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Newsletter of the Boulder Shelter for the Homeless
•
Februar y 2011
4 8 6 9 N o r t h B r o a d wa y, B o u l d e r, CO 8 0 3 0 4 • 3 0 3 - 4 4 2 - 4 6 4 6 • w w w. b o u l d e r s h e l t e r. o r g
Thank you
Because
of
you
,
Where can they go on a night like this? thank you!
there
is ,athere
place.
Because
of you
is a place.
Thank you
At the Boulder Shelter, we often attempt to bring you stories of those who have been helped here so
that you can see what your donations are producing. We gather the facts, maybe take a photograph, and
do our best to relate to you the hope that is inspired in the hearts of people through your gifts.
But some stories are best told by the one whose life has been so dramatically affected by the compassion of others. This is such a story...
‘‘
It’s a long way from my days of living in a
gang in Detroit where I saw my best friend
murdered in front of me at the age of 16.
Life eventually brought me to Boulder, and I stuck
around. Today, now 35 years old, I am enrolled in
college with a goal to become an addictions counselor.
Shelter where I found housing and case management support that made it possible for me to focus
my energy on recovering from my addiction. Many
of the hidden land mines that could have derailed
my recovery were eliminated just because I had
the assurance of a bed in an alcohol and drug free
environment.
Gangs and trauma go together. And alcohol
became the way to numb my pain. Not feeling
the pain is all that mattered to me. The downward
spiral, including ﬁnding myself homeless, was
overwhelming. Until ﬁnally I woke up in a hospital,
nearly dead from alcohol abuse.
I recently moved into my own apartment as a client of the Shelter’s Transitional Housing Program.
While I continue to receive case management support, living on my own makes me feel pride in life
again. My future looks bright and my possibilities
are endless.
After a pretty intensive stint at the Addiction
Recovery Center, I was able to move to the Boulder
I couldn’t have done it without the help of those at
the Shelter who walked beside me in my journey.”
Because of you,
.
there is a place
In November, Eddie
Bauer Boulder,
partnering with One
Warm Coat, facilitated the donation
of over 100 coats to
the Shelter.
In December,
Upslope Brewery
oﬀered $1 oﬀ a pint to anyone who brought something to the
Brewery for the Shelter from our
wish list.
Elevations Credit Union donated
ﬂat panel monitors and PC’s for our
oﬃces.
Boulder Sports Recycler continues
to donate warm boots, clothing, and
sleeping bags to the Shelter.
The Gondolier on Pearl & Nelson
Kugel hosted a luncheon for the
third anniversary of the Housing First
Program.
Whole Foods Market continues to
make regular in kind donations to
the Shelter.
Evan Savage donated money he
collected trick-or-treating this last
fall to the Shelter.
Shelter volunteer Sue Koral organized the acquisition of Christmas
gifts for the Shelter, Boulder County
Cares and the Housing First Program
in conjunction with the Sharing Tree
Program at Sacred Heart of Jesus
Church in Boulder.
Frasier Meadows Retirement
Community donated the proceeds
from a Craft Fair that was held for
the Shelter.
Nu Skin Denver Team collected 8
boxes of toiletries for the Shelter.
IBM employees and retirees made
generous pledges to the Shelter
Snapshots continues page 3
B OARD
OF
D IRECTORS
RUTH CORNFELD BECKER, PRESIDENT
Attorney
ARDIE SEHULSTER,VICE-PRESIDENT
Retired HUD Ofﬁcial
JIM PETERS,TREASURER
Vice President,
Boulder Community Hospital
MARK GOOSMAN, SECRETARY/RECORDER
Senior Product Marketing
Manager, Xilinx, Inc.
