Thanks to the incredible spirit and support of the Weld County community and Catholic Charities, the area’s homeless, poor and other vulnerable populations now have an invaluable resource to help them on the road to self-sufficiency: the new Guadalupe Community Center, which opens on August 27, 2011. The center broke ground just short of a year ago, on September 30, 2010.

The center, located at 1442 North 11th Avenue in Greeley, is a state-of-the-art, centralized, 13,000-square foot facility that is an accessible one-stop approach to getting people back on their feet by providing not only shelter, but homeless-prevention resources and case management as well. Enita Kerns-Hout, the Weld County regional director for Catholic Charities said, “We hope people will perceive the shelter as a welcoming and safe place to come and get the support, healing and encouragement they need to work themselves out of a crisis.”

The need for a new facility was readily apparent. Research showed that there are an estimated 2,500-3,000 homeless men, women and children in Weld County. The only general population homeless shelter in the county was built in 1930. It has only 38 beds and does not have separate living areas for men, women and families. It has no yard for the children to play in and is not accessible to those with disabilities. Stephen Carattini, Chief Operating Officer of Catholic Charities, said, “We realized our current shelter was not sufficient – it’s very old, poorly located and hard to get to.”

The Guadalupe Community Center is four times the size of the old center and dramatically improves resident privacy. It contains three floors and 60 beds – a 58% increase over the old shelter. There is a dorm for 24 single men, a dorm for six single women, and six individual family rooms (one of which can be used for special-needs residents) that can accommodate up to five people each. Another key feature of the center is that it houses service providers from other agencies, such as health providers and tutors for children. These service providers are an integral part in the center’s one-stop approach to helping those in need.

The people of Weld County made all of this possible. There is a Bible verse (Luke 11:9) that accurately reflects that attitude of the people in the area: "And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Despite tough economic times, the community, along with Catholic Charities, rallied together to raise over $4 million to make the center – which was designed by John Dengler & Associates and constructed by Hensel Phelps Construction Company – a reality. Kearns-Hout spearheaded the project by assembling a committee of supporters that consisted of more than 30 civic and faith leaders. Former county commissioner Mike Geile, a member of Trinity Episcopal Church, and Ralph Kreitler, a parishioner of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, chaired the committee. More than 70 priests, ministers and other faith leaders in Weld County supported the effort by endorsing a half-page newspaper ad donated by the Greeley Tribune. In the ad, they appealed to their congregations and the entire community to support “an opportunity to do good.” Kearns-Hout recalled, “Every few days we received a donation with the pledge card from the Tribune. It was a humbling experience to open envelopes with checks that ranged from four dollars to $100,000.”

“The Weld County effort is truly an outstanding example of what God can do when Catholic Charities and a community come together to make a difference in the lives of those who need it the most. It is a great joy to see the fulfillment of what two years ago was just a dream,” says Jonathan Reyes, Ph.D., President and CEO of Catholic Charities.