Haven of Hope
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Mission Statement
With respect, compassion and warm hospitality, Haven of Hope seeks to sustain the lives of people of all beliefs and persuasions, with the necessary services needed to live. While serving without judgement in a way that restores dignity and self-worth, Haven of Hope seeks to facilitate a transition from life-sustaining services to education, rehabilitation and vocational training resulting in a self-supported lifestyle, including permanent housing, stable employment, personal financial acuity and stable emotional health.
About This Cause
Haven of Hope seeks to make a difference in the lives of those experiencing homelessness. We work to facilitate a return to a self-supported lifestyle by restoring hope for a better future. The minute an individual walks through our doors, we are going to generously provide life-sustaining services such as a hot meal, a private shower, laundry services, mail delivery, fresh clothing, medical/dental/optical care. In the next minute, we are going to begin to have life awareness conversations about addiction/trauma recovery care and mental health, all the while building relationships that allow us to walk with individuals as they reclaim their place as an impactful, contributing citizen of their community. We do this by providing ongoing recovery and mental health services, personal financial management classes, work etiquette classes and a plethora of certified vocational training programs. We call this program FRESH TRACKS. Throughout Fresh Tracks, we continue to build relationships of trust, encourage hope and restore dignity. Haven of Hope has spent the last 25 YEARS seeking solutions to homelessness. IT ALL STARTED IN A 100-YEAR-OLD, 800 SQ. FT. HOUSE AT 707 LIPAN STREET BACK IN 1998. Two Secular Franciscans, Larry Gosselin and Baldemar Garza, who lived in the basement of the residence full-time, purchased the house. After the Franciscans purchased the property, they began using it to provide showers, wash clothing, give haircuts, and feed hot breakfast and lunch 5 days a week to the homeless population of Denver. Serving the meals outside in tents, even on the coldest of mornings and afternoons, the Franciscans would average 50 to 60 guests per day, sometimes reaching close to 100. In 2004, Jay Gould, a successful Denver Real-estate professional, retired and joined the Franciscans, eventually becoming President, and chose to live in the house full-time, as well. A small group of individuals who were dedicated to caring for the “least of his brothers and sisters” purchased the property adjacent to the 707 location with the goal of erecting a larger facility. At the time, there were only 240 benefactors. With relentless optimism from the group, and support from these benefactors, the decision was made to move forward with the hope of raising the money for the new building in due time. Within two years, the number of benefactors grew to over 1,500, which provided the resources necessary to complete the project. The goal was to continue to serve the guests, and in return restore dignity within them through compassion and love. In October 2007, the new, 5,700 sq. ft. facility was opened. The cost, totaling $1,500,000, was completely paid for by the time of opening day. Guests continued to enjoy hot meals, breakfast, and lunch, as well as private showers. Additional services included internet access, mail and document safe-keeping, the distribution of clothing, and hygiene packs. Guests were served by volunteers who would take meals to their tables instead of having guests wait in line; a tradition that has continued to this day. As time went on, the Board felt it was imperative to develop a holistic and restorative system designed to walk alongside the community as they transition back into society-. To accomplish this, construction of an expanded, 6,000 sq. ft. addition to the already standing facility was completed. In this additional space, Haven of Hope added a multi-use classroom, public bathrooms and office space on the third floor, Chapel, conference room, mental health office and art therapy room on the 4th floor, additional dining and commercial kitchen on the main floor, a fully equipped eye clinic, additional storage, laundry and food storage on the 1st floor. This also allowed more ancillary services to utilize the excellent facility to provide an array of services from housing inquiries to job/career education to health care. All of these services are made possible by the generosity of volunteers in their respective fields of expertise. The expanded building was completed in 2017 and completely paid for by Haven of Hope’s faithful donors’ and their commitment to the shelter’s success. In January of 2020, we annexed an adjacent building to facility the educational and rehabilitative recovery services for our Fresh Tracks Program. We will be able to provide a dorm room for Fresh Tracks participants until they secure their own housing in this new building. The renovation will result in a beautiful addition to our neighborhood that will include a rooftop garden for those interested in pursuing a career in horticulture. Haven of Hope has come a long way since the “Miracle of Lipan Street,” as the former President Jay Gould would name it. It is truly a blessing and would not have been possible without the contributions from the nearly 7,000 benefactors. Haven of Hope would like to encourage anyone interested to stop by and see for themselves, the services provided because, as one volunteer wrote, “No one can understand what is happening here, unless you experience it first-hand.” Haven of Hope continues to meet the emergency needs of its guests with excellence, demonstrating the love of God to a broken and downtrodden community.