Social
Responsibility
Council

Housing and Poverty Task Force

Contact: Judy Douglass, bjdouglass@qwest.net, 303-232-1142

The Housing and Poverty Task Force is guided by the UU principles of justice, equity and compassion in human relations and respect for the inherent worth and dignity of every person. We strive to provide JUC members and friends with opportunities to respond to issues of poverty in our local community.  

According to census data, in 2005 there were 10,643 households in Jefferson County living on incomes below the poverty level.  With the increasing lack of affordable housing and the ever- rising cost of living, many families are facing grave difficulties. The Housing and Poverty Task Force partners with local social service agencies to support them in their efforts to address the needs of this population.

We encourage every member and friend of JUC to devote some portion of your time and/or resources with a contribution to our efforts.  The need is great and the opportunities are limitless. Following are some on-going programs that can benefit from your involvement.

1. Volunteer to help host homeless families that are housed and fed in JUC’s Mills Building for one week, four times per year. We have broken the week down into small tasks: most take 2-3 hours. We need 85 volunteers per week. See Interfaith Hospitality Network.
2. Help raise funds to build a Habitat House and help build homes for Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver. As a member of Jeffco Partners for Interfaith Action, JUC helps to sponsor the annual Habitat Pumpkin Patch fundraiser in October. JUC also raises funds for Habitat through our annual Empty Bowl dinner. See Jeffco Partners for Interfaith Action.
3. Donate non-perishable food and household items for families in Family Tree’s Housing program. See JUC Donation Site for information.  Sign up in November to purchase holiday gifts or grocery certificates for families in the Family Tree program. See Family Tree.
4. Donate to monthly drives to help Jeffco Action Center, IHN, and Family Tree with special needs such as food, diapers, or school supplies.  Special collection drives are advertised in the Crier.
5. Volunteer your time to work at the Jeffco Action Center in the food bank, clothing bank, or other programs.  See Jeffco Action Center
6. Donate money for these programs through special Sunday morning plate collections or at any time you have resources you would like to share.
7. Donate your time by serving on the JUC committees that coordinate the activities of the task force.  These events don’t just happen – they take lots of people giving what time they have.

The task force welcomes new energy and ideas for new projects. Our current projects are:

Interfaith Hospitality Network
Contact Beth Wicht, bethndenver@yahoo.com
Marian Katz, Smokijn@aol.com
Jim Bole, randjbole@comcast.net

The Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Denver (IHN) mission is to enable interfaith and community response to families who become homeless by providing shelter, meals, comprehensive assistance and encouragement toward self-reliance in an atmosphere of warmth and hospitality.

JUC has been joining with other IHN churches as a host congregation since March 2002. Each host congregation in the network furnishes overnight lodging and meals for several families (up to 14 guests) for one week about every quarter. We strive to furnish each family a comfortable room, serve appetizing meals, transport them as needed back and forth to the day site and for showers and laundry, and care for them as we would guests in our own homes.

Sign up sheets are available in the commons room the month preceding each hosting week.

JUC 2008 Host Dates

1. January 6-13, 2008
2. April 13 - 20, 2008
3. July 13 - 20, 2008
4. Sept 28 - Oct 5
5. Dec. 21 - 28, 2008

JUC recruits about 85 volunteers for each host week. Each volunteer is given guidance notes for his or her particular task. In addition, experienced coordinators help guide volunteers through the process. General guidelines concerning sensitivity to the IHN guests and emergency procedures are given to all.

If you can help, sign up for one of our tasks for a hosting week. Jobs include:

1. drive the IHN van – guests are transported to the IHN day site at 7 am every morning and back to JUC at 4:30 each evening
2. help with laundry – lots of towels and sheets
3. be an overnight host – all you do is sleep and keep a cell phone handy
4. be an evening host – play board games, help with homework, entertain the little ones, chat with the adults. Excellent task for families to take one.
5. provide a dinner – work with a small team to plan nutritious and enjoyable meals
6. provide Saturday breakfast – more time is allotted on Saturdays for relaxing
7. help with setup – beds and bedding are kept in the JUC shed
8. help with take-down
9. provide an entertaining Saturday activity – the one-day our guests can relax and get a bit of quality into their family life.

Jeffco Partners for Interfaith Action
Contact Judy Douglass, bjdouglass@qwest.net

Jeffco Partners (JPIA) is an interfaith coalition of Unitarian Universalist, Baha’is, Christian, Jewish and Religious Science faith communities. The mission of the group is working together on projects that meet community needs in Jefferson County. In 1998, Jeffco Partners began sponsoring Habitat for Humanity houses in Jefferson County in 1998.
Across the nation, Habitat has proven to be an extremely effective strategy for helping low-income families achieve self-sufficiency and break the cycle of poverty. Through our efforts with Jeffco Partners, JUC has made major contributions to providing Habitat homes for eight Jefferson County families. In addition, we have sponsored about 16 homes in other countries.

The need continues and is greater than ever. Participating in Jeffco Partners is a unique opportunity for JUC to use our hearts and hands to make a lasting difference in the quality of life in our community. How you can get involved:

1. Volunteer to help unload and sell pumpkins at the Pumpkin Patch, which runs through the month of October each year. The money from the Patch is the major contributor to Jeffco Partners building fund.  The construction costs for a Habitat home are $85,000.
2. Support JUC’s annual fund-raiser for Habitat, the Empty bowl dinner held in the spring. JUCers contribute the food for the dinner and make monetary donations for a simple dinner.
3.  Volunteer to serve on the Jeffco Partners steering committee to help coordinate activities.
4. Volunteer to help build homes, either a home sponsored by Jeffco Partners or another home sponsored by other groups.  Sign up at www.habitatmetrodenver.org.

