DOUGLAS / ELBERT
TASK FORCE

Assisting the Community with Compassion
 

Services

a
   
 

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 D/E Task Force has served residents throughout all of Douglas and Elbert Counties for over 26 years.

In 2010, the Task Force provided $919,515 in client assistance to those in need in our community.

• 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 145 volunteers, four full-time and seven 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 2010), we served 14,766 people Over half the people who receive our services are children.

• Task Force Volunteers provided 21358 hours of service in 2010, valued at $449,067, the equivalent of 15 full-time staff. Community Service Volunteers contributed an additional 3,716 hours, valued at $37,160, the equivalent of 1.25 full-time staff.

The major services the Task Force provides are:

Food and Toiletries:  approximately 96% of our clients receive these basic services.  We also provide diapers, formula, and special dietary items. In 2010, we distributed $577,434 in food, hygiene and household supplies, 10% more than 2009.

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.

 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 $59,768 in assistance in 2010 for 247 households.

 Utility Assistance:  we provide utility assistance (heat, electric, water) to clients with shut-off notices.  We provided $120,675 in 2010 for 513 households, 9% more than in 2009.

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 $15,257 in assistance in 2010.

Transportation Assistance:  we provided gas cards to those with verifiable job interviews or doctor appointments.  We provided $2,749 in transportation assistance in 2010.

 Prescription and Dental Assistance:  we provide one-time non-narcotic prescription and dental assistance for verifiable emergency situations, as well as some medical assistance.  Prescription/dental/medical expenses totaled $6,800 in 2010.

Clothing, Household Items:  clients may “shop” for free in our Thrift Store, Treasures on Park Street, for clothing and shoes, household items and furniture.  We distributed over 31,500  items from the Thrift Store, Treasures on Park Street, in 2010 valued at $94,956.

 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.

 186 families were sponsored by 87 different community individuals and organizations for the holidays in 2010. (54 of these families were provided gifts from our Toy Chest.)  Fifteen different gift donors provided approximately 1,250 toys.  79 donors provided gift cards and approximately 1,250 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  

Client Services,
Food Bank and
Administration:
1638 Park Street
Castle Rock CO 80109

PH:  303-688-1114
FX:  720/382-1249
map     email

Client Service Hours

Mon-Fri 9am-12 noon

Food Bank Hours
Mon-Fri 9am-12 noon
Last food order
taken at 11:45 am


Thrift Store, Treasures
on Park Street:
1638 Park St.
Castle Rock, CO 80104
Store Hours: 9-4, Mon-Sat
Thrift Donations:
9-3, Mon-Sat
Thrift Phone:
303-688-6129
map