Colorado Homeless Families | R.B. Ranch, Inc.

CHF Executive Director, Connie , and Case Manager, Larissa, congratulate families on their success in graduating from the CHF Program and moving on to self-sufficiency.

Christina, of African American and Native American descent, was married and had three young boys. Her husband left them. She scrambled to take care of her boys, then ages 1, 2, and 3, and herself; as well as to find work and pay rent on her own. She was able to get training to provide specialized care for persons with disabilities, and within a few years she was making $13 an hour. Unfortunately, the only housing that she could afford was low-income government housing in a run-down Denver neighborhood. After a few years, when the boys were all in elementary school, and they were surrounded with negative influences where drugs and gangs were rampant in that area. They didn’t feel safe to go outside and play on the playground and they had to remain in the house before and after school.

Christina worked as hard as she could to afford a better place, but it was hard doing it all on her own. She begged for a miracle, for a safe place where her boys could thrive and she could provide for them. A friend of hers referred her to Colorado Homeless Families, a safe haven in the suburbs. She and her boys were soon accepted into our transitional housing program. Here the boys can play at the park and enjoy the neighborhood basketball court. They received bicycles for Christmas, thanks to another generous donor. The boys attended the Summer Youth Program offered by CHF twice a week, where the children were able to go on field trips, Rockies games, swimming, and other fun summer activities. This is the first time Christina has felt that her family is truly safe now that they live in our crime-free neighborhood. The staff at CHF makes sure that no family or child is in danger or lives in fear of being harmed. Our families work together as a community to keep the area clean and they take pride in helping each other. Christina is finding friendship among other single parents living at CHF. The boys are getting used to a different lifestyle; the curfew at CHF is 9:00! Thanks to the Adoptive Grandparent program at CHF, the boys are now being mentored by a retired professional man who loves seeing them succeed. They are also part of a distinguished young men’s establishment where they are learning discipline, character, and respect for self and others. It’s because of your help that these three boys will have a chance at bright futures, which wouldn’t have been possible without support from our community. They have hope to no longer be statistics and to be safe from drug and gang influence.





