Most Programs Open for Service on December 4th
Coats for Kids Distribution to be Held December 2nd
English for the Workplace begins January 8th
Catholic Charities of Central Colorado announced today their Family Connections programs (Family Day Center, Family Mentor Alliance, Life Support Services) will be open for business in their new location – the Helen Hunt Campus – beginning Monday, December 4th. However, the Kidz Klozet, which provides clothing and accessories for children and limited maternity clothing, will not open until December 11th. The Helen Hunt Campus is located at 917 East Moreno Avenue in the Hillside neighborhood of Colorado Springs. These programs were previously located in the Catholic Charities’ Marian House complex.
Please note: Our first official event at the Helen Hunt Campus is a Coats for Kids distribution on Saturday, December 2nd, from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. This is the 4th year for Catholic Charities and the Diocese of Colorado Springs Knights of Columbus to host this event. Hundreds of coats, sized infant to kids 14/16, will be distributed to children in need.
Additionally, on Monday and Wednesday mornings at the Helen Hunt Campus, a new English as a Second Language class (ESL) will be offered at the Helen Hunt Campus – English for the Workplace. This is a new location and offering from Catholic Charities robust ESL program and will begin on January 8, 2018. Registration is available on-site and will remain open until classes are filled. Call 719-866-6516 for ESL information.
“The opportunity to secure space in the new Helen Hunt Campus came just at the right time. With the expansion of family programs, as well as the rapid growth of the Life Skills & Career Development Center (LSCDC), the Marian House was becoming crowded,” said Andy Barton, CEO of Catholic Charities of Central Colorado. The move will allow Family Connections to grow in the new family-centered campus while making room for expansion of LSCDC – Catholic Charities’ jobs program.
A Neighborhood Open House is scheduled for January 27th, with a Community Open House planned for February 1st. More details on the two Open House events will be coming soon.
About Family Connections
Family Connections are: The Family Day Center (FDC), the only day center for families in the Colorado Springs community, originally opened as a pilot project in September 2015. The program was so successful, it became a regular program of Catholic Charites in 2016. The FDC serves as a portal for families in crisis to begin to move toward stability. The Family Mentor Alliance, based on the One Congregation, One Family model, which pairs qualified families experiencing homelessness with mentor teams from local congregations and community partners, became a program of Catholic Charities in July 2016. Families work to transition out of homelessness to stable housing. To date, over 90% of families in this program have maintained stable housing for at least one year. Life Support Services provides case management / family coaching and emergency support to families with young children through help with children’s and maternity clothing, baby food, formula, and diapers.
Families who seek services from Family Connections will also have access to other programs such as the Kidz Klozet – Safe & Secure Kidz, Early Literacy Project, Bright by Three, Kidz Korner, and ESL Childcare. Other programs, currently in development and scheduled to be available in early to mid-2018 are parenting focused programs such as a Nurturing Parenting Program, Mothers & Babies, and Parenting on the GO to name a few.