DARRELL BILLINGTON
Secondary Educator,
Fairview High School
JACK GIPPLE
Psychotherapist
TOM HAGERTY
Retired City of Boulder
Deputy Finance Director
BETTY HOYE
CPA and Realtor
JEFF KAHN
Attorney
BETSEY MARTENS
Executive Director,
Boulder Housing Partners
KATHY REIMS, MD
Chief Medical Ofﬁcer,
Center for Strategic Innovation
MATT ROAN
President,
First Western Trust Bank
SCOTT ROBBINS
Housing Consultant
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
GREG HARMS
Executive Director
RENE BRODEUR
Director, Programs
TRAVIS RAILEY
Director,
Development & Marketing
MIKE RAUER
Director, Facilities
WAYNE AGRAZ
Controller
GINA M. BARAJAS
Manager, Volunteers
BRENNA WHITE
Manager, Boulder County Cares
JANET WALKER READY
Manager, Housing First
CATHERINE BEDELL
Manager, Donor Outreach
& Events
KELLI MURPHY
Manager, Grants
ALEX BLOOMFIELD
Manager, Kitchen
page
2
DIRECTOR’S DIALOGUE
The Boulder Shelter for the Homeless ended its 2010 fiscal year on
September 30, 2010. In keeping with the Shelter’s core value of Practicing
Responsible
Stewardship,
this edition
of Under Our
Roof contains
a summary of the organization’s
2010 operations.
I view anyone who donates to
the Shelter as an investor. And
as with any other investment,
investors should expect results
for their outlay. For those of you
who volunteer at the Shelter,
you understand the unique fulﬁllment that comes from serving
a hot meal to a hungry resident,
or offering a blanket to someone
who is literally living on the
streets. For those who look for
more quantitative results, however, please review the Shelter’s
FY2010 accomplishments below.
Last year, the Shelter provided 36,987 bed-nights of
Temporary Winter Shelter to
men and women without housing. For about $30 a night, the
Shelter provides a homeless person with two hot meals, a warm
bed, basic counseling and safety
from the perils of living on the
streets. In addition, an average
of 35 people/day were enrolled
in the Shelter’s sober-only, inhouse Transition Program.
This program graduated 53 men
and women into stable housing
in FY2010.
With the 2010 acquisition
of Boulder Advocates for
Transitional Housing (BCATH), a
local nonproﬁt, the Shelter now
owns and operates 12 units of
Transitional Housing. These
units housed 20 clients and their
families, including 7 children.
cost of a meal served at the
Shelter was less than a dime.
In partnership with Boulder
Housing Partners, the Boulder
County Housing First
Program now houses 25 formerly chronically homeless
individuals in permanent hous-
Clinica (The People’s Clinic)
rendered nearly 500 hours of
on-site health care consultations,
over 650 hours of psychiatric
services were provided by the
Mental Health Partners (Mental
Health Center Serving Boulder
and Broomﬁeld Counties) and
hundreds of dental procedures
were performed in the Shelter’s
dental room by Dental Aid.
It is our hope that you
will continue to entrust
us with your gifts of
time, treasure and talent
as we strive to save and
change lives.
ing with ongoing case manager
support. Over 70% of clients
entering this Shelter program
were still in stable housing after
two years.
Boulder County Cares, the
Shelter’s street outreach operation, was on the streets 200 winter nights in FY2010 and made
4,642 contacts, handing out over
6,700 articles of clothing and
blankets.
With the help of Community
Food Share and donated food
from local restaurants, farms,
supermarkets and individuals,
the Shelter served more than
83,519 hot meals. The average
Measuring the impact of all of
these efforts is a challenge. As
an organization, we cannot track
our stock price or calculate our
Earnings Per Share. Ultimately,
success for the Shelter is deﬁned
by the impact we have on
each individual we serve. And
although this impact is often difﬁcult to quantify, we have begun
to try to measure this as well.
On a ﬁnal note, we would like
to thank outgoing board members Bryan Smith and Linda
Jourgensen for their service to
the Shelter. We also welcome
new board members Jeff Kahn,
Betty Hoye and Scott Robins.
It is our hope that you, whether
you are an individual, foundation, governmental agency, corporation, or community of faith,
will continue to entrust us with
your gifts of time, treasure and
talent as we strive to save and
change lives.
Greg Harms, Executive Director
28years
of service in our community.
The mission of the Boulder Shelter for the Homeless is to
provide safe shelter, food, support services, and an avenue
to self-sufﬁciency for homeless adults in our community.
Under Our Roof
U
Because of your support...
