Thousands of families in the Denver Metro Area face the realities of poverty and homelessness everyday. BeyondHome partners with these families to restore hope and provide transformational housing so that they may become completely self-sufficient for life!
At BeyondHome, we restore HOPE and provide RESOURCES to families escaping poverty and homelessness. Our comprehensive approach provides service enriched housing to empower families toward economic self-sufficiency and family stability.
Meet Bethany and Nick:
Bethany and Nick grew up in homes greatly affected by addiction and fell in love as teenagers. By 18 and 19, they were homeless, battling addiction, and expecting their first child. Nick was deeply addicted, and their living situation grew more intense when Bethany became pregnant again.
While Bethany was allowed to sleep on the couch at Nick’s parents house, Nick was forced to spend cold winter nights outside in the park. Identifying as having hit rock bottom, Nick went to rehab and returned just before their second baby was born. The couple moved into the small dining room of Nick’s parents' crowded home (with 7 others), but tensions soon escalated, and Bethany eventually left, moving in with her sister. Through her grandmother, Bethany found BeyondHome.
Determined to grow, Bethany was accepted into BeyondHome where she earned her high school diploma, and started working. She reconnected with Nick, and they moved into her BeyondHome apartment together. While safe, the quiet of their new home was overwhelming, and they often returned to the chaos of Nick’s parents’ house to avoid confronting their unresolved pain.
With the support of BeyondHome coaches and therapy, their emotional healing was slow but steady. Over time, they built safe relationships, developed tools to thrive emotionally, professionally, and relationally, and began dreaming about homeownership.
After five years at BeyondHome and securing livable wage jobs, Bethany and Nick closed on their first home through Habitat for Humanity in Arvada.
Now, interviewed by BH staff in their peaceful home all decorated for fall, they laugh as their kitten pounces on a toy mouse, their son peacefully plays videos games on the couch, and their daughter practices backbends down the length of their beautiful kitchen. With a recent new promotion and a side business, they reflect on the last decade of growth.
Nick beautifully summarizes, "I'm no longer a broken child pretending to be an adult. I’m confident in what I am capable of".
Bethany and Nick continue to support the BeyondHome community through their involvement in the Resident Feedback Group where the domino effect of their own changed lives continues to influence others.
The compounding factors that contribute to and perpetuate poverty can be stopped with the help of people like you. Not only can they be stopped, when you give to BeyondHome you set a new set of dominos in motion that alters the course of a family’s life, impacting the grown ups, the children, the children’s children, and even their children. Homeless to home ownership is possible when you give to BeyondHome this Colorado Gives Day.
BeyondHome empowers families to overcome barriers to stability by cultivating hope, providing transformative opportunities and offering supportive resources for a secure and thriving future.
Our vision is that, all families have a secure and thriving future.
In 1986, Denver and the surrounding suburbs faced an unprecedented homelessness crisis that left many facing winter without shelter. This hit close to home when Connie Zimmerman, an employee at an assisted living facility in Jefferson County, witnessed a colleague facing homelessness. Touched by his plight, she embarked on a mission to support his family. As she watched them achieve stable housing with her help, a passion ignited within herself. In 1987, fueled by her determination and compassion, she established Colorado Homeless Families (CHF), a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to assisting working families in securing housing. Beginning with just six HUD homes, CHF steadily expanded over the next three decades to include 37 homes.
As Denver’s population expanded, so did the number of people in critical need of holistic home support. To dynamically address the multifaceted roots causing homelessness, the Board of Directors invited Karen Allen to shoulder the responsibility of Executive Director in 2016. Leveraging her background in social work and counseling, Karen brought a fresh perspective to CHF's programming. Recognizing the profound connection between trauma and poverty, she spearheaded an evolution in services, advocating for an all-inclusive approach to economic self-sufficiency. Alongside affordable housing and career readiness initiatives, every resident gained access to private, trauma-informed therapy—a crucial component for both adults and children.
In 2020, CHF underwent a rebranding initiative, emerging as BeyondHome—a name chosen to reflect the organization's unwavering commitment to progress and the myriad possibilities that accompany stable housing.
Today, BeyondHome remains steadfast in its mission to empower and equip working families experiencing homelessness or teetering on the brink of it. Since its inception in 1987, BeyondHome has provided housing to hundreds of families, with 47 families graduating since 2016 alone. Of these, 28 families have achieved homeownership, while all but one family continue to thrive independently. Serving approximately 200 individuals annually, BeyondHome remains dedicated to propelling families toward lasting success, one step at a time.
Organization name
BeyondHome
other names
BeyondHome, Colorado Homeless Families
1987
Tax id (EIN)
84-1049318
Category
Housing & Shelter, Mental Health & Crisis Intervention, Youth Development, Human Services
Organization Size
Large Organization
Address
PO Box 740130Jefferson County, CO, US
Arvada, CO, US
Denver, CO, US
Adams County, CO, US
Arapahoe County, CO, US
