Springs Echo Contributions
...Meet Crystal Karr
Q. For the benefit of our readers, who do we have the pleasure of speaking with today? A. My name is Crystal Karr, and I am the new Homeless Prevention and Response Coordinator for the City of Colorado Springs
Q. And would you mind telling us where you were born? A. I was born in the small town of Garnett, Kansas.
Q. How long have you been the homelessness prevention and response coordinator for Colorado Springs? A. I began working for the City on October 3,2022. I'm still new in this role and am excited about learning and growing in it.
Q. And what did you do before you joined the city's staff? A. Most recently, I was the Executive Director of Family Promise of Colorado Springs where we served families with children under the age of 18 with shelter, homeless prevention and rapid rehousing. I started at Family Promise in 2018 as a case manager, then became Director of Operations, and lastly served as Executive Director.
Q. So, you've really had a chance to watch the evolution of homelessness in Colorado Springs. A. Yes, it's been a journey and I continue to learn more every day.
Q. What do you do in your role as homelessness prevention and response coordinator? A. I'm still learning about the different aspects of my role. One of the things I'm most excited about is working with all the agencies in Colorado Springs that are working to support people experiencing homelessness with shelter and assisting them to create housing stability. I believe that resolving homelessness is a complex issue and thus it will take everyone working together; no one agency or solution will work. We need all of us working together in different capacities and getting to bring everyone together is exciting! I answer calls and emails from concerned community members who may need assistance or be upset about an encampment or issue in their area. I'll also be managing our Emergency Solutions Grants that go to local non-profit organizations providing shelter and outreach for people experiencing homelessness. I hope to listen to our local agencies and all community members (housed and unhoused) to create positive change for our city and increase everyone's safety and comfort.
Q. If you were given three wishes, what would they be? A. 1. Each person in the world, would have a developed sense of empathy and understanding; I believe this would help us to truly offer respect and dignity to each person we meet.2. Each person would have the basics on Maslow's hierarchy of needs so they would have a real chance to become the very best version of their self and follow their dreams. I believe this is safe shelter, food, clothing, and healthcare. 3. That as a nation, we could get past screaming soundbites and truly communicate with one another. I believe that when we take time to listen and learn from those who are different from us, that's when we grow the most. What couldn't we solve if we were able to do this?
Insight behind this question: I wanted to move beyond the facts of homelessness and give the interviewee an opportunity to share the values and broader changes she believes could make a lasting difference. The open-ended format allowed her perspective on empathy, basic needs, and communication to come through in her own words.
Q. Do you recall your first experience with a person experiencing homelessness? How did it make you feel? Can you reflect on that? A. I honestly don't remember. When I was 17, my mom and I lived in Manhattan, KS. My mom took a trip to Colorado Springs, found a job and it started about 4 weeks before my junior year was about to end. My mom moved to Colorado Springs while I stayed in Manhattan to finish the school year. We lived outside of town, she had paid the rent but about 2 weeks into her moving to Colorado, the electricity was turned off. I was terrified to stay in our trailer without electricity. I was embarrassed of my situation and fear, so I didn't tell anyone. I drove into town and slept in my car for a bit and showered at the campground by the nearby lake. I wasn't very successful in my classes at the end of junior year, but I managed to pass. It was scary. I looked for parking lots that had a little bit of lighting but were more remote to prevent anyone coming up and knocking on my window. I wasn't sure what would happen but didn't think it would be good. I don't recall seeing anyone experiencing homelessness before then, but during those few weeks I thought a lot about people who didn't have homes. I learned early on that I should treat all people with dignity and respect. My experience staying in my car emphasized that we never really know what's going on with people behind their appearances.
Q. What does feeling a sense of security mean to you? How would you describe it for yourself? A. This is a difficult question for me. I grew up with a good measure of chaos. I believed that an emergency could change my life in an instant. I've seen it happen to others, and I knew it could happen to meas well. I guess, for me, security means having an innate sense of being able to experience hardships and still come out on the other side. I see resiliency as security. When we can build resiliency in ourselves and others, we create security for all.
Q. For members of the community who have no idea how to help people who are experiencing homelessness, what would you suggest? A. A few things. The first thing is to say hello to a person panhandling or sitting on the sidewalk. Simply recognize them as another human being in our community. The second thing, if you have money, donate money to one of the many agencies in town working to help unhoused community members to obtain stable and affordable housing. If you don't have money, donate your time. Find away to share what you are passionate about with a program that offers shelter or housing. Lastly, get involved with our local government, make your voice heard. City representatives and state representatives need to hear from YOU, each of us. Our voices matter more than we realize; democracy only works when we are invested and working to hold our representatives accountable to being public servants.
Insight behind this question: As a Girl Scout leader, I worked with a Junior troop on service projects supporting people experiencing homelessness. That experience inspired me to ask how other organizations and community groups could get involved and help.
Q. What are some misconceptions people have about homelessness? A. I think the biggest misconception is that people experiencing homelessness want something for nothing, that they are lazy or unmotivated.Some of the hardest-working people I know are unhoused. A few years ago, I met a man who worked full-time and lived out of his car. He had a cheap gym membership so he could get showers. None of his coworkers had a clue. He worked hard to stay employed, and he struggled to receive services as most agencies work Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. I know plenty of folks who experienced homelessness and they worked harder than most people I know. Homelessness is complex and lots of amazing, intelligent, creative, and wonderful people live without stable and permanent housing.
Q. How has your advocacy work for the homeless changed you, if at all? A. Working with and befriending people who experience homelessness and housing insecurity makes me more hopeful. Earlier, I talked about resiliency, and I think about the people I've met on this journey and they are resilient and brave. Many of them have experienced things I can't imagine and yet, they continue to fight the good fight, and work towards housing stability. I want to improve our systems so that they can channel the energies they've had to use for survival to thrive and grow. Our community would grow by leaps and bounds if each person had real opportunity.
Q. What do you like to do? What are your interests? Do you have a special skill or talent? A. I love to roller skate and play roller derby. I play for the Danger Dolls in the Pikes Peak Roller Derby league. It's a blast and fantastic stress relief!
Q. Name a lesson you've learned while advocating for the homeless. A. We must work to reduce harm while also creating long-term solutions. We need to have shelters and band-aid fixes while also working for long term solutions like real and affordable housing. We need to remove barriers for people to get services.
Q. If you were a parent talking to a child about homelessness, what would you say? A. With my children we talk about how sometimes life is hard and sometimes we need help. When my girls were young, they wanted to bring home every person we drove past that appeared homeless. I explained that this wasn't always safe to do but we could help by giving out water and snacks. We tried to always have a case of water bottles and some snacks in the car so when we stopped, and someone was flying a sign and asking for help we could at least give them that. The beauty about children is that they usually see everyone without judgements, so they see someone hurting, they feel it too and want to help. As adults we get a bit more jaded and calloused. I need to go buy some water bottles and snacks; it's been a while.
Insight behind this question: As a parent and former Girl Scout leader, I have seen how naturally children respond with empathy when they see someone struggling. I wanted to explore how adults can talk about homelessness honestly while helping children turn that compassion into safe, meaningful action.
Q. Crystal, we really appreciate your time today. Is there anything else you would like to talk about or for readers to know? A. Thank you for this opportunity to share about myself and my passion. I look forward to serving our community and creating some tangible hope for everyone.
Crystal Karr - Homeless Prevention and Response Coordinator
My photography (Instagram @Robersondesigns):
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