Christina, of African American and Native American descent, was married and had three young boys. Her husband left them. She scrambled to take care of her boys, then ages 1, 2, and 3, and herself; as well as to find work and pay rent on her own. She was able to get training to provide specialized care for persons with disabilities, and within a few years she was making $13 an hour. Unfortunately, the only housing that she could afford was low-income government housing in a run-down Denver neighborhood. After a few years, when the boys were all in elementary school, and they were surrounded with negative influences where drugs and gangs were rampant in that area. They didn’t feel safe to go outside and play on the playground and they had to remain in the house before and after school.
Christina worked as hard as she could to afford a better place, but it was hard doing it all on her own. She begged for a miracle, for a safe place where her boys could thrive and she could provide for them. A friend of hers referred her to Colorado Homeless Families, a safe haven in the suburbs. She and her boys were soon accepted into our transitional housing program. Here the boys can play at the park and enjoy the neighborhood basketball court. They received bicycles for Christmas, thanks to another generous donor. The boys attended the Summer Youth Program offered by CHF twice a week, where the children were able to go on field trips, Rockies games, swimming, and other fun summer activities. This is the first time Christina has felt that her family is truly safe now that they live in our crime-free neighborhood. The staff at CHF makes sure that no family or child is in danger or lives in fear of being harmed. Our families work together as a community to keep the area clean and they take pride in helping each other. Christina is finding friendship among other single parents living at CHF. The boys are getting used to a different lifestyle; the curfew at CHF is 9:00! Thanks to the Adoptive Grandparent program at CHF, the boys are now being mentored by a retired professional man who loves seeing them succeed. They are also part of a distinguished young men’s establishment where they are learning discipline, character, and respect for self and others. It’s because of your help that these three boys will have a chance at bright futures, which wouldn’t have been possible without support from our community. They have hope to no longer be statistics and to be safe from drug and gang influence.
Metro Denver area (7 counties) and to help them become self-sufficient within 18 months to two years.