Betty
Many people think that people who become homeless are lazy and don’t work. This, however, is not the case. There are people who become homeless who are working two or three jobs. The “working poor” become homeless because they get paid minimum wage, and often that is not enough to support the basic needs of their families. I want to share with you Betty’s story so you can understand how homelessness can happen to hard working people. Read more about Betty.
Buruk
Local student Buruk, senior at Arvada High school, was recently awarded student of the month, with the highest scores ever received at Arvada High School. This you man has worked diligently and studied hard to reach this high level of achievement. What’s even more remarkable is that Buruk, along with his parents and four siblings live in the CHF transitional housing program. He comes from a family of high-achievers who are working hard along the path of self-sufficiency. Read more about Buruk.
Christina
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. Read more about Christina
Dakota
Dakota and his family, a single mom and two siblings, came to Colorado Homeless Families as a last resort. His mother had nowhere to go, was unable to pay the bills, and suffered from the after effects of emotional, mental, and physical abuse that left her feeling weary and beaten down. Read more about Dakota.
Darcella
Darcella grew up in the foster system. She was bounced around from house to house until she turned 18, when she was left to fend for herself. She became a mother herself soon after, and stayed at a shelter for pregnant teens until her son became too old for their assistance. Read more about Darcella.
Dah and Taw
Dah, 30 years old, and her husband, Taw, came to Colorado Homeless Families from Burma with their two young children ages 4 and 2. For as long as Dah can remember, she was on the run and hiding in the jungles of Burma with her family. They were trying to escape ethnic cleansing in their country and were running for their lives. Living in the jungle was a daily struggle for survival. Often family and friends who were captured were sold into slavery or killed immediately. Read more about Dan and Taw.
From Tears to Laughter
A mother and 9 year-old daughter became homeless after the husband/father abandoned them. Although the mother worked hard as a Nurse’s Aid, they had to resort to living in their truck. Read more about From Tears to Laughter.
Helen
Helen is a young professional and only 23 years old. She worked hard and graduated from college with a Bachelor's Degree, and was planning on going to graduate school when her family's life dramatically changed. Helen's grandmother died, and upon her death, her mother's mental illness meant that she was no longer able to care for Helen's twin teenage brothers. Read more about Helen.
Jane
My name is Jane, I am a single parent and have a son, Mark who is 10 years old. Three years ago we were living in poverty barely making ends meet because my job paid so little. I couldn’t even pay my car insurance and one morning while driving my uninsured car, I ended up in a 3 car pile-up which totaled my car. I had to go to court and was ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution. My license was suspended until I paid it off. I was without a drivers license, had no car and no money. I felt like I was in a hopeless situation with no way out. Read more about Jane.
Janeen
Janeen, a mother of 7 children, was married to a successful obstetrician with a six-figure income. She had her Bachelors Degree in Psychology... Due to some serious problems with Janeen's husband, she found herself homeless with no money and no place to go. Read more about Janeen.
Jim and Mary
Raising a family of three, on a reservation was not always easy for Jim and Mary, poverty was a part of everyday life. Jim, Mary and their 3 children lived in a trailer with no running water. Three or four times a day Jim and Mary and their children had to haul water from a well about a quarter mile away. Read more about Jim and Mary.
J.M.
I don't know if you remember me or my family, but my name is J.M. My mom's name is E.M. and our family lived at CHF about 6 years ago. And recently I started thinking about my past and I thought of you. Read more about J.M.
Lilly
Lilly, a single mom with three children, including one with diabetes, was having trouble making ends meet. She was attending Medical school and couldn’t afford to keep paying rent on her own, so they had to move to a shelter. Read more about Lilly.
Mary
When Mary was a child, she though it was normal for parents to disappear for days at a time. Her mother was an alcoholic and would often leave Mary and her younger brother, George, alone for days at a time. They would eat what little food was left in the house and go hungry when the food was gone. When their mother returned, she would often beat Mary for no reason. One day, Mary’s mother decided she was leaving for good. She took her belongings with her, but left her children behind. Read more about Mary.
Mary and Her 3 Children
One special resident was a single mom, Mary and her 3 young children. Mary’s husband and children were the most important thing in her life. When her husband stopped coming home at night and he started drinking heavily she became fearful for her future. Read more about Mary and Her 3 Children.
Mary Lou
Mary Lou was a dedicated mother who was home schooling her two boys and supporting her husband as he worked on his PhD. However, her husband would occasionally burst into fits of raging anger. Read more about Mary Lou.
