- AT LEAST Half of all of the work that unhoused people do to change their circumstances is because of their will and tenacity.
- Without their daily efforts and struggles to survive and transform their lives none of the accomplishments of any of the social services, officials, advocates or programs would be possible.
- Whenever there is a chance to listen to people who are unsettled and have a chance to listen to their stories they always change our perspective of people who live on the edges and transform the world that we all take for granted.
To Delores and what she means for us all.
Who We Are
OUR STORY
The Delores Project is named for Delores Big Boy, a Lakota woman who frequently lived on the streets of Denver. Her situation was complicated by health, developmental and substance abuse issues, as well as physical and sexual violence.
Although Delores sought aid from various Denver agencies, sadly, she fell through the cracks in the system. Delores died while living on the streets June 8, 1999. In forming the shelter in 2000, we chose to honor her memory so that we could always continue our work with a commitment to ensuring safe shelter for every woman and support for those in transition.
The Delores Project was founded in 2000 and originally operated out of borrowed space provided by other organizations each year between October and April. In 2006, The Delores Project secured its current facility allowing the shelter to begin year-round operations with nearly double our original capacity. As a year-round shelter The Delores Project is able to enhance services, providing support for women in securing long-term housing and addressing the other myriad challenges they face.
OUR LEADERSHIP
The Delores Project is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors committed to addressing the issue of homelessness among women.
PresidentClaire Chavez Director of Client Services The Wright Group Services President ElectSarah Hogan Vice President Barefoot Public Relations SecretaryLisa Ullsperger Financial Consultant Charles Schwab TreasurerErika Lindholm Senior Loan Officer Mercy Loan Fund Staff Leadership TeamTerrell A.W. Curtis — Executive Director Linda Kleiber — Program Director Paige Van Vliet— Operations Manager |
DirectorsNicholas Foley Investment Portfolio Manager Bank of the West Nicole Hagg Community Volunteer Gina Harvey Community Volunteer Laurel Radmore Program Manager CO. Coalition for the Homeless Cathy Reano Community Volunteer Beth Truax Human Resource Manager Collective Licensing International Leanne Wheeler Executive Director Wheeler Advisory Group |
Our mystery image depicted The Delores Project. Our friends at The Delores Project provide year-round shelter for single, homeless women, assist with securing long-term housing and help address the day-to-day challenges they face.
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Each woman who comes to The Delores Project is like a square of the quilt provided for her, symbolizing a collection of unique experiences and stories.
Need Shelter?
Unaccompanied women over the age of 18 may seek shelter at The Delores Project. Find out how by clicking here.
Our Current Needs
Due to limited storage space, The Delores Project has created a list of currently accepted items. Click to see the most current list.
Colorado Coalition for the Homeless – Homelessness in the News February, 2013
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Dr. Jennifer Perlman on What’s Is Wrong With the Way We View People Without a Safe Place to Rest
If you live or work in Denver, you see them everywhere – people who are homeless sleeping on bus stop benches, huddling over heat grates, and begging on street corners.
“Down and out,” reads one man’s cardboard sign at 6th and Broadway.
“Need help. God bless,” reads another’s at Colfax and Lincoln.
Often, we assume we know a thing or two about these folks, who they are, and how they got there.
But Dr. Jennifer Perlman urges us to rethink those assumptions.
“The crux of homelessness is usually one thing and one thing mainly: severe childhood trauma that has gone untreated,” says the director of outreach and engagement services at the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. Her job, and that of her staff, is working with people right off the streets and figuring out how to engage them in services, including Medicaid, even after most have utterly given up.
Perlman, 43, is an intense New Yorker by birth and psychologist by training who sees it as her mission – and, ideally, an imperative for the city – to save Denver’s homeless from their own hopelessness. Professional, legal, and ethical restrictions bind her from speaking about specific clients. But her anecdotes are vivid enough even in broad brush.
Take, for example, the client in his mid-40s who had frequent homicidal thoughts that, with the Coalition’s support, he kept himself from acting on. As a boy, he and one of his siblings were shackled together in their home, deprived of food and water, by their father. They knew that if they acted up, their dad would rape their youngest sibling.
Consider the young man who as a child had been beaten by his mom almost daily – no matter what he did or didn’t do, or how well or poorly he acted. Her switch came out, and it smacked him hard, and it has wounded him inside forever. He didn’t go to school, never got a job, and refuses to accept housing because the act of simply walking though the door seems life-threatening – as if at any time, even years later, he still could get smacked upside the head.
