ROUGH RIDE
I’ve been forced to live in my car – I can pay rent but am always refused by landlords by answering a certain question
Thousands of Denver residents have been evicted from their homes in the past year
A COUPLE has been living out of their car after struggling to get a roof over their heads due to a previous eviction.
Leticia Dela Rose, her husband and their dog Cash, have been battling to find somewhere to live ever since they were evicted in 2022.
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They are instead forced to live out of their car in Denver, Colorado, after facing the same issue every time they meet a potential landlord.
“This is the first time for me to be in this situation,” Dela Rosa told local Fox affiliate KDVR.
“It’s just been so hard. I’ve made mistakes in my past, which I don’t feel like it should be held over my head, especially because I’m getting assistance.
"You’re going to be guaranteed rent every month, and they don’t look at that part of it.”
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Dela Rosa had to take a leave of absence from work due to her mental health, according to her GoFundMe.
She also wrote that she had been approved for a housing choice voucher which makes her eligible for Section 8 rental assistance.
The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless has been trying to help, but the couple is still having trouble when filling out rental applications due to their past eviction.
“We get down to the question, ‘Have you ever been evicted from a place within the last seven years?’ And unfortunately, the answer is 'Yes,'" Dela Rosa explained.
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"Some of the applications don’t even let you proceed after that."
With the same issues arising with their application, Dela Rosa is losing hope.
“I hope it doesn’t last too much longer, but I’m losing hope,” she said.
“I’m just hoping someone gives me a chance to have a place to call home.”
Family faces eviction over unpaid water bill_
There is a looming storm approaching Denver and Dela Rosa said it was a "new fear."
"I’m starting to lose hope and a new fear has entered me as we are supposed to be receiving a foot of snow in two days, she wrote on her GoFundMe.
"Although I do have a vehicle for shelter my heater recently went out so staying warm is going to be a struggle for me my husband, my dog Cash, and I."
In 2023, 12,910 households faced eviction in Denver, according to data from Denver County reported by NBC affiliate KUSA.
The city has set aside $29.1 million to help people pay rent in 2024, but some are concerned that still won't be enough.
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