L
ast year, because of your support, the
Shelter’s expansive scale of service united
the efforts of sheltering, housing and supportive services.
Snapshots from cover
��
through the IBM 2010
Employee Charitable
Contribution
Campaign.
�
Housing and Housing First Programs operated �
��
Shelter volunteer Win Franklin
year-round,
offering the structure and support
��
��donated
�� much needed cutlery to the
needed
by many homeless individuals to get back
��
��
Shelter’s
kitchen.
into stable
housing.
��
��
During the winter season, over 150 homeless
women and men turned to the Boulder Shelter
each night for a warm, clean bed and two hot,
nutritious meals. And, thanks to you, the Shelter
also provided shower and laundry facilities, phone
and postal mail access, job referrals, mental health
counseling, basic on-site medical and dental
care, and case management support. In addition,
Boulder County Cares, our street outreach program, provided nightly assistance to unsheltered
people in the city of Boulder.
CU Volunteer Resource Center
��
Because
you were so generous during the ��The��
��
��dropped
�� oﬀ a bus load of jackets,
Shelter’s
2010
ﬁscal
year
(October
1,
2009
through
��
��blankets,
��
food, and toiletries that
September
30, 2010)...
��
��they��
collected door to door over
Beyond these essential services, our onsite
Transition Program and offsite Transitional
• 39 residents graduated directly from the
Transition Program into independent housing,
while another 14 residents graduated into longerterm, off-site transitional housing (Transitional
Housing or the Inn Between).
��
��Halloween
��
Weekend.
• We ��
sheltered 990 unduplicated residents,
providing 36,987 bed nights and 83,519 meals to
The Daily Camera donated mugs
homeless
men and women in need.
for our kitchen.
��
��
��
Meyer and Spruce
• 2,997
case management contacts were ��Samantha
��
��Confections
��
donated gift certiﬁmade, and the mental health worker met with
��
��
cates for our staﬀ.
101 different
people
to
discuss
their
mental
health
��
��
situation.
Shelter volunteer Angie Hammond
�
�
��
• Boulder County Cares made 4,642 contacts
��
��
d
n
i
k
��
�� with people in need on the streets.
inh of g food,
t
��
��
��
r
o
w
• 27 formerly chronically homeless indind
in
��
,050 , includ letries a ly ��
5
1
1
s
s
i
viduals
had housing through the Housing First
$
u
o
t
o
r
,
�� nation
��
��
e
s
do ts, towel was gen by the �� program.
��
,
e
r
s
k
e
blan supplie he Shelt 10.
��
��
• 1,450 volunteers donated 10,333 hours of
er d to t
20
h
t
n
i
o
��
��
ate
nity
don commu
their time to a variety of tasks, including cooking
and serving meals, distributing bedding and toiletries, and general ofﬁce tasks. ■
��
��
��
��
��
��
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»
EXPENSES
Other • $18,841
Administrative
$200,181
FY 2010 Total $1,635,630
Corporate Gifts
and Events
$79,569
Fundraising
$181,597
Shelter Programs • $1,253,852
Foundation
Grants
$293,510
United Way
$32,689
Individual Gifts
$584,591
Government Grants
$478,491
«REVENUE
FY 2010 Total $1,506,573
Faith Community Gifts • $18,882
Shelter operating expenses exceeded revenues in Fiscal Year 10. The decline in revenue was attributed
mainly to the economic recession and the corresponding decrease in individual and foundation gifts.
These shortfalls were covered by operating reserves that were set aside in previous years for this purpose.
These deﬁcits were due to the Shelter’s decision to maintain service levels to clients even though cash
donations were down.
Februar y 2011
organized a collection of toiletries,
sleeping bags, jackets, gloves,
hats, socks and scarves from the
employees of Data Network Group,
Lifepics and EMA.
Golden West Manor donated fanny
packs ﬁlled with sundries for BCC, as
well as bulk toiletries, blankets and
homemade scarves.
Students from Peak to Peak
Charter School made 200 sack
lunches for our residents and
Boulder County Cares clients.
Two student council representatives
from Fairview High School, Ellie
Lupo and Allison Sawyer, collected
a full van load of jackets, blankets,
food, and toiletries for the Shelter
and BCC.