“What we hear over and over again from clients is that this guy’s mother did this to him, or that woman’s father did that to her. They’re all mentally disabled because of it. These children become teenagers and those teenagers become adults. Their bodies grow and they look like regular adults because the wounds inside of them aren’t visible.”
That’s where Medicaid comes in. The program funds medical care, mental health and psychiatric services, and substance abuse programs at the Coalition. Nearly all of its 15,000 clients a year are either mentally or physically disabled, but most will not meet the Social Security legal definition or have sufficient medical evidence due to lack of access to care to qualify for disability and get the appropriate benefits. Instead, many of the clients take off back onto the streets to numb themselves and seek comfort in the turmoil they’re so familiar with.
“There are long-term consequences to these short-term solutions that people are forced into,” Perlman says. Violence is one of them. Strains on the criminal justice system are another. So are drug addiction, destructive relationships, and costs related to long-term health care of people whose illnesses are going untreated.
But these costly effects can be reversed, and Dr. Perlman has seen how public policy can make a difference. In many cases, acceptance into Medicaid may be the first time her patients are told they are valued and that help is available. It’s a motivator. A reason to seek health. And it allows the patient and provider to work together. She says increasing benefits for adults without dependent children would invest in people so they can begin investing in themselves.
“I know people think they can’t get better. It’s not easy. But they can recover,” Perlman says. “They can learn that there are safe places to go and safe people to talk to. They come to understand what they’ve been through and learn that they have value and the capacity to thrive.”
Homelessness in the News – From the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless February, 2013
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Stout Street Health Center Opening April, 2014
Imagine this is your vision. Now imagine you don’t have health insurance or the means to correct it. The Coalition’s Eye Clinic administers roughly 1,500 eye exams each year and through generous donations, dispenses more than 1,400 pairs of glasses free of charge to patients in need.
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Jul 23, 2012 – New Stout Street Health Center … The Coalition’s Stout Street Clinic has been delivering healthcare for the homeless in … Located at the corner of Stout Street and Broadway, this freestanding, 20,000 square foot facility …
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Stout Street Health Center & Renaissance Stout Street Lofts …
dodgeprojects.construction.com/Apartments-Condominiums-4…Sep 11, 2012 – Find out about Stout Street Health Center & Renaissance Stout Street Lofts and other projects out for bid.
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STOUT STREET CLINIC - Colorado.gov
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Tues/Thurs/Fri 8:30- 4pm. Dental Clinic. The Stout Street Dental Clinic provides comprehensive oral health care, including acute emergency care, diagnosis and … -
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STOUT STREET CLINIC
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The Stout Street Dental Clinic provides comprehensive oral health care, including acute emergency care, diagnosis and treatment of dental disease, early … -
Stout Street Clinic – Denver, Colorado – Community Health Center
Stout Street Clinic is a health center located in Denver, Colorado. It is typically open 168 hours per week, which is the most of all Health Centers. You can reach …
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colorado coalition for the homeless – City and County of Denver
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Stout Street Clinic –. Health Care for the Homeless. No Funding from. Denver or Denver. Health. Diverts thousands from emergency room, saving millions of $ … -
Colorado Coalition for the Homeless – Stout Street Clinic | National …
Through its Stout Street Clinic, Colorado Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) has been providing integrated health care, mental health care, dental services, …
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Stout Street Mental Health Clinic - Colorado … - Service Profile
Service Profile. Stout Street Mental Health Clinic - Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. Health Care (Stout Street Clinic) – Colorado Coalition for the Homeless …
What is offered at the Stout Street Health Center has nothing to do with standard medical – behavioral - mental – opthomological – optical – pharmacological - family – dental – youth health. The integrated managed health care means that all cylinders are operating on the same rhythm of providing quality trauma informed care – quality care for life – care that is patient health provider centered – health care unrivaled in most care programs throughout the nation and the region – health care that begins with welcoming the person and making him her or them feel better by listening and responding to them personally.
This is a model of health care that money cannot purchase and which should be the standard of care o the industry. Bravo for saving lives, for making people feel at ease safe as though their lives mattered. Where else would a homeless person want to be treated, or for that matter anyone with a million dollars? There is no exception, this is the highest rated personal care facility by the patients and the best place to invest. Please join us at the opening in April, 2014. When we initiate simultaneously a health care facility for youth, for patients to wait inside, for people to feel as though their lives depend on this standard of care, where people matter not the bottom line and above these two stories will be 78 unites of housing. Housing is health care and the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless knows that integrated managed health care and housing can fit under one roof.
