Saturday, November 9, 2002
ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS
NEW GENESIS, BY BILL JOHNSON

On the sprawling basement floor of 1680 Sherman St. in the shadow of the State Capitol, on and amid dozens of bunk beds situated around a warren of offices and meeting rooms, some 140 homeless men live.

The place is immaculate. It is nearly midday and the place is virtually deserted. On the street outside the basement entrance, not a single man lingers, cadging pennies or loose silver while he waits for the doors to open.

No, most of the 140 or so men are at work, at the doctor, or in rehab classes.

No booze is allowed in the place or in the men. There is no smoking, and not a single security guard walks a beat in the basement. None is needed. The men police themselves.

It wasn't always this way. The basement used to be called the Denver Central Center, a place where the homeless could find a bed for the night before going back out and living solitary lives.

Two years ago, it was renamed New Genesis and geared itself for not only sheltering homeless men but providing them a stable environment from which to return to productive lives in the community.

"We view homelessness as a temporary condition, not a cottage industry or culture that can not be changed," said Page Peary, New Genesis Executive Director. "We are extremely aggressive in combating the illnesses as behaviors that create homelessness," he said. "I like to think we save people's lives."

The way it works is a man arrives at the door. He is told it will cost him $5 a day for a bed. And he must set about finding work. This is not an option.

"These are men who come in at 9:30 at night, with no jacket, no money, no food. They say 'Help me,' Peary said.

They are charged the $5 to help cover the program's expenses, and "to make him aware he is a consumer, rather than someone who is continually getting a hand-out."

No man is turned away for lack of the five bucks. There are scholarships available, Peary said. "It's not about the money, but the commitment they make."

Working comes almost immediately. The staff at New Genesis - many former graduates of the facility's 12-week program - puts them in touch with employers, often temporary job agencies.

"The issue," Peary said, "isn't just finding work. It's being able to keep the work. The quicker we take off the uniform of homelessness, the quicker we get them back into the community."

The men are required to contribute to the upkeep of the shelter, to prepare meals and participate in group sessions.

They are taught basic social skills. They form support groups and receive addiction counseling and job training. A resume-writing seminar is in session on this day.

After 12 weeks, the men are eligible to move into New Genesis' aftercare program, which provides them housing in one of the 30 apartments in the metro area.

They must hold a full-time job, pay 75 percent of the rent and return regularly for group meetings.

The attrition rate in the first 45 days is about one-third of each new class, or 25 men. Some just aren't ready to confront their anger, addictions or mental health disorders, Peary said.

About 600 men a year make it through the first 12 weeks.

"We consistently challenge them that they can do better, that their former life was just a temporary one, and that they can lead an independent life," Peary said.

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