhere on their own.

Why should my family do without while our tax money is squandered?

Example: Referendum C, was passed to help provide money for schools. Result the money was put into other projects not voted for by the voters and now they want more money.Where is the money?

Example: Lottery money is supposed to go to open space,parks,trails and Colorado outdoors. Result: Our State parks need millions of dollars for repairs.Where is the Money?

Example: A mill Levy tax was voted for Adams County Schools.
Result: Teachers are telling me they have not seen any money from the tax.That was 3 years ago,where is the money?

I'm sure people out their can come up with some more tax fiascos and rip offs the state is charging tax payers.

Where is our tax money going when we vote for tax raises to help schools and parks etc...

The City and State of Colorado's money handling does not pass the smell test.

Ding..dong...ding...dong, Denver Mayor Hickenlooper, aka "Howdy Doody," is at it again--yet another liberal "feel good" program. I hope that he and his sidekick, Buffalo Bob, also get all those trees planted real fast in order to short circuit "global warming" and revive our ozone layer.

Hey Hick, how about finding a few door bells for that army of bums, dopers and street urchins living right under your nose (bleeeeh)who have invaded and now occupy and control our Civic Center? We want our city back; your downtown "Tobacco Road" is unacceptable. Where's Rudy when you need him?

Have a good harmonic convergence, Hick. Save the drowning polar bears--Manhattan is 25 feet under water. Ding...dong.

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