Come by in the next year and watch the health center for homeless Americans emerge and rise from the ground. You won’t want to miss this opportunity.
Homelessness in the News – Colorado Coaltion for the Homeless
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Tuesday, January 8 - Monday, January 14, 2012
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ABOUT THE COALITION
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Rich’s Tackling Homelessness in Colorado: “Making Change with Change” Program Thriving Rich’s Denver, Colorado - Little more than a year ago, Rich’s associate Dave Packer watched a news program highlighting a widespread homelessness epidemic. Today, Packer has actively engaged himself, and Rich Products, in efforts to be a part of the solution. Partnering with the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, Packer delivers on the Rich Promise to care for communities and people, ‘like only a family can.’ |
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IN COLORADO
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Monday, January 14 Denver Shelters Have Busiest Night Yet with Freezing Weekend Temps The Denver Post, Ryan Parker Denver, Colorado – Saturday night’s subzero temperatures forced more than 650 homeless people to seek shelter—the largest number of this season, according to shelter officials.
Saturday, January 12 Loveland in Housing Crunch for Homeless and Low-Income Residents Reporter-Herald, Shelley Widhalm Loveland, Colorado - Since the recession hit, Loveland’s homeless and low-income residents are finding it more difficult to find housing, particularly if they are disabled and cannot work.
Saturday, January 12 Denver’s Homeless Battle Artic Blast, Shelters near Capacity The Denver Post, Jason Pohl Denver, Colorado - An Arctic blast that grabbed hold of the metro area Friday continues through the weekend and is relentlessly testing the area’s homeless shelters and emergency overflow options. Friday, January 11 Boulder County Seeking Volunteers for Point-in-Time Homeless Survey Times-Call, Staff Report Boulder County, Colorado - Boulder County is seeking volunteers to help conduct its 2013 Point-In-Time Homeless Count Survey.
Thursday, January 10 Patrick Kennedy Calls for Mental Health Insurance Reforms in Colorado The Denver Post, Michael Booth Colorado - Colorado must reform laws and insurance benefits to give patients and families access to mental illness treatment equal to what they usually get for medical treatment, panelists at an informal hearing said Thursday night.
New Home Needed for Boulder’s ALLY Youth Services Homeless Center Daily Camera, Ashley Ludkowski Boulder, Colorado - ALLY Youth Services was founded in March 2012 to offer mentoring and services for 18-24-year-olds beyond what’s offered at a typical homeless shelter. ALLY has been housed at Pine Street Church, but the lease is up Thursday. ALLY officials say they are searching for a new space to continue operations. |
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ACROSS AMERICA
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Monday, January 14Drug Overdoses Top AIDS as Main Cause of Homeless Deaths
Reuters, Scott Malone Boston, Massachusetts – Overdoses of drugs, particularly prescription pain-killers and heroin, have overtaken AIDS to become the leading cause of death of homeless adults, according to a study of homeless residents of Boston released on Monday.
Sunday, January 13 Number of Homeless Children in Wichita Tops 1,800 San Francisco Chronicle, Associated Press Wichita, Kansas - More than 1,800 children in the Wichita School District have been identified as homeless, and advocates say that number will go even higher as new cases are identified and more families hit rock bottom financially.
In Wyoming, Many Jobs but No Place to Call Home The New York Times, Jack Healy Casper, Wyoming – As homeless rates held steady nationwide last year, federal data show that Wyoming’s homeless population soared by 67 percent, to 1,813 people from 1,083 in 2011. Advocates attribute the surge in part to a more aggressive attempt to count the state’s homeless.
Board Game Captures Real Life of the Homeless San Francisco Chronicle, Anne Stanton Traverse City, Michigan - More than two years ago, a retired educator challenged homeless people at the Goodwill Inn to come up with a board game that captured the reality of their lives. Huffington Post, Bobbie Ibarra National – Most of us look back on the days of “poorhouses” or “workhouses” in disbelief, but today, communities all over the country are passing ordinances that come very close to making it a crime to be poor.