Students from Catalyst High
School spent several afternoons at
the Shelter, organizing our pantry
and folding blankets in the linens
room.
Many wonderful holiday gifts were
sent to Shelter residents from the
members of St. Martin de Porres
Church.
Seagate Technology employees
provided scores of holiday gifts for
our residents.
Medtronic Navigation included
the Shelter in its holiday festivities,
sending us back to the Shelter with
our van packed with food, blankets,
and toiletries.
Boulder Valley Church of Christ,
with the encouragement of Boulder
County Cares volunteer Van
Alesandro, conducted a “Sock
Sunday” and collected 1,000 pairs of
socks for BCC.
Joan Wilkinson and the Denver
Visiting Nurse Association provided free ﬂu and pneumonia shots
to Shelter residents on two evenings
in December. ■
page
3
volunteer proﬁle::
Nina Khosravi
What is your occupation? I am a Software
Engineer working at IBM.
What activities have you participated in
as a Shelter volunteer? I have helped with
cooking and dorm supplies. I really enjoy the
cooking jobs as I am usually busy the entire
time I’m at the Shelter. I like coming in and
seeing what foods are available and having to,
at times, improvise to prepare a side dish or sauce etc. It is also
nice to see that so many merchants donate such good quality food
to the Shelter. The fresh produce is also nice to see and the residents do enjoy it.
Why do you volunteer? I can’t even imagine how difﬁcult it is
for the homeless to manage — especially when it is so cold outside. If I can do a little to help the Shelter, which provides such
an important and necessary service, I’m happy to do it. I enjoy
sharing a smile with the residents and seeing that some have
entered the Transition Program. I also like working alongside the
other volunteers. They are all interesting, caring people that want
to help. I love it when volunteers come and prepare foods using
their home recipes. The staff is great too; they are always welcoming and appreciative of the volunteers. As volunteers, we feel well
supported by the staff.
getting to know::
Chad Molter
[ logistics lead ]
Why do you work at the Shelter?
We provide “safe shelter,” but how?
[ staff musings ]
As employees of the Boulder Shelter it is our mission to provide
safe shelter for our clients. The open feeling of the Shelter building, the intake process, and the boundaries we set all help to create a safe environment, as do the staff interactions with clients.
So many of the men and women who stay at the Shelter have
experienced trauma at some point in their lives and are re-traumatized by facing the battles created by the state of homelessness.
The fear that accompanies trying to ﬁnd food and a warm place
to stay, as well as the high incidence of physical and mental illness
in this population, create volatile stress levels that staff has to constantly monitor and attempt to regulate.
When it is suspected that an individual
is having a bad day it is important for
staff to address the issue. Sometimes this
is best done through a casual conversation, but often a more direct approach
is necessary. It can be uncomfortable
telling someone that a speciﬁc behavior is concerning and requesting that it
change. The hope in either approach is that the client accepts that
an alteration in attitude or behavior needs to occur.
Knowing that a staff person is looking out for them and trying to
address a problem before it escalates helps to bring clients into
the present so they can realize that the Shelter is helping to meet
their immediate needs. Even so, on occasion, staff has to insist
that an individual remove himself from the premises. This can feel
counter-productive since it prevents that individual from receiving
shelter, but it may be necessary in order to protect the safety of
every other client in the building.
Working with the homeless, and more
speciﬁcally those with mental health
problems, is something that I’ve wanted
to do for years but it was only recently
that I thought that working in this ﬁeld
could be a reality for me. Essentially I
work here because I really enjoy working
with, and providing a service for, people
in need.
The Boulder Shelter increases safety through its strongest asset:
well trained and well equipped staff members who are willing
to address problems with clients who are having understandably
strong reactions to the stressors of a homeless life.
What are your daily responsibilities? I split my time between
Thank you to our recent
Adopt a Night sponsors.
Your gifts provided nights
of safety, warmth and
nourishment for vulnerable
people in our community.
working shifts on the ﬂoor of the Shelter and performing the
duties of the logistics lead, which entails the keeping of Shelter
statistics as well as daily maintenance of the Shelter database and
various other administrative tasks.
