Pubdate: Mon, 30 Dec 2002 Source: Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO) Copyright: 2003, Denver Publishing Co. Contact: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/371 Author: Paul Willis, Special To The News HOMELESS WOMEN, CHILDREN FIND REFUGE The Gathering Place Offers Support While Mothers Learn Skills If Rachel has a distinguishing personality trait, it is that she is not a quitter. But when she decided to experiment with crack, that trait sent her life into a spiral. "I was a single mother of two and losing the fight of life," she said. But she turned her life around with help from The Gathering Place, a Denver-based daytime refuge for homeless women and children. Jean Iadevito, the center's adult education coordinator, noticed that Rachel had an interest in computers. So Iadevito helped her channel her energies toward the keyboard instead of the crack pipe. Her days of using drugs quickly faded and Rachel is now only two classes away from completing an associate's degree. "If there is anything I've learned from The Gathering Place it is that with small acts of kindness and a little push in the right direction, miracles can happen," she wrote in a thank-you letter to the center. The Gathering Place, 1535 High St., is a team of paid staff and volunteers whose mission is to "support women and their children experiencing homelessness or poverty by providing daytime refuge and resources for self-sufficiency." Whatever the reason for homelessness - unemployment, mental issues and substance abuse are among the most common - The Gathering Place offers women the chance to acquire new skills. The Butterfly Project, for instance, allows women who have never been employed an opportunity to practice job skills. Each positive experience is celebrated, giving the women confidence heading into the work world. "We recognized women in the community who were at the point where they were ready to start working, but they had no background and no cultural experience," said Community Relations Manager Terrell Curtis. "To go out into the work world would be a traumatic experience for them, and we aid in easing that transition." Though most who visit The Gathering Place are homeless, 19 percent of last year's visitors were employed with part-time or full-time jobs. Some women worked as many as two full-time jobs, but as single parents didn't have the resources to make it through. "We provide supplemental needs for whatever can help them save their money for their bills," Curtis said. "Our advice to them is to take advantage of every resource available." Increased funding and donations would allow The Gathering Place to more thoroughly serve the needs of the less fortunate. One of the center's most pressing needs is to keep "Betsy's Closet" stocked. It is an emergency food and supply storage unit that contains nonperishable food and supplies such as diapers, shampoo, toothpaste and toiletries.