The House A Safe Place for Western Slope Teens How many homeless teens are there in Mesa County? According to estimates from District 51, the Mesa County Sheriff s office, the Grand Junction Police Department and the Department of Social Services, there are an estimated 100 homeless teens in Mesa County in any given year. These teens are at risk for physical or sexual abuse. Every year 5,000 homeless teens die on the streets in America. What is unique about our effort? FACT SHEET Our hope is that our work with The House will become a state model for the wise use of resources. We will rely heavily on volunteers, we will rent rather than build and we will keep our costs dramatically low. In addition, we have built a broad coalition of support from community members and organizations. Finally, we are working to recruit a legion of guardians to sustain the shelter rather than relying on a few sources of funding
What is the history of this effort? The effort to establish a youth shelter began when this need was identified as a community priority at two community-wide summits. The first, The 2009 Winter Summit, was attended by representatives from Mesa County Department of Human Service, Homeward Bound of the Grand Valley, the Grand Junction Housing Authority, Housing Resources of Western Colorado and Grand Valley Peace and Justice. In addition, the need was identified as a priority at the Beyond Charity, a community-wide meeting on homelessness, in Spring of 2010. In attendance at this meeting were representatives from City government, the Mesa County Department of Human Services, Homeward Bound of the Grand Valley, the Grand Junction Housing Authority, Housing Resources of Western Colorado and Grand Valley Peace and Justice. While the effort to establish the shelter is overseen by the Karis Board of Directors, we have formed a steering committee that is overseeing the practical work. Steering committee members have included representatives from the Grand Junction Police Department, Hilltop, Mesa County Department of Human Services, School District 51, a number of business members, community leaders and individuals with considerable experience sheltering youth. What happened to the Tree House? How is this effort different? The Tree House, a Mesa County non-profit, provided safe shelter for Western Slope teens at a shelter which was called The Tree House in 2005. While the non-profit continues to offer services to Mesa County Youth, (see www. thetreehousecenter.org), the shelter closed after 15 months because of financial constraints that were related to the expiration of a large Federal grant. Because of this, Karis fundraising strategy has been considerably more grass roots. We are working to establish a broad base of community funding that will allow us to sustain our effort. In addition, we are relying on qualified, vetted volunteers to provide nonprofessional services to teens. Where are the parents of these teens? Many of these children have been abandoned by their parents who are working outside of the Valley, some are runaways and others have been on the streets for years. A number were in the custody of state foster care but have run away. At The House we will work to reunite teens with their families, or, when teens are older or family reunification is not an option, we will help teens seek stability in outside employment and education. Who are our homeless teens? The most responsible and supported teens struggle at times. However, imagine being an unaccompanied youth; a teen who isn t in the custody of a parent or guardian. These teens make life changing choices when they are worried about where to stay and how to be safe. These kids are good kids. But in many cases, dysfunctional families are more painful and more dangerous than living on the street. Many of them have no healthy models they can learn from, and have no significant adult in their lives to guide them. They have run out of options. With support, they can achieve, graduate and go on to other post-secondary options. They simply need a safe place to live and people to guide them. How can an agency take responsibility for a teen who has parents? According to state law, a licensed youth shelter can receive custody of a teen under certain circumstances. For example, the shelter can act as the guardian of a teen if his or her parents agree to place the teen in the shelter. In addition, if the shelter staff makes a good faith effort to contact the the teen s parents and they cannot be reached; the teen can stay at the shelter.
Who is organizing the shelter? In the summer of 2009, members of our community hosted a summit to identify unmet needs in Mesa County. At this summit and one other, the need for a youth shelter was identified. After the summit a group of individuals and organizations began to consider establishing a youth shelter. In 2010, Karis, a small non-profit, voted to take the lead in establishing the shelter and an advisory committee was formed with individuals representing businesses, banks, churches, social service and government agencies. What is Karis? Karis is the Greek word for grace. It is also a non-profit incorporated in 2009 that establishes and maintains housing projects and programs in Mesa County. Karis has a particular focus on assisting low-income individuals and families who want to move aggressively towards self-sufficiency. Karis has a strong board of directors, board approved financial reports and policies, and operates two housing programs here in the Valley. (Learn more at www.karisinc.org) What are the age requirements? There is new legislation being proposed in Denver which will define the age limit. We are waiting to see if this legislation passes. Why are they allowed to stay only three weeks? This is a state/federal standard. How many teens are allowed to stay? The limit will be between 8-16 teens. What will happen in three weeks while they are in the house? They will receive considerable placement assistance from qualified staff as well as medical care and counseling. The goal will be to help them transition to places where they can move towards self-sufficiency and stability. What happens to the teens when they leave the facility after the three week time period? Most teens will be quickly reunited with families, located in other programs or placed with caring families. If teens can t be placed within three weeks we will find another temporary placement for them. How is Karis Work Sanctioned? Karis is a legal non-profit corporation in the State of Colorado. We file an annual 990 with the Internal Revenue Service. In addition, we have received tax-exempt status from the IRS. Our actions, financial policies and a long term strategic goals are articulated by our Board of Directors. We are very proud of our board; they are individuals who have extensive community experience, reputations of integrity and men and women who have given themselves to serving the least fortunate in our community. We have provided a list of our board members below. What approval is there from the local Government? Karis work is overseen by our board of directors, the Secretary of State s office and the IRS and as such it is not under the governance of any local government agency. This is true for all non-profits in our community. Karis is however, involved in cooperative relationships with the local government in a number of significant ways. Here is a partial list:
1. In 2009, Karis received a $150,000 grant from the Mesa County Board of Commissioners for the purchase of the Asset House, a board and care facility for homeless men and women. To secure these funds, Karis board members and staff attended numerous meetings with senior Mesa County staff members including then director Jon Peacock. 2. Karis staff serves on the steering committee for the Grand Valley Homeless Coalition s long range planning committee. Teresa Coons, the Grand Junction Mayor, serves as the facilitator for the committee which has participants from the Mesa County Department of Human Services, Hilltop, Colorado West Mental Health, Catholic Outreach and the Grand Junction Housing Authority. Recently, Karis staff provided training for all seven long range planning committee chairpersons who report to the steering committee. 3. In Fall of 2010, the Chair of the Grand Valley Coalition for the Homeless resigned and asked a Karis staff member to facilitate her replacement. This individual was elected the interim chairperson and then facilitated a review of all Coalition s norms and held elections for the new chairperson. Again members of the coalition include Mesa County Department of Human Services, Hilltop, Colorado West Mental Health, Catholic Outreach, the Grand Junction Housing Authority and the Grand Junction Police. How is the fund raising being handled and accounted for? The Karis Board of Directors oversees all Karis contributions according to written financial policies which include provisions for considerable checks and balances. In additio, our financial reports are reviewed at monthly board meetings and we retain Dalby and Wendland, our area expert firm in non-profit financial management, to help us ensure that we are compliant with government reporting requirements. What portion of this accounted for revenue goes to pay staff, rental, or materials? Our total operational budget for the shelter is just under 140,000 annually. Of this, 77% will go to staffing. Of this 77%, over 90% will go to pay for staff that are mandated by state licensing requirements and/or who will provide direct services to youth. Nineteen percent of the total funds received will be used to operate the house (rent, utilities, and insurance) and to provide food for youth. The remaining money (Less than 4%) will be used for graphic and electronic materials to advertise the program and for fund raising. (Note that while we have budgeted funds for these items, this year all our graphic work and all our web design work has been donated.) Please also note that our plan is that all funds solicited for this effort will be received either at local banks, on our web site or mailed to our post office box. Why do you think teens will actually come to the shelter? When this issue first got raised, the actual question was, Why do you think teens will come to a shelter run by old, white people? We held five focus groups with teens at different high schools in the Valley and what they told us is that the culture of the house is what will matter. They told us clearly that we need to build a culture of caring and engagement. We are committed to this and our steering committee has members who have considerable experience in building shelters with reputations for being caring and consistent.
Karis Board Members Darin Carei Mr. Carei is the President of Energy Wise Companies, a company that promotes energy efficiency in new and existing buildings. He is the previous co-owner of Grace Homes, a founding member of the Faith Foundation, the past board president of Homeward Bound of the Grand Valley and usually finishes on top of board member racquetball tournaments. Kathy Capps Ms. Capps has a masters degree in counseling, extensive experience in case managing low-income/homeless families and presently serves as the co-chairperson of the 4-H gala. She works the stock sale every week in Fruita and her children show horses, cattle, pigs and leather works at the county fair. While we have yet to see her play racquetball, she is quite a horse rider and her husband is all that when it comes to roping cattle. Erin Ginter Ms. Ginter has been working in low-income housing for decades. She has served on the Grand Junction Housing Authority Board of Directors, and is the co-founder of County Homes Reality in Grand Junction. She is a past member of the Homeward Bound board of directors, has served on the organizing committees of countless galas and previously served as the executive director of Rome City Housing Authority in Indiana. Curt Lincoln Mr. Lincoln grew up in Palisade Colorado where he is presently the co-owner of Lincoln Cabinets and Design. In his youth, he campaigned and won unlikely approval of a skate park in Palisade, volunteering more 600 hours in the design, supervision, and construction of the skate park. He has volunteered with Young life, built homes in Thailand and served on the Palisade Parks and Recreation Committee. He has the one of the greatest love stories on the Western Slope. John Mok-Lammé Mr. Mok-Lamme has participated as a founding member of two non-profits in our community and two in California. He also served as the first director of Homeward Bound of the Grand Valley and in the development department for Marillac Clinic. He has chaired galas, served as a non-profit consultant and trainer and presently serves as Karis executive director. David Scanga Mr. Scanga is an attorney for Hoskins, Farina and Kampf. He has overseen the establishment of several nonprofits and served on several boards. He has considerable experience in employment law, comes from a family that immigrated to the Western slope shortly after the civil war, and plays pretty good racquetball. Become a Guardian Learn more at www.thehousegj.org or mail your contribution to The House PO Box 2837 Grand Junction, CO 81502