Musette
Musette has been a resident at CHF for a little over a year. She will be graduating with her teaching degree in the spring. Musette has been taking 3 buses a day getting to school and taking her daughter to daycare. She receives only $220 a month to cover expenses. She has been unable to afford any transportation other than the bus, with her monthly bus pass paid for by her college tuition. Read more about Musette.
Nancy
Nancy had always dreamed of being a wife and a mother. She was doing just that when her husband decided that he would rather be with another woman. Nancy was left to fend for herself, with 2 little girls to take care of and was pregnant as well.
Rebekah
"I could barely believe it when a couple of weeks ago I got called into the principal's office because I had made it onto the Principal's Honor Roll! I was so excited, and I knew my mom and everyone at CHF would be so proud of me. Just a few years ago, I was too worried about my family to do well in school." Read more about Rebekah.
Sally
Sally was just 17 when she got pregnant. Her boyfriend wanted to do the "right thing" so they got married. They had the baby shortly after getting married and a year or so later they had a second baby. He worked while Sally stayed home to take care of the boys. Read more about Sally.
Sarah
Sarah, with son Brandon, age 8, had separated from and soon divorced her abusive alcoholic husband. They came to Colorado on their own to find a better life. Having been raised out east, Sarah had no family or friends out here. Though hard-working, honest, responsible, and having strong conviction, Sarah was at a low point; alone, living in fear and doubt, and needing some help. Read more about Sarah.
Sharoon Din
Sharoon Din is a Pakistani refugee that came to CHF shortly after September 11th, 2001, when businesses in his home village would no longer employ Christians. With no way to support themselves, Sharoon’s parents sought refuge in the U.S. Read more about Sharoon Din.
Stephanie
Stephanie was living with an abusive husband. He was not only abusive to her but with her children as well. She felt as though she was trapped. She had no money and had no place to go. She moved into Colorado Homeless Families transitional housing program where she received counseling and case management and other support services. Read more about Stephanie.
Sue
One day, a mother, Sue, came into Colorado Homeless Families sobbing, desperate to speak to Connie Zimmerman. She was at her wits end. In between sobs, she told her story, what started out with such promise, turned out to be heart breaking. Read more about Sue.
Mr. Thomas
Mr. Thomas came to Colorado a few years ago to try to find a way to support his family, who still lived out of state at the time. Mr. Thomas was able to find work at the airport as a baggage handler, making $7 an hour. He was living in the basement of a church that took him in. Soon, his family moved to Colorado to be with him (his wife and 5 children, ages 10 to 20). However, there wasn’t enough room for all of them to live in the church basement. Read more about Mr. Thomas.
Tim and Sara
Tim and Sara had only known each other a short time when she became ill. They were planning to be married when they found out that Sara's kidneys were failing. Read more about Tim and Sara.
Sally was just 17 when she got pregnant. Her boyfriend wanted to do the "right thing" so they got married. They had the baby shortly after getting married and a year or so later they had a second baby. He worked while Sally stayed home to take care of the boys. They were not yet in their 20’s when they bought their own home. The boys were 2 and 4 when Sally decided it was time for her to go to school. It was her dream to be an elementary school teacher. Life was good for Sally, or so she thought.
Then things changed. Sally’s husband decided that he did not want the responsibility of taking care of a family. He even went so far as to tell Sally to move out and began insisting on a divorce. Sally, broken hearted, started looking for a place that she and the boys could live but she had no where to go. She did not have a job and no way of supporting herself and her boys. Sally’s parents are divorced and unavailable to help her. Her father lives in another state while her mother is afflicted with mental illness and was in the hospital.
Sally applied for and was accepted into the CHF transitional housing program. She has been in the program only a short time and has already excelled. She was able to find work at a local school as a teacher’s assistant. She is still in school working toward her Bachelor’s degree in teaching. Sally is a hard-working responsible young woman and is determined to make it. She does not just want to get by but she wants to earn enough so that she and her two boys do not have to depend on outside resources. Thanks to Sally’s resilience and the valuable life skills that she is learning at CHF through counseling, educational seminars and support groups at CHF, Sally will be able to transition out of the program in a short time.
It is because of the help and support of people like you that Sally is able to change her life. She can take the time to finish school while living in a nice home with rent that she can afford. Her boys are in a safe environment and able to develop at an advanced pace because their mom is able to give them the attention they need. Thank you again for supporting the families in our community; it gives them hope and encourages them to strive toward self-sufficiency.
Metro Denver area (7 counties) and to help them become self-sufficient within 18 months to two years.