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Mission Statement:
The Douglas/Elbert
Task Force endeavors
to meet the
immediate needs of
residents of Douglas
and Elbert County
who are in financial
distress and at risk
of becoming
homeless, to help
them work through
troublesome times
with dignity.
Brief History: in
1984, local
parishioners of
several Castle Rock
churches joined
forces to create a
centralized location
to send people in
need. The founders
also wanted to
encourage
volunteerism by
providing
opportunities for
the members of their
congregations to
become directly
involved with the
needs in their
communities. The
Task Force
celebrated its 26th
Anniversary in
August 2009. Its
services are
available to
residents throughout
all of Douglas and
Elbert Counties.
In
2009, the Task Force
provided $862,974 in
client assistance,
16% over 2008.
 •
The Task Force’s
goal is to meet the
needs of financially
distressed families
and people in
crisis. We address
immediate needs by
consistently
providing
counseling, food and
other necessities
for homeless, low
income and the
working poor people
in our community.
• We concentrate on
the causes of hunger
by actively working
on issues that
affect the newly
unemployed, the
unemployed and those
on fixed incomes,
disabled and the
elderly. We meet
these challenges
with over 130
volunteers, one
full-time and eight
part-time staff.
• Each client
receives one-on-one
counseling. We
provide quality
screening, service
delivery and
meaningful referrals
for clients. Task
Force client walk-in
client service hours
are 9 am – 12 pm,
M-F. • This past
fiscal year (January
– December 2009), we
served 14,630 people
Over half the people
who receive our
services are
children.
• Task Force
Volunteers provided
19,288.5 hours of
service in 2009,
valued at $401,972,
the equivalent of
13.5 full-time
staff. Community
Service Volunteers
contributed an
additional 6,451
hours, valued at
$64,510, the
equivalent of 2.15
full-time staff.
The major
services the Task
Force provides are:
•
We conduct two
off-site Food Banks
monthly at
low-income senior
housing units,
providing
approximately
$75,000 of
food/hygiene
assistance per year
to senior citizens
in need.
•
Food and
Toiletries:
approximately 96% of
our clients receive
these basic
services. We also
provide diapers,
formula, and special
dietary items. In
2009, we distributed
$522,031 in food,
hygiene and
household supplies,
30% more than 2008.
•
Housing
Assistance: we
assist clients who
present eviction or
foreclosure notices
with up to $250 in
financial assistance
in order to prevent
homelessness, and
help clients with
security deposits to
obtain new living
arrangements. We
provided $69,545 in
assistance in 2009
for 247 households.
•
Utility
Assistance: we
provide utility
assistance (heat,
electric, water) to
clients with
shut-off notices.
We provided $109,546
in 2009 for 464
households.
•
Emergency Overnight
Lodging: in
conjunction with the
Police and Sheriff’s
Departments, we
provide vouchers for
two nights lodging
for homeless or
transient
individuals and
families. We
provided $15,992 in
assistance in 2009.
•
Transportation
Assistance: we
provide bus travel
funds and gas cards
to those with
verifiable job
interviews or doctor
appointments. We
provided $3,677 in
gasoline and bus
assistance in 2009.
•
Prescription
and Dental
Assistance: we
provide one-time
non-narcotic
prescription and
dental assistance
for verifiable
emergency
situations.
Prescription/dental
expenses totaled
$7,133 in 2009, 101%
more than in 2008.
•
Clothing, Household
Items: clients may
“shop” for free in
our Thrift Store for
clothing and shoes,
household items and
furniture. We
distributed over
25,000 items from
the Thrift Store in
2009 valued at
$97,062, 21% more
than 2008.
•
ID
Documentation: we
assist clients in
securing the
documentation needed
for housing
applications, school
and social services
including Colorado
State ID’s, birth
certificates, police
records, etc.
•
Information
and Referral: staff
and volunteers make
thousands of
referrals annually
connecting clients
to other agencies
and resources to
provide long-term
solutions to
problems.
•
214
families were
sponsored by 94
different community
individuals and
organizations for
the holidays in
2009. (56 of these
families were
provided gifts from
our Holiday Room.)
Fifteen different
gift donors provided
approximately 1250
toys. Parents may
also use this room
year round if they
cannot afford
birthday gifts for
their children, or
if their child needs
a new gift to attend
another’s birthday
party.
Assisting the
Community with
Compassion
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