Before anyone can find a job, they need a decent meal, a shower, clean clothes, a telephone, and transporation. The Gathering Place, Denver's only women's daytime drop-in center for women and their children, provides all of this to the city's homeless women, as well as childcare for their children, every day, believing that no one can be expected to get themselves off the streets until their most basic and pressing needs are met.
Breaking Down Stereotypes
The Gathering Place works hard to question and disperse stereotypical ideas of homelessness. Educational outreach programs strive to enlighten the general public about people who lack a roof over their heads. Some of the many reasons people become homeless are:
- Unemployment
- Rising Rents
- Lack of Insurance
- Automobile Accidents
- Medical Crises
- Mental Illness
- Domestic Abuse
- Substance Abuse
- Spousal Death
Helping Women Get Grounded
The Gathering Place enables women to collect themselves through many different approaches. At the program's core is a philosophy of acceptance. Women who come here are treated with respect, and are encouraged to regroup on their own terms, in their own time. By fostering autonomy in this way, the day shelter's programs help women build inner strength. By treating each woman with respect and care, they help her survive the challenges of homelessness, so that she can ultimately find a job and make a safe home for herself and her children.
Classes and rehabilitation programs also help women get themselves back on their feet.
- Adult Education includes basic skills tutoring and GED preparation.
- A Computer Lab helps build computer skills for communication in the 21st Century.
- The Greeting Card Creation Project is a fund raising program whereby women create greeting cards which are sold for $2.00 in and around Denver, with 75% of sales going back to the artist who created them.
- The Writing Group provides a nurturing environment for self-expression and growth through reflective writing opportunities.
- The onsite childcare program offers a safe, creative environment for kids to learn and play while their mothers work on rebuilding their lives within the facility.
Denny Thompson, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, sums it up by saying, "The majority of the women that visit us here seek our services to escape the situation that they are in as soon as possible and The Gathering Place helps them do this."
A Model Shelter
There are very few, if any, programs like this in the United States. Most facilities either provide day and night shelter, or provide day shelter to both men and women. The idea of a safe haven for women and their children during the day only has potential as a model for others. What results from this is a focus on the rebuilding of lives, so that ultimately a long term solution to the problem can be found.
Contributions and Volunteers Needed
Since most homeless families are headed by women, the work done by the Gathering Place is an essential part of the cure. The organization is 98% privately funded, with 76% of contributions going directly towards their programs and only 24% going towards utilities and administrative costs. More importantly, donations help provide meals, showers, communication and transportation to women whose lives are in turmoil. Donations of food and toiletries are also accepted to help stock Betsy's Closet, a food bank that helps supply over 350 women a day with basic necessities.
More information about The Gathering Place can be found online, and donations can be made through Just Give.
The Gathering Place makes it possible for homeless women to gather themselves and build the confidence necessary to become functioning members of society. Women then can transform their lives from homelessness to holding down jobs and providing food, shelter and comfort for their families. Ultimately, it is a place which affirms every woman’s inherent worth and dignity with its philosophy of acceptance and its refusal to perpetuate the stereotypes of homelessness.
Candace Kearns Read - I am the creator of the website and blog: The Movie of Your Life: Shaping True Story into Screenplay. Are you interested in writing ...
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