"Habitat has successfully removed the stigma of charity by substituting it with a sense of partnership. Habitat has opened up unprecedented opportunities for me to cross the chasm that separates those of us who are free, safe, financially secure, well fed and housed, and influential enough to shape our own destiny from our neighbors who enjoy few, if any, of these advantages of life, " Jimmy Carter

Family Tree

Chair Needed

JUC works with Family Tree Housing and Services to address the ongoing existence of homelessness in our community. Family Tree, Inc. provides an array of services that enable families to become self-sufficient, including temporary low-cost housing. JUC has been recognized by Family Tree as a major contributor by its donations of car repair services, food and household items, and by providing a wonderful Christmas for 20-25 needy families each year.

Since 1976, Family Tree has provided a broad range of services to help families and youth of metro Denver overcome domestic violence, homelessness and other family crises. Their mission is to help people be safe, strong and self-reliant.
Putting into action our belief in the inherent worth and dignity of every person and in justice, equity and compassion in human relations, JUC works with Family Tree Housing and Services to address the ongoing existence of homelessness in the community in which JUC and most of the congregation reside.

Family Tree, Inc. provides an array of services that enable families to become self-sufficient. They own some low-cost housing and use grant money and other contributions to help with groceries and basic expenses. Much of their work is in helping destitute families obtain more permanent housing and other services by working with the Jefferson County Human Services Program and helping families gain access to federal programs.
You can donate directly to Family Tree by:

1. Bring non-perishable food and household items to JUC’s donation site.
2. Donate to JUC’s car repair services for Family Tree clients. JUC member Mike Connley provides free or reasonable car repairs for Family Tree participants.  JUC provides funds to purchase parts for Mike’s project through the annual Christmas plate collection. Donations to Mike’s project are welcome at any time. You can also donate a used car to a family in the program.
3. Sign up to purchase holiday gifts or grocery certificates for families in the program. JUC provides a winter holiday of gifts and food for 25 families each year.

Jeffco Action Center

Contact Janice Mowry, janicemowry@yahoo.com

Jeffco Action Center’s Mission statement: is to provide an immediate response to basic human needs and to promote pathways to self-sufficiency.

JUC has a long history with Jeffco Action Center, as JUC’s first Minister, Rev. Leon Hopper, recognized that there were needs in the community that were not being met. He along with other concerned people began addressing this need by providing referrals and food.  The first office was in JUC. As the need grew they brought in more community people to help and Church Women United then played a big role in the growth. The agency today gives away nearly two tons of food every day, helps an average of 120 households daily, houses 18 to 20 people nightly in their shelter and gives out hundreds of articles of clothing.

JUC has continued to help by sharing special offerings such as Easter and Christmas with Jeffco Action Center. We have monthly drives to help with needs such as food, cleaning supplies, and school supplies. Several members of JUC volunteer in different areas at JAC.

The Center has many volunteers but they always need more. Volunteers are needed in the food bank, clothing bank, front desk, the shelter, as emergency services counselors, in the incoming donation and sorting area, doing data entry, answering phones, and handymen help. Jeffco Action Center also has special events when volunteers are needed to work on one project such as sorting school supplies, packaging and handing out holiday food, the Santa shop, and the beautiful junk sale

JUC Donation Site

The JUC donation site is located next to women’s restroom at the entrance of the YRE wing.

Accepted donations:
(Please do not leave anything at the donation site that is not included in this list.)

For Family Tree clients:

1. Non Perishable food
2. Non perishable household goods such as personal hygiene products and cleaning products
3. Diapers – always!!

For Jeffco Action Center

1. Small toiletries such as those found in hotels and motels. These are given to clients in emergency housing.
2. Small pill (medicine) bottles that can be safely reused for lotions and soaps.

For JUC Green

1. Printer cartridges (empty) of any type. Cartridges are recycled and funds donated to JUC Green’s outreach programs.
2. Cell phones in working condition; phones are taken apart and the parts recycled. Unusable parts are disposed of in a responsible manner. 

For Lions' Club International

1. Used eyeglasses: the glasses are sent to a processing location where they are refracted and labeled.  Volunteers take them to 3rd world countries, mostly in Central and South America.  Clinics are set up, typically in impoverished villages, where the residents' vision is tested.  Glasses are selected to fit the person's vision defects, and provided at no charge.

Donation Tips

Clothing: deliver your used clothing and small household items to Family Tree’s Treasure Trunk store at 7043 W 38th Ave, in Wheat Ridge, CO (38th and Teller); 303 421-9205. Clients in Family Trees Housing and Services program shop free at the Treasure Trunk. The rest of us pay little prices for fabulous clothes. The proceeds from the store support all Family Tree programs.

Do not leave clothing at JUC’s donation site.

Furniture, appliances, building supplies: Deliver or call for pick up from Habitat of Metro Denver Home Improvement Outlet, 10625 Frontage Rd N, Wheat Ridge, 303 421-5300. Also – this is a great place to shop before you go to Home Depot.

Money: all our programs welcome funding. Contact Dee Ray, SRC chair, for assistance with your “giving needs.” She’ll help you match your passion with an effort that makes a difference.

Cars or car repair: contact Mike Connely who provides car repairs for Family Tree clients: connely@earthlink.net. 303-424-2871

Items to Recycle: see JUC Green’s recycle directory on the JUC Green website.