Little Purple House Campaign

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We’ve placed 984 little purple houses throughout the Northern Colorado community as part of a homelessness awareness campaign.

Why? There are currently 984 adults and children--known to us by name--who are currently experiencing homelessness in Northern Colorado and are in a pool of people seeking a housing resource..

Our unhoused community members are often hidden in plain sight--just like the little purple houses we have placed in public locations throughout our community! We hope each one found serves as a reminder of the very real human being the house represents and inspires you to join us!

Did you find a house?  Record it on the map, then take the Little Purple House Challenge and support the work of one (or more!) of the Murphy Center Partner Agencies!

+Add Your Purple House

Every day, hundreds of community members stand with us, contributing in countless ways—whether it’s donating essential survival gear, volunteering in our shelters, providing financial support, or advocating for policies that help more people escape homelessness.  

Will you join us too? As part of the Little Purple House campaign, we are challenging each person who finds a house—or learns about our campaign--to commit to taking at least one action to help! 

Ideas including supporting one or more of the Murphy Center Partner agencies in the following ways: 

  • Volunteer for at least one hour
  • Host a clothing, gear or food drive in your neighborhood, workplace or faith community 
  • Make a donation of at least $5 
  • Attend the Mission to Hope Walk on Saturday, October 5th 
  • Follow us on social media and share our posts! Use #littlepurplehouse or #mcpartners
  • Subscribe to our newsletters 
  • Speak with people in positions of influence about the importance of supporting solution-oriented policies and services.

Click on this link to learn more about each of the Murphy Center Partner Agencies' volunteer and support needs! 

  • Put the house on your desk, windowsill or other place where it will serve as a reminder of the need and inspire you to take action 
  • Share it with a friend or hide it somewhere else for someone to find and keep the awareness campaign going 
  • Post a photo of the house you found on social media and use our hashtag #littlepurplehouse24 or #mcpartners and share where you found it
  • Add the location where you found your house to our interactive map

Twelve white houses have been hidden among the 984 purple houses. Each white house represents one of the twelve unhoused people who passed away in Northern Colorado while waiting for a housing resource in 2023.

On average, twenty people across the United States die EACH DAY while living on the streets. They die from treatable conditions and at the average age of mid-40's.

Our unhoused neighbors are part of our community—they live, work, attend school, worship, and engage in local activities. Yet, when night falls, they are forced to find rest in shelters, vehicles, campsites, or crowded, precarious housing situations. Each morning, they once again face the daunting challenge of meeting basic needs, caring for their children, staying safe, and trying to inch closer to the dream of securing affordable, stable housing. 

As of 9/1/24, 984 adults and children are listed on Northern Colorado’s Continuum of Care’s Coordinated Assessment Housing Placement System (CAHPS). CAHPS is a by-name housing list that offers real-time data on individuals in our community who meet HUD’s definition of literal homelessness and have completed the Intake process. 

However, this figure does not account for the more than 3,300 children and youth each year in Larimer and Weld counties who are classified as homeless under the McKinney-Vento Act, meaning they lack a “fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.” 

It does not include the hundreds of other unhoused community members who have “fallen through the cracks,” and have not yet completed the Intake process or have lost hope of ever finding stable housing again.   

Nor does it include domestic violence victims/survivors, over 100 households, who are receiving shelter services from one of Northern Colorado’s three Victim Service Providers. 

Additionally, this number excludes the over half of renters in Larimer and Weld counties who are cost-burdened, spending more than 30% of their income on housing costs (and therefore putting them at risk of homelessness). 

The Murphy Center Partner Council is a group of non-profit organizations working collaboratively within and outside the walls of the Murphy Center for Hope, and in partnership with the Northern Colorado Continuum of Care. Together we outreach, shelter, support and serve unhoused and unstably housed youth, families, individuals, veterans, seniors and those fleeing domestic violence across Fort Collins and beyond. We are united in our common goal to make homelessness in our community rare, short-lived, and non-recurring.   

Learn how you can help each of these organizations with their own Purple House Challenges.