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I know at The Delores Project, I have a little space in the world that I can call my own.
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We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color.
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The principal program of The Delores Project is providing safe, comfortable overnight shelter for adult unaccompanied women in a welcoming and peaceful environment. Our model of service is one of hospitality, respect and regard for the dignity of each guest.
Hospitality and Welcome
The Delores Project believes that women experiencing homelessness deserve a safe place to lay their heads at night. By providing shelter in a welcoming environment and without judgment, women begin to believe that they have value and are worthy of our care and regard.
Hope and Self-Determination
The Delores Project believes that change comes for each person in their own time and individual way, and that women deserve individual choice when planning for their future. Therefore, in order to support a simpler path towards self-determination, we provide services with as few requirements and restrictions as possible.
Our Programs
The majority of the 50 beds available are designated for women in our Transitional Shelter program. Women in this program receive support from our transitional advocate or a case manager at another agency to identify resources for securing and maintaining long-term housing. While the average length of stay is 101 nights, there is no predetermined time limit to each woman's stay. This ensures women have sufficient supports for long-term success and stability after leaving The Delores Project.
Each night we also make shelter beds available to accommodate women in emergency circumstances. These women have often recently been evicted, released from prison or a hospital, or sometimes become unexpectedly stranded in Denver. Regardless of the reason, The Delores Project exists to keep women safe at night. In the winter and other extreme circumstances, The Delores Project provides 10-15 cots for overflow shelter, again ensuring that women aren't exposed to the risk of staying outside.
What makes The Delores Project unique?
- We serve only unaccompanied women. Single women without children are often overlooked as a segment of the homeless population, yet according to the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative’s 2009 Point-In-Time study 1,606 single women are homeless on any given night in Denver. By only serving women The Delores Project provides a sense of safety and community that is often not found at other overnight shelters.
- The Delores Project is committed to removing as many barriers to emergency shelter as possible. Women may call in for a bed because when women don’t have to wait in line all day for the chance of getting shelter and food that night, they are able to better use their time working, going to school or securing long-term housing. Our priority is to make sure women are safe at night, and guests are not required to provide identification or evidence of need.
- Understanding that each woman is unique with individual challenges and strengths, The Delores Project does not enforce a set time limit for our guests’ stay. The average length of stay is 101 nights.
- We speak differently. Ladies who stay at The Delores Project are our guests, not clients. Our Transitional Advocate, not case manager, supports guests in determining what success will look like for themselves and then assists them in finding the resources to achieve their goals. These terms are used consciously to develop a sense of community based on equality, dignity and empowerment.
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