Community Connections - 2024-25 (English) - 17

For Sonia Vasquez, Any Door
Is the Right Door
In her eight years at Boulder County, Vasquez has empowered
families in need through personalized, comprehensive support.
T
here's a saying amongst Boulder
County staff that " All roads lead to
Sonia Vasquez, " the lead Colorado
Works support specialist for the county.
Colorado Works is Colorado's name for the
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
(TANF) program, which offers support to
low-income families by providing monthly
cash, coaching, and referral into services
like counseling and job training.
" My bachelor's is in criminal justice,
but my passion has always been serving
the community, " says Vasquez, who has
more than two decades of experience
working in housing and human services.
" I can really relate to the people I work with
because I grew up with a mom who relied
on public assistance. "
Boulder County's approach to TANF is
unique, focusing on a two-generational strategy
that addresses the needs of both parents
and children, ensuring integrated support for
housing, education, childcare, and food, as
well as physical and mental health. " It's about
meeting each person, or family, where they're
at in the moment, " says Vasquez.
At the heart of her team's work are the
communities they serve, including low-income
Spanish monolingual families, as well
as refugees from Afghanistan and Ukraine.
Recognizing the importance of making
essential services accessible, they tirelessly
advocate for those in transition, seeking to
bridge gaps and provide tailored support
through one-on-one check-ins, inter-agency
referrals, and partnerships with communitybased
organizations.
" While every day is busy, no two days
are the same, " says Vasquez, who conducts
in-person outreach several times a month to
answer questions, helping people apply for
public benefits and tap into the resources
they need. " It's not necessarily my job to
help someone get food assistance, but it
also is because I'm here to serve, and for
us, any door is the right door. "
Visit boco.org/ColoradoWorks to find
out more.
17
ABOVE: Sonia Vasquez,
lead support specialist
for Colorado Works,
assists a community
member from her office
in Longmont.
https://boco.org/ColoradoWorks
Community Connections - 2024-25 (English)

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