Les Jones has crunched the numbers and, like a lot of things in today’s economy, it isn’t a pretty sight.
“My budget for ’09 is about $750,000,” he said. “We’d like to get $800,000, we’d be happy with $750,000, but we’ll be lucky to get $700,000.”
But Jones, in his 40 years of servicing Denver’s less fortunate, has learned two important lessons: How to scramble to make ends meet, and how to find silver linings in dark clouds.
“Believe me, we’re going to be taking cuts here, big cuts,” Jones said. “At least we don’t have far to go as far as cutting opulent office expenses.”
That’s because there are no opulent office expenses. Not at Family HomeStead, whose offices are as simple as its mission: “Ending homelessness one family at a time.” Even in a social-services world in which humble abodes and spartan accommodations are the norm, Family Homestead stands out.
The sign on the front door of the single-story brick building isn’t really a sign at all. It’s a cutout from a cardboard box, with the words “Family Homestead” etched in magic marker. It’s difficult, if not impossible to see from the street, but “unfortunately, we don’t need to advertise,” said Jones, the organization’s executive director.
One by one, needy families find their way to Family HomeStead’s front door. The organization, which has applied for funding through the Post-News Season to Share program, has assisted 320 families in the past year, providing each with a place to live and a chance to turn their lives around.
Unlike some other social-services entities, Family HomeStead doesn’t place families in institutional shelters. The organization, which relies solely on individuals and foundations for funding, owns dozens of multifamily housing units throughout the metro area where families typically stay for 90 days to six months.
“We measure success when families leave our program and have an income stream that is sufficient to supply stable, sustainable housing,” Jones said. “We’re focused specifically on homelessness per se. We don’t attempt to resolve every issue the family has. We want to give them a basis to normalize family and community life. Having a home is a start, and it’s a necessity.”
There’s one common denominator among families that walk through his front door. “The big issue is poverty,” he said. “These people aren’t the downtown population. They don’t have mental illness or addiction problems. They’re just poor. That’s the determining factor. That’s why they have a tough time holding it together. And in these tough times, things are getting worse and worse.”
Jones has been involved in social services for 40 years, 30 with Family HomeStead. Seldom has he experienced challenges as difficult as the ones he has encountered during the past year. The impact of Wall Street’s collapse and the government bailout of various companies and industries has trickled down to the social-services community.
“There’s a sort of chain reaction,” Jones said. “The effect on people starts filtering down the ladder and our people are at the bottom of the ladder. So they get pushed down even farther. There’s that side of it, and then there’s the inadequacies of the social-safety net. Nobody anticipated this many people needing so much help.”
Even amid all the gloom, there are heartwarming stories. To wit: As Jones was speaking a few days before Christmas, a co-worker walked into the room to pick up a handful of black garbage bags filled with toys and presents. The bags are marked “Family 63.”
“This family is going to have a good Christmas,” Jones said. Along with many others, from the looks of things. “Early this week, you couldn’t even get in this room.”
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com
Family HomeStead
Address: 999 Decatur St., Denver
In operation since: 1978
Number served last year: 320 families
Staff: eight full-time
Yearly budget: $750,000
Percentage of funds directly to clients/services: 85 percent
