Emergency lodging for homeless women

Theodora House among Denver's model programs

By Lisa Bornstein, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published January 24, 2009 at 12:05 a.m.

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Photo by Linda Mcconnell / Special To The News

Cindy England sits on a bed at Theodora house. She found herself without a job and without a place to live. Then she found the shelter for homeless women operated by Volunteers of America.

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In the organization of Volunteers of America, Theodora House in Denver occupies a tiny niche. But to the women who tuck into one of its 27 beds at night, the emergency shelter is everything.

Hollie Jones is project manager of Theodora House, which is seeking a Season to Share grant. She oversees the shelter from top to bottom - and tells us a little about what lies between the two.

How did Theodora House get started?

There was a growing need. Theodora House was opened in 1994 in response to a request from the city for housing for single women who do not have children in their care. They were really seeing a gap in those services.

What do women get from the shelter?

Anything you can think of, really. Most of them do have mental illness, so we are open from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. and have staff on all times that there are residents here. We provide showers and meals and basically a safe place to sleep. We connect them with resources such as mental health services and other community programs. Most of the time they're not aware. They are referred very often from The Gathering Place, which is a daytime shelter for women and children.

This can't be an easy job. What led you to work for Theodora House?

I came into this position in August of 2008 and before that I was an intern with Denver's Road Home and received my master's degree in social work in 2008. I worked in a transitional housing program in Texas as a case manager.

I think that having a roof over your head is just one of the most basic needs. In Texas I started seeing the prevalence of the problem. It was a little more hidden where I lived than it is in Denver. I came to Denver because of the work that's being done on homelessness. It's being used as a model around the country.

I've always been really interested in what makes a program work.

What's the most fulfilling part of the job for you?

Seeing women go into permanent housing or transitional housing. When you see those numbers start to climb, you really start to think that those opportunities for housing are increasing and that the plan to end homelessness is working. Last month we had several of our women exit to housing and we have a few more who have plans to this month.

With so many women with different mental illnesses, does it create problems for them in one place?

For the most part, the women come in at 5 o'clock, they want to eat a meal, take a shower, do their laundry and go to bed. We do have different issues occasionally such as women not taking their medications or not getting along. Any time you have 30 women in one place you're going to have some of that, but that's compounded quite a bit by mental illness. We do case management and try to make sure they're working toward their goals.

What part of your job do you find yourself stewing about after work?

Oh, so much to choose from. I think the ones who are really trying very hard and just hitting walls, maybe they have an eviction on their credit history from 10 or 15 years ago and it's following them. Those things are hard to accept.

How is the economy affecting the people you serve?

We stay full, and we have stayed pretty full all year long. I believe we've seen a small increase in the number of phone calls. We have 27 beds and what we've done is open five overflow beds, just five extra cots to get a few more women off the street during the winter.

Can you talk about a case in which your agency really made a difference?

We had one woman here at the beginning of November. She worked full time in health care and she had an income. She could not get housing because she had an eviction against her. We were able to get her into a program called Work Options for Women, and they teach women different work skills like working in a kitchen, but they have access to different housing. She is about to move into permanent housing and is doing very well.

Theodora House

* Mission: To provide single women without children in their care with a safe place to sleep, eat, shower and do laundry.

* Year founded: 1994

* People helped: 573 women in 2008

* Staff: Seven

* Volunteers: Fluctuates; 54 in December

* Budget: $260,000

* Web site: www.voacolorado. org

How to donate

Post-News Season to Share,

a McCormick Foundation Fund, gave more than $2.1 million last year to 65 agencies serving disadvantaged children, as well as people who are hungry, homeless or in need of medical care. Donations are matched at 50 cents for each dollar, and 100 percent of all donations, plus the match, goes directly to local nonprofit agencies.

To donate:

Call 1-800-518-3972 or go to seasontoshare.com.

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