FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: Are you a government agency?
A: No, we are a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit corporation. When the Crisis Center was originally started back in 1985, it was under the county and the Sheriff’s Office. Within a year it was decided that it would be better off as a nonprofit, yet the name stayed the same. This makes donations tax deductible as well as opening up other grant and funding possibilities.

Q: Do you only serve Park County residents?
A: No. Because we are a nonprofit agency we can be flexible with whom we serve. Our goal is to meet the needs of our entire mountain community. Because of the natural geographic community of the 285 Corridor and Evergreen, as well as the lack of shelter and emergency resources for surrounding communities within Teller, Chaffee, Clear Creek and Summit Counties, we serve these areas in addition to all of Park County. Because metro Denver shelters fill up, we sometimes even get referrals from further afar!

Q: What are your services?
A: We have a 24/7 crisis hotline, an emergency women and children’s shelter (which includes many supportive services), hotel vouchers for men, families, and people far away from our shelter location, and a SafePets Program which we partner with volunteer foster homes and local boarding facilities to keep pets of our shelter families safe. In partnership with Park County Department of Human Services, we are now starting a transitional living/case management program to better support the shelter residents and develop resources to help residents transition from the shelter to a place of their own with supportive services. We will be exploring/developing affordable housing options to truly help families and individuals become self-reliant. For more information, see our Programs and Services page.

Q: How far are you on the Division of Housing $50,000 Challenge Grant?
A: As of September 10, 2004 we have raised just over $16,000, leaving $34,000 to go. We greatly need the support from the community to raise the rest to purchase our shelter!

Q: Are you building a shelter from ground up?
A: No, we are under contract to purchase an already existing home, set for closing on November 1, 2004.

Q: Why is the new shelter’s purchase price of $340,000 so high?
A: It is a 5 bedroom/2 bath (after renovations) home, zoned commercial, in a great location that is walking distance to many services (how many places in our community are walking distance to anything?!). It is not just a house, but a barn for storage, and an oversized garage that we hope to develop into business that will provide job training and income for the shelter residents as well as ongoing income for the Crisis Center with the goal of the Crisis Center becoming self-sufficient.

Q: Where is the current shelter (and future shelter) located?
A: For safety reasons, we do not disclose the location of the shelter. However, this is a “small town” and many people do know the location—often times, keeping a neighborly eye on it and making sure everything is okay. Both shelters are located in the Bailey area.

Q: How many staff do you have?
A: We have only one full time person, our Executive Director. We have a contract accountant and are hiring a part time Transitional Living Coordinator/ Shelter Case Manager. We do closely work with Park County Victim Advocates and share crisis coverage (thank you!). Thus, volunteers play an important role in keeping the shelter and hotline going as well as in fundraising.

Q: Are there really homeless people in our community?
A: Yes, there are! If you realize that one in three women will be a victim of domestic violence at some point in their lifetime (accounting for 65% of our shelter residents), as well as the poor economy and zooming housing prices, anyone could be two paychecks away from being homeless. Also, with our society where people move away from friends and family and with limited social supports, it increases the chances that someone may need shelter placement. In 2003, we housed 34 women and children and one man for 2,074 nights of shelter. We also sheltered 6 pets for 430 nights of shelter.

Q: Do you help men or just women and children?
A: Yes! Often times men call on our crisis hotline for support, referrals and resources. Men who are victims of crime or who are homeless can be provided with hotel vouchers for emergency housing. Due to social stigma, it is very difficult for men to admit that they are victims of abuse and to seek out help and safety. With limited resources, the Crisis Center does its best to serve anyone who is in crisis and in need of safety and support.

Q: Do you accept donations of furniture, appliances, clothes, toys, etc.?
A: On a case by case basis. Sometimes a family is moving out of the shelter and needs to start from scratch in furnishing a home and at that point we will need many items! In our current shelter we have limited space to store items. Once we raise the money and move into our new shelter we will have more flexibility to accept donations. On our web site we have a current list of needed items. Gift certificates (Safeway, Target, Walmart, Conoco gas cards, phone cards, etc.) are always welcome for our families and the shelter. The main donations we need right now are: money, used vehicles, and used cell phones.

Q: How are you different from Mountain Resource Center?
A: The Park County Crisis Center is an emergency shelter, 24/7 crisis hotline, and SafePets foster care program. We receive referrals from MRC if they have a family or individual needing our services. We also refer to MRC if we have a shelter resident who needs additional financial assistance or could benefit from some of their many programs that support our community. We collaborate to ensure that there is no duplication of services and to best support the folks in crisis.

Q: I would like to donate to you through our employee giving program. Are you a member of United Way (Caring Connection, etc.)?
A: No, we are not currently members, but many times you can still choose the Park County Crisis Center as your designated charity and keep your money in our mountain community to serve our neighbors in need just by giving our FEIN # and putting us under “other”. Call us and we will be happy to provide any needed information to you and your work!

Q: How can I help?
A: We have a growing volunteer program and need volunteers in all areas, from office support to crisis intervention, to fundraising, to whatever your special skills are! As stated before, financial donations are critical right now to keep the only shelter in our mountain community. Every bit helps, so please give today. Please see our “How do YOU want to help" page for more ideas!