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Find the support you need.
There are a myriad of local, state, and federal resources that may be of assistance to MSU Denver students. See the drop down sections below to learn more about commonly accessed resources. Case managers in the Student Care Center are glad to assist students in identifying which resources are most applicable and/or in accessing relevant supports. Contact us to set up an appointment to meet with a case manager to explore options.
MSU Denver Services
The Health Center at Auraria open Monday-Thursday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. on Fridays. Please call 303-615-9999 for a medical consultation or to schedule an appointment at the center in Plaza 150. Consultations regarding COVID-19 are free of charge. The Health Center also provides an array of clinical services, including mental-health support.
The Student Care Center staff is adept at supporting students through some of life’s most challenging circumstances, including housing insecurity, physical- and mental-health stressors, unemployment and other unmet needs. The center can advise on academic and University options available to students as well. Let them know how they can help you or a classmate by emailing the team, calling 303-615-0006 or filing a CARE referral. Check
The Roadrunner Food Pantry (RRFP) serves to fight hunger on campus by providing a variety of food and snack options for all MSU Denver students. The RRFP is open – visit the website for current hours.
The Counseling Center provides mental-health support (therapy) to students in-person and virtually. To connect with a therapist please call 303-615-9988 and leave a message with your name, telephone number and 900#. For urgent after-hours and weekend needs, call the University’s mental-health crisis line at 303-615-9911 to speak with a trained professional.
The Classroom to Career (C2) Hub is available to support your job search needs. To schedule an appointment, email [email protected].
The Center for Equity and Student Achievement (CESA) is prepared to assist you virtually, including programming for First-Gen Initiatives, Immigrant Services and the LGBTQ Student Resource Center. Please email [email protected] or visit the CESA website for more information.
The Phoenix Center at Auraria’s mission is to implement campus response services, provide education, and facilitate dialogue related to interpersonal violence in the Auraria community. Call 303-315-7250 for appointments and information. The helpline is open 24/7 at 303-556-2255.
The Student Emergency Retention Fund is an emergency stipend for MSU Denver students who are dealing with unanticipated and/or catastrophic life events that might otherwise cause the student to stop or pause their educational goals. Please note that these funds are limited and specific criteria must be met in order to qualify for a stipend. Undocumented and international students are eligible to apply for the DREAMer Student Emergency Retention Fund.
Technology Resources
The Affordable Connectivity Program (http://www.fcc.gov/acp) is a federal program that provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet services for individuals who qualify. Some of the qualifications include receiving assistance through SNAP and Medicaid or receiving a federal Pell grant. Please visit http://www.fcc.gov/acp to learn more about the program and qualifications.
Comcast’s Internet Essentials program provides low-cost internet service to eligible households. As is the case with the Affordable Connectivity Program (above), receipt of a federal Pell grant can be used to meet qualification requirements (along with other qualifying criteria). Note that individuals can use both the Affordable Connectivity Program and the Internet Essentials program (though are not obligated to use both together). In this scenario, the Affordable Connectivity Program could cover the entire cost of Internet Essentials.
Laptops are available for five-day checkout at two locations: West Classroom (WC) 243 and Student Success Building (SSB) 230. You will need to present a current MSU Denver ID card and a second ID (preferably a driver’s license). To learn more please visit the ITS website.
The Affordable Connectivity Program provides a one-time discount to individuals looking to purchase a laptop, desktop, computer, or tablet from participating providers. Please visit the website to learn more.
Through the Denver Public Library individuals can borrow a Chromebook as well as internet hotspots to use for up to 3 months. To learn more please visit their website.
All MSU Denver Students can download Office 365 applications on their personal computer. Instructions on how to do so can be found HERE.
All MSU Denver students can also access educational software tools while they are off-campus. Instructions on how to access labs from off-campus can be found HERE.
MSU Denver ITS Service Desk is available for technical support by phone 24/7 and in-person at our West Classroom office (WC 243) Monday through Friday. To learn more about using technology at MSU Denver and how to connect with the ITS Service Desk please visit the Student Technology Road Map website.
Federal, State, and Local Assistance Programs
Use the Essential Life Services search tool on the new OnwardCO.org site to quickly identify food, money (gas vouchers, rent assistance, etc.), shelter, childcare, and more. Narrow search results to your area with your ZIP code.
Apply for medical, food, cash, and early childhood assistance programs through the Colorado PEAK platform. Work requirements for food benefits like SNAP have been relaxed, and interviews for SNAP and WIC benefits have been waived. Additionally, IRS economic impact payments are exempt from income calculations for SNAP benefits and will not negatively impact your eligibility for these programs.
If you work in an essential business in Colorado, you can apply for emergency child care with the COVID Emergency Child Care Collaborative.
Private health care insurance providers are required to cover COVID-19 treatments. They must provide COVID-19 tests at no cost when ordered by a doctor.
If you’ve recently lost your health insurance due to a job loss or loss of income, you might qualify for a 60-day Special Enrollment period – meaning you can sign up for a new health insurance plan or change your current plan on Colorado’s health insurance marketplace. To get information about signing up for health insurance, start here: http://connectforhealthco.com/get-started/
Paid Sick Leave programs exist at both the federal and state level to ensure workers are not forced to choose between their paychecks and their health.