	Archive stories Barbara Ann Barbara Ann came to Colorado Homeless Families with her mom, dad, and little brother when she was only 10 years old. Her parents lived at CHF for over a year. In the beginning, they participated in the counseling, classes, and support groups offered by CHF. They wanted to get their life back on track. Over time, Barbara Ann’s mom and dad felt that it wasn’t their responsibility to get a job or go to school. Read more about Barbara Ann. Betty Many people think that people who become homeless are lazy and don’t work. This, however, is not the case. There are people who become homeless who are working two or three jobs. The “working poor” become homeless because they get paid minimum wage, and often that is not enough to support the basic needs of their families. I want to share with you Betty’s story so you can understand how homelessness can happen to hard working people. Read more about Betty. Dakota Dakota and his family, a single mom and two siblings, came to Colorado Homeless Families as a last resort. His mother had nowhere to go, was unable to pay the bills, and suffered from the after effects of emotional, mental, and physical abuse that left her feeling weary and beaten down. Read more about Dakota. Darcella Darcella grew up in the foster system. She was bounced around from house to house until she turned 18, when she was left to fend for herself. She became a mother herself soon after, and stayed at a shelter for pregnant teens until her son became too old for their assistance. Read more about Darcella. From Tears to Laughter A mother and 9 year-old daughter became homeless after the husband/father abandoned them. Although the mother worked hard as a Nurse’s Aid, they had to resort to living in their truck. Read more about From Tears to Laughter. Helen Helen is a young professional and only 23 years old. She worked hard and graduated from college with a Bachelor's Degree, and was planning on going to graduate school when her family's life dramatically changed. Helen's grandmother died, and upon her death, her mother's mental illness meant that she was no longer able to care for Helen's twin teenage brothers. Read more about Helen. Janeen Janeen, a mother of 7 children, was married to a successful obstetrician with a six-figure income. She had her Bachelors Degree in Psychology... Due to some serious problems with Janeen's husband, she found herself homeless with no money and no place to go. Read more about Janeen. J.M. I don't know if you remember me or my family, but my name is J.M. My mom's name is E.M. and our family lived at CHF about 6 years ago. And recently I started thinking about my past and I thought of you. Read more about J.M. Mary When Mary was a child, she though it was normal for parents to disappear for days at a time. Her mother was an alcoholic and would often leave Mary and her younger brother, George, alone for days at a time. They would eat what little food was left in the house and go hungry when the food was gone. When their mother returned, she would often beat Mary for no reason. One day, Mary’s mother decided she was leaving for good. She took her belongings with her, but left her children behind. Read more about Mary. Mary Lou Mary Lou was a dedicated mother who was home schooling her two boys and supporting her husband as he worked on his PhD. However, her husband would occasionally burst into fits of raging anger. Read more about Mary Lou. Rebekah "I could barely believe it when a couple of weeks ago I got called into the principal's office because I had made it onto the Principal's Honor Roll! I was so excited, and I knew my mom and everyone at CHF would be so proud of me. Just a few years ago, I was too worried about my family to do well in school." Read more about Rebekah Sarah Sarah, with son Brandon, age 8, had separated from and soon divorced her abusive alcoholic husband. They came to Colorado on their own to find a better life. Having been raised out east, Sarah had no family or friends out here. Though hard-working, honest, responsible, and having strong conviction, Sarah was at a low point; alone, living in fear and doubt, and needing some help. Read more about Sarah. Sharoon Din Sharoon Din is a Pakistani refugee that came to CHF shortly after September 11th, 2001, when businesses in his home village would no longer employ Christians. With no way to support themselves, Sharoon’s parents sought refuge in the U.S. Read more about Sharoon Din. Sue One day, a mother, Sue, came into Colorado Homeless Families sobbing, desperate to speak to Connie Zimmerman. She was at her wits end. In between sobs, she told her story, what started out with such promise, turned out to be heart breaking. Read more about Sue. Tim and Sara Tim and Sara had only known each other a short time when she became ill. They were planning to be married when they found out that Sara's kidneys were failing. Read more about Tim and Sara.
		CHF Executive Director, Connie , and Case Manager, Larissa, congratulate families on their success in graduating from the CHF Program and moving on to self-sufficiency. Christina Christina, of African American and Native American descent, was married and had three young boys. Her husband left them. She scrambled to take care of her boys, then ages 1, 2, and 3, and herself; as well as to find work and pay rent on her own. She was able to get training to provide specialized care for persons with disabilities, and within a few years she was making $13 an hour. Unfortunately, the only housing that she could afford was low-income government housing in a run-down Denver neighborhood. After a few years, when the boys were all in elementary school, and they were surrounded with negative influences where drugs and gangs were rampant in that area. They didn’t feel safe to go outside and play on the playground and they had to remain in the house before and after school. Christina worked as hard as she could to afford a better place, but it was hard doing it all on her own. She begged for a miracle, for a safe place where her boys could thrive and she could provide for them. A friend of hers referred her to Colorado Homeless Families, a safe haven in the suburbs. She and her boys were soon accepted into our transitional housing program. Here the boys can play at the park and enjoy the neighborhood basketball court. They received bicycles for Christmas, thanks to another generous donor. The boys attended the Summer Youth Program offered by CHF twice a week, where the children were able to go on field trips, Rockies games, swimming, and other fun summer activities. This is the first time Christina has felt that her family is truly safe now that they live in our crime-free neighborhood. The staff at CHF makes sure that no family or child is in danger or lives in fear of being harmed. Our families work together as a community to keep the area clean and they take pride in helping each other. Christina is finding friendship among other single parents living at CHF. The boys are getting used to a different lifestyle; the curfew at CHF is 9:00! Thanks to the Adoptive Grandparent program at CHF, the boys are now being mentored by a retired professional man who loves seeing them succeed. They are also part of a distinguished young men’s establishment where they are learning discipline, character, and respect for self and others. It’s because of your help that these three boys will have a chance at bright futures, which wouldn’t have been possible without support from our community. They have hope to no longer be statistics and to be safe from drug and gang influence.
Our Mission: to provide transitional housing and supportive services for homeless families with children in the Metro Denver area (7 counties) and to help them become self-sufficient within 18 months to two years.