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People Who Live On the Street Are Likely to Die Thirty Years Before the Average Age of Death of Other Citizens
Individuals experiencing frequent homelessness are three to four times more likely to die prematurely than the general population. Join us in remembrance of our homeless neighbors at the Homeless Persons’ Memorial Vigil one week from today on December 19 at 5:30 pm on the steps of the Denver City and County Building. http://ow.ly/fSua9
Join · 6 people are going
Memorial Service for Those Who Died Who Had No Where to Stay
Homeless Persons Memorial Vigil 2012
Speaker’s Program Notes – DRAFT
Date: December 19, 2012
Location: DenverCity and CountyBuilding, 1437 Bannock Street
Time: 5:30 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.
Contacts: BJ Iacino (303) 285-5223 – office; (720) 937-2728 – cell
Meg Costello (303) 285-5220 – office; (303) 589-3158 – cell
Schedule
4:00 City crew sets-up staging area and sound – Meg arrives.
4:30 Rev Cynthia & Freddy Rodriguez arrive to rehearse.
BJ arrives.
4:45 Refreshments set up; Christmas lights are off.
4:45 All volunteers in place. Materials/candles etc set up.
5:00 Blazen Lights arrives and sets out switch for building lights.
5:15-5:25 p.m. John, Randle & Mayor Hancock arrive.
5:00 p.m. Freddy Rodriguez begins music
5:30 p.m. (1) BJ Begins Program, Introduces Cynthia
(2) Cynthia sings “God will take care of you…”
(3) Cynthia delivers prayer.
5:40 p.m. (4) John Parvensky Speaks
- Welcome.
- Background and purpose of the Vigil.
- John Introduces Mayor Michael B. Hancock
5:45 p.m. (5) Mayor Hancock Speaks.
5:48 p.m. (6) Randle reads poem
5:50 p.m. (7) Cynthia sings “Amazing Grace”
5:55 p.m. (8) John announces start of name reading ceremony, turns program over to Mayor Hancock to begin reading the names.
Audience response following each name is “We will remember.”
Freddy hits triangle after each name…
(9) Mayor Hancock Reads
Reads x names
(10) Randle Loeb Reads
Reads x names
. (11) Cynthia James Reads
Reads x names
(12) John Parvensky Speaks
- Reads x names, plus late entries
- Asks for names from attendees
- Concludes the reading of the names
6:10 p.m. (13) Cynthia Sings “Blessed Always”
- Program concludes.
BJ turns on lights.
Press availability with John and the Mayor, etc.
400 Posts: Come and Ring in and Listen to the Sound of Our Reverberating Spirits
400 posts and counting. We have been involved in this since last year. Where will we be next year. Let’s plan on a celebration at SAME Cafe this time a year from now and invite everyone to join us in honoring the many – many people who’ve made all this possible.
400 posts is just the beginning. We are poised to take off with the new image of care and humanity, poised for all of you to share your burdens and your stories, you witticisms and queries. Share the word and our vision.
Originally the Denver Homeless Voice was meant for the people. Who were the founders and originators of the Voice? the people and that is and will always be a public trust. it is up to you to make the People’s Advocacy Council what you have in your mind and see in your dreams.
Let us begin then in the next weeks that pass to send in your writing, pictures, drawings, personal appeals and we will tenderly post them here.
The Editor
People’s Advocacy Council.
In the beginning this was an anchor for many to feel and to be connected. This was always a place of refuge when we were lost in the wilderness and there was no voice. Let us rise together and give the wind our song, let us rise and make a sound forever to reverberate in our hearts and elevate our spirits together.
Where Eagles Soar on the Updrafts, on the Roiling Winds Untold, Unsettled and Unbound
Where Eagles Soar on the Updrafts on the Roiling Winds Untold, Unsettled, And Unbound
~ Mahatma Gandhi
Fathers With Mothers – Partners Guiding Lights Together Embrace and Tenderly Hold this Light of Mine, this little light, We’re going to make this light shine.
This day as with each that passes let us remember who are the care givers and guides offering a shining light to those who come after us, who are fragile, incubating in the furnace discovering the universe.
This is the time of gifts for those who are at home nurturing their sons and daughters to grow up with confidence and freedom that they can spread their wings and fly by letting go of their perch. Let us remember who we are connected to throughout the ages who has nurtured, protected, comforted, swaddled us making the passage of the steps on the way possible.
We are all inter-connected, whether we were held and squeezed, adeptly with undiminished certainty we all fit in here in this tapestry that has been woven from the beginning of our lives, from the roiling surf spilling onto the reefs and basking on the warm shores of our parent’s laps. We all belong for as long as we are connected throughout the history of our lands and people.