What exceptional challenges and opportunities have you
discovered in your work here? I think I can safely say that
every day here comes with a new set of challenges. As staff at the
Shelter we are often faced with the challenge of helping individuals who have very speciﬁc needs that can’t always be met by us.
Working at the Shelter has given me the opportunity for tremendous growth. I’m constantly learning from our excellent staff, case
managers, our clients, and simply from being in an environment
in which a large part of one’s job is to ﬁnd creative solutions to
some complex problems.
What do you like to do for fun? Music is a huge part of my
life, I’ve spent a large part of the last 20 years of my life writing,
recording, and playing music mostly of the rock variety. I also
enjoy skiing during the winter months.
page
4
—Lyndall, Shelter Program Staff
Fairview High School Student
Council
City on the Hill • Betsey Martens
Immaculate Conception Catholic
Church
Ernie & Peabody Clumber • Hopeology
Dave Martens and Friends • Delta Gamma Boulder
Fairview Sociology and Pre IB Government Classes
Farrand and Baker RAPs, CU-Boulder • Friends of Sybil
Joe Lutt • Packard Dierking • The Billington Family
The Davids Family
To Adopt a Night, visit www.bouldershelter.org
Under Our Roof
What is your occupation? I am the Chief
Marketing Ofﬁcer for Amadeus Consulting, a
custom technology solution provider here in
Boulder.
What activities have you participated in as a Shelter volunteer? I have performed the staff assistant role, dorm supply, substitute kitchen lead, and kitchen volunteer for both dinner service
and breakfast service. However the vast majority of my volunteering has been cooking and serving Thursday morning breakfast.
Why do you volunteer? I believe that we all have our own way
we can impact others; whether it is through money, time, or other
means. For me, volunteering at the Shelter gives me an opportunity to make a personal connection and bring a positive attitude. I
feel volunteering at the Shelter lets me stay connected to the reality of how hard times can hit anyone. I believe everyone needs a
lift at one point or another in their lives — and I am just one part
of a community rising up to support its own.
An easy, online way to set up a
recurring gift to the Shelter
Visit the Boulder Shelter on GivingFirst.org. (Go to www.
GivingFirst.org and enter Boulder Shelter for the Homeless in the
search ﬁeld.) Learn about our programs, how we are helping our
community, and donate online directly to us.
Because Community First Foundation, a Denver-based nonproﬁt,
covers all credit card processing fees on donations made through
GivingFirst.org, when you donate to the Shelter through
GivingFirst.org, 100% of your donation comes to the
Shelter. So, it’s a perfect place to set up a recurring gift to the
Shelter. You can give as little as $10 per donation every week,
month, quarter or year. Simply set up your donation schedule and
your deductions will happen automatically, straight from your
credit card, debit card or bank account.
And the Shelter will pay no credit card processing fees on your
donation.
Recurring donations are gifts we can count on. Thank you.
Thank you
for remembering
the Boulder Shelter
in your will.
Februar y 2011
Meet us on Facebook
www.facebook.com/
thebouldershelter
Follow us on Twitter
www.twitter.com/
bouldershelter
You shower us with your generosity.
Jay Millard
Thank you for caring about the Shelter and the people we serve.
volunteer proﬁle::
page
5
The 17th Annual
Boulder Shelter
Golf Classic
May, 2011
Gather your friends, family and coworkers, and join us for a
day of golf to support the Boulder Shelter for the Homeless. The
format is a four-person modiﬁed scramble, and awards will be
given for the low gross team, longest drive, closest to the pin,
hole-in-one. Individuals and teams are welcome!
Co
rp
or
areate s
av pon
ail so
ab rsh
le! ip
s
All golfers enjoy 18 holes, cart, range balls, breakfast,
lunch by Pasta Jay’s, and chances to win great prizes!
For more information:
303.468.4312 or www.bouldershelter.org
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
BOULDER, CO 80304
4869 NORTH BROADWAY
•
f o r
t h e
H o m e l e s s
•
BOULDER SHELTER
Non-Proﬁt Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Boulder, CO
Permit No.840