DENVER — Contact Denver7 helped cut through red tape for a Denver great-grandmother and her great-grandchildren who were about to become homeless because of paperwork issues at Denver Housing Authority (DHA).
"I knew you guys could help me. I knew this was my last stop for help," said Nannette Coffin, a great-grandmother raising three of her great-grandchildren.
Coffin relies on housing vouchers to pay rent, but earlier this year, she had to move from her former home. She said she submitted paperwork to Denver Housing Authority, but soon learned it had been lost.
"Because I was smart enough to take pictures of it, that was the only thing that saved me," Coffin said. "To show that I did submit it to them and that they had their stamp on it that they got it."
Coffin said DHA employees asked her for a doctor's letter weeks after she had started the process, and she said she kept getting the runaround.
"I had found a home, but the landlord couldn't hold it any longer," she said. "[DHA employees] weren't responding to me, they weren't answering my calls, they never returned one message. I just got nothing."
It took Coffin weeks to find another house she could rent, but she had a tight deadline to get her voucher.
"I really thought that we were going to be homeless. I literally was in tears because I was like, 'They had nothing left. There was nothing else I could do,'" she said.
So Contact Denver7 reached out to Denver Housing Authority, which sent a statement citing "confusion" between Coffin and her landlord.
"DHA addressed it by her caseworker working with the Housing Provider and Nanette and clearing up the confusion. There is no larger issue. This is a specific case," the statement reads.
Coffin said she received the voucher that she needed and was able to move into her new home in the nick of time.
"I am so grateful. I mean, just truly grateful that you guys helped me," Coffin said. "I did not want to be homeless with kids. That would be very hard to do. So that means everything to me."
Editor's note: Denver7 seeks out audience tips and feedback to help people in need, resolve problems and hold the powerful accountable. If you know of a community need we can address or have a story idea for our consumer investigates team to pursue, please email us at contact7@denver7.com or or call (303) 832-7777. Find more Contact Denver7 stories here. You can also use the form below to request help from Jaclyn Allen and the Contact Denver7 Team.
