Frequently Asked Questions

Answer: Broadly, the value of SHH is a product of the following. This information is based on the 2021-2022 Fiscal Year.

With the support of the Follow-Up Program, 1,138 individuals, 295 families with 710 children and 133 single women, sustained their housing, increased their stability, and remained shelter-free.

The formerly homeless families and single women who received services through the Follow-Up Program belong to low-income communities who continued to be disproportionately affected by the pandemic. SHH distributed emergency food boxes, cleaning supplies, birthday bags for children and bus tickets for transportation to access medical care, mental health services and housing appointments throughout the year.

During October 2021, SHH was a recipient of the Women’s Health Drive, a national effort hosted by Cigna, and received often-overlooked sanitary and personal items for distribution to women throughout the year.

At Thanksgiving, food donated by members of Our Lady of Fatima Church and donations solicited from the community helped feed 160 families and single women in the Follow-Up Program.

In December 2021, 11 businesses and community outreach organizations, 30 families and individuals, 5 churches and 1 school (which adopted 30 families and 10 single women), shared their holiday joy with 148 families and single women who participated in Sacred Heart’s annual Adopt-A-Family Program. Gifts were provided to 109 parents and their 284 children and 39 single women.

For Easter 2022, a sponsor donated Easter baskets filled with toys, candy, and stuffed eggs for children. These baskets were provided to mothers at an Easter Give-Away, as they arrived at SHH to pick up food and hygiene items.

Supportive housing provided through the Transitional Housing Program allowed women, especially single mothers, to pursue education/employment goals. Case management supported these goals while helping women address barriers to past success and develop critical budgeting, time/household management and parenting skills.

SHH received inquiries from and provided resources for at least 150 women. 30% of the initial conversations led to multiple calls and in-person meetings. These meetings provided consideration for transitional housing through SHH when a unit was available, and furnished food, hygiene items, bus tickets and gift cards to meet the immediate needs of families and single women.

• Through its Transitional Housing Program, SHH provided supportive housing for 6 single mothers with 11 children and 2 single women in special circumstances.
• One mother works for Aramark making meals for prisoners, has saved $9,000, and takes English classes to become a United States citizen,
• One attends classes at Aurora Community College and plans to become a Phlebotomist.
• One will graduate from MSUD with her BS in Accounting in December 2023.
• One, a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, is in her third year at MSUD working toward a degree in Business Intelligence in the Honors Program while working for a catering company.
• One works full-time at The Green Solution; has saved $8,000, while receiving intense therapy for past trauma.
• One works full-time at Goodwill Industries.
• One is involved in spiritual formation and mentors prisoners.
• One completed a Certificate in Customer Service from Community College of Denver in anticipation of a new career.
• Upon exiting the program, two single mothers with five children and a single woman moved to more permanent housing.
• As SHH implemented its case management by engaging with callers, the response was enlightening. A surprising number of women revealed that they had not been able to connect with a real person or a person who had the time to listen to them and acknowledge their need for help, much less provide guidance and resources.

Given its mission, it made sense for SHH to focus on helping women stabilize their lives, even when they did not stay in its building.