The Colorado Health Emergency Leave with Pay (Colorado HELP) rules require employers to provide up to two weeks of sick leave at 2/3 pay to employees with flu-like or other respiratory illness symptoms who are being tested for COVID-19 or are under instructions to quarantine or isolate due to a risk of having COVID-19. To learn more about the employees and employers are covered by the HELP rules visit the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment HELP FAQs.
At the federal level, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act provides small and midsize employers (500 employees or less) with a dollar-for-dollar reimbursement of funds to provide employees with paid leave, either for the employee’s own health needs or to care for family members. More information on the Families First Act can be found on the IRS webpage.
Additionally, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) has been expanded to include workers who are unable to work because of school or childcare-provider closings.
Job postings at OnwardCO.org, Colorado’s official one-stop resource for the people of Colorado impacted by job loss during the COVID-19 pandemic
Job postings at ConnectingColorado.com, Colorado’s state and county-run system for job searches, posting your résumé, and applying for work.
Jobs hiring immediately at indeed.com
State of Colorado government job opportunities
NOTE: If you have applied for unemployment insurance, you are required to register at connectingcolorado.com or with a local workforce center if the office is accepting in-person customers
- If your mortgage is owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, you can ask to have your payments suspended for up to 12 months.
- Other mortgage companies may also honor this same/similar forbearance, so contact them for help.
- If you rent, contact your landlord to see what they might be able to offer you.
- Learn more about support programs where you live.
- Some utility providers have offered to stop cutting people off for non-payment.
- See FAQs about applying for public assistance via Colorado PEAK.
- Denver has a program for rental and utility assistance.
- For additional information, you can visit the Colorado Tenant’s Guide to Covid-19.
Find resources near you by selecting your county below:
- Please keep in contact with the Access Center for all the latest updates and resources.
- People who receive disability payments are still eligible to receive a stimulus payment.
- Those on Social Security and SSI Disability can use their Social Security Administration data to make their claim, no tax return is needed.
- Please keep in contact with the Veteran and Military Affairs Office ([email protected] or 303.615.0044) for the latest updates and resources.
- Based on the new law, Post 9/11 GI Bill students who pursue resident courses converted to an online modality solely due to COVID 19 will continue to receive the MHA rate for resident training. Public Law No: 116-128.
- Members of the State or National Guard, Reserve, or active United States Military, who are called to active or inactive duty (e.g. drill, annual training) will not be academically penalized for that service. Please notify your instructor(s) and Veteran and Military Student Services right away.
- Please keep in contact with the MSU Denver Immigrant Services Program for the latest updates.
- The CARES act includes immigrants that meet the green card test or the substantial presence test.
- Immigrant Pathways Colorado has made $15,000 in emergency housing assistance available for immigrant families. The grants will be for a maximum of $500 and awarded on a first-come-first-served basis. Checks will be made out directly to a landlord in the grant recipient’s name and sent directly to the grant recipient for his/her submittal to the landlord. An application for the housing grant must be submitted by a Referring Professional (social worker, counselor, health provider, religious leader, etc.), who can testify as to immigration status, income level and need for crisis housing assistance.
- The ACLU guide and Denver’s Housing Assistance (for Denver residents only!), are both open to undocumented immigrants & families.
- America Civil Liberties Union also has a list of resources available for undocumented communities.
- MSU Denver’s DREAMer Emergency Fund is available for immigrants, undocumented and DACA students. Please visit the Dean of Students website here.
Other Resources
Unfortunately, the prevalence of fraud has exploded as scammers attempt to exploit the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau can help. In addition to fraud awareness campaigns, they also provide tools to help you manage your money through this crisis, and resources pertaining to additional relief programs like the mortgage forbearance provisions, also included in the CARES Act.
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www.consumerfinance.gov/coronavirus
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Colorado Attorney General’s Coronavirus Consumer Alerts
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Coronavirus Scams – English (Stop Fraud Colorado)
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Coronavirus Scams – Spanish (Stop Fraud Colorado)
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Coronavirus Advice for Consumers (Federal Trade Commission)
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Protecting Your Finances During the Coronavirus Pandemic (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau)
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
- Colorado Child Abuse Hotline: 1-844-CO-4KIDS
- Colorado Crisis Services Hotline: 1-844-493-8255
- Mile High United Way, call 2-1-1
- VETERANS CRISIS LINE: 1-800-273-8255
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Hotline: 1-800-950-6264
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
2-1-1 Colorado
2-1-1 is a confidential and multilingual service connecting people to vital resources across the state. No matter where you live in Colorado, you can find information about resources in your local community.
Call 2-11 or (866) 760-6489
Text your ZIP CODE to 898-211
CO-HELP
Colorado’s call line for general questions about COVID-19, provides answers in many languages including English, Spanish (Español), Mandarin and more. CO-HELP operators cannot recommend whether or where you get tested, provide medical advice or help you with your prescriptions. They cannot provide testing results. They cannot clear you to go to work. If you are seeking help for anything other than general questions, please try telehealth or health care provider.
303-389-1687 or (877)-462-2911