In its 10th year, the Father Ed Judy House in Denver has been a trailhead for hundreds of homeless mothers and their children aiming toward a better life.
It’s a place where even first-time pregnant mothers can find shelter and a helping hand, one that nurtures and calms at a time when it’s most necessary.
“I’m always struck at how extraordinary they all are, and still they always surpass anything we expect,” said Amy Burt, the program manager at “Father Ed’s” for nearly two years. “To see the beauty and strength that each has is incredible.”
Named for Father Ed Judy, a Capuchin friar who ran Samaritan House for a decade until 2001, the home is just west of Sheridan Community Park near Fort Logan in Denver. It is run by Denver Catholic Charities.
It might not be much — a salmon-colored building surrounded by grassy fields and room for nine families — but it’s a welcome place for families striving to get back on their feet.
“We try to support and stabilize them from the time they’re in the door,” Burt said. “Afterward, when they’re in their own housing, we still offer a consortium of care, to stabilize them financially.”
Father Judy was well-known within the community, having served as president of the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative for two years, as well as singing in a number of choirs while still finding time to play softball.
He died of brain cancer in 2003. The shelter that bears his name was dedicated two years later.
Father Judy’s lifetime commitment to the homeless and the marginalized match well with the shelter’s mission, which is to serve single mothers who had run out of time at emergency shelters.
“We’re not the first shelter they’ve been to,” Burt said. “They’ve been to one or two others — 90 days in one, four months at another.”
That was the case for Rita Oliveras, a 38-year-old mother of a 4-year-old daughter. Out of work, hooked on drugs and escaping an abusive relationship, she found Father Ed Judy House after a stint at another shelter.
“My life was not good at all,” she said. “Abuse, drugs — my daughter needed a new life.”
At Father Ed’s, Oliveras said she found the support she needed to get her life in order. She earned a culinary certificate while other mothers at Father Ed’s helped with day care.
Finally, on her feet and ready to move on, counselors helped her find her own apartment. Oliveras even earned her first driver’s license.
“I’m involved with my church, with my daughter’s school,” she said. “I’d have never dreamed of being a parent leader at her school, but it’s just terrific.”
The mothers at Father Ed’s are an average age of 34 with a monthly income of just $568, Burt said. Most have two or three children, although there have been mothers with as many as six.
Mothers are tutored on saving up to 90 percent of their income after expenses, as a means of promoting self-sufficiency, all toward finding a permanent home.
“We are open to any other goal they have, such as getting a GED or a better job, perhaps family time or better parenting,” Burt said. “Anything that steps up the ladder.”
About 85 percent of the mothers are survivors of domestic violence, so the staff offers a life-skills group to help with parenting, stress management and interpersonal communications. A domestic-violence counselor runs an education support group “to help them regain their voice and reclaim their dignity,” Burt said.
The average stay at Father Ed’s is 81 days, Burt said. Some residents, however, have stayed for as long as 13 months, she said. There’s no rush.
“Part of the beauty is because the community helps support us, we don’t have the pressure to time-limit anyone,” Burt said. “We walk with a family at a pace that works best for them.”
Despite the number of domestic-violence survivors, Father Ed’s is a nontraditional shelter open to any family in need.
For Oliveras, being an alum of Father Ed’s doesn’t mean a loss of contact.
“They still check on me each week; they’re my life coach,” she said. “It all stays with me forever. They’re here to help me as long as I’m alive. That’s pretty cool.”
David Migoya: 303-954-1506, dmigoya@denverpost.com or @davidmigoya
Father ed judy house
In operation since: 2005
Number served last year: 108 persons or 45 families
Yearly budget: $491,122
Percentage of funds given directly to clients and services: 86 percent
