newgenesis - in the news -

"During last year's shocking murders of homeless men, we watched our shelter fill beyond capacity night after night and felt we'd gone back in time. Fifteen years ago, Central Shelter opened to provide emergency shelter to men during the winter months in the basement of Central Presbyterian Church. We soon became frustrated seeing the same faces with the same problems every year with no progress. We decided to change our approach.

Now, at the dawn of a new century and a summit meeting on homelessness in the works, I'd like to suggest a new model for addressing homelessness. This cost-effective, therapeutic approach sees homelessness as a temporary, treatable condition and the shelter as a community of recovery.

At Central Shelter, Denver's only shelter for working men, more than 2,500 men have graduated from homelessness to independent living in the five years since we changed our focus from warehousing people to helping them help themselves. Our program includes the following assumptions:

Homelessness is a beginning, not a middle or end:
We recognize that homelessness is a temporary situation, not a personal weakness, for our residents. Our aggressive case management approach focuses on job security, financial stability and independent living. Residents are evaluated by a caseworker at entrance and help form their own program goals and strategies for the next 12 weeks. As a community of recovery, our shelter is a place of enthusiasm , optimism and great energy.
Treatment must include social skills:
Research has shown that most homeless men lack the ability to maintain close relationships with other people, thus leading to social isolation. They need to relearn basic social skills. At Central, most activities are conducted in a group setting - support groups, addiction counseling, job training and meal preparations are all examples. The therapeutic group design is also highly cost effective. It costs about $10 per man, per night at Central, or about one-third of the cost of traditional shelters.
Accountability to the community is key:
Too many well-meaning social programs patronize the homeless as people who need to be taken care of. At Central all residents are required to work full time and complete domestic chores. Men start in an orientation phase that gradually transfers to a mentoring role for new residents. Their daily $5 fees create a sense of ownership in the community, and comprise 50 percent of our operating revenues.
Transitional housing is a critical step:
Following their graduation, residents can move into an apartment as part of Central's Aftercare program. The resident must hold a job, pay 75 percent of the rent and return to Central regularly for group meetings. The Aftercare program gives men an opportunity to practice living skills before moving into permanent housing and leading independent lives.

Not everyone has graduated from our program. One third of each class, or 25 men, drop out in the first 45 days. Some are not ready to confront their anger, addictions or mental health disorders. The path to recovery is steep and the terrain rugged. But we're there if they want to try again, and we're there for the 75 graduates from each class who need additional support. Like anything that matters, there are no easy answers.

Local religious leaders have suggested a summit meeting to involve business, government and religious agencies to help homeless people in Denver. We look forward to participating in this community dialogue. While emergency services are critical for people in need and remain part of our mission, we sincerely hope that the agenda includes ways to help the homeless help themselves.