About a year ago, Tessa and Martin Martinez first found themselves faced with homelessness. 
"We were in an apartment, and the rent went up really high, and we were going to be homeless," Tessa explains. The anxiety intensified when Martin lost his job.  Tessa wondered what would happen to her, Martin and their two teenage boys. Will our family make it? she worried.

Then, Tessa heard about a promising source of help—the Family and Senior Homeless Initiative.  The initiative, a unique partnership between the City of Denver, diverse faith congregations and the Denver Rescue Mission, is designed to help struggling families desiring self-sufficiency just like the Martinez'. FSHI has experienced phenomenal success, with many other cities modeling similar initiatives after Denver's. 

When they heard about the program, Tessa and Martin decided to sign up. As they went into the first meeting with a mentor team from the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Tessa's mind burned with questions. She wondered, how would the mentors treat our family? Will mentorship truly produce lasting change and place our family in a more stable situation?  "We were so nervous about letting people into our lives," Tessa says.

Fortunately, like many other participants in the Family and Senior Homeless Initiative, Tessa and Martin have found that mentorship works! They've gained material assistance, connections, resources, and so much more through their mentoring relationship. In their mentor team, they've found a caring, patient and understanding group of friends who wanted to give back to their community.

"We got along great with our mentors," Tessa says. "They helped us with food, helped us with our furniture, recommended online banking, and helped us get an account. They also helped us with our first month's rent."

She adds, "Our lives have changed a lot, especially financially, learning how to put half our checks away.  They helped us a lot with our budget. And since my husband found a better job, things have been looking up.  My sons couldn't believe someone could help our family so much."

"We have been bounced around a lot," she adds. "This is the first steady home we've ever had."

Beyond the material benefits of mentorship, Tessa says it's helped her feel more peaceful and confident on the inside. "Mary Beth and Tia helped me with my self-esteem. They offered to help me go back and get my GED. They are just really, really sweet.  We clicked really well. We come from opposite sides of the world but got along really great. They were always telling me I could do it.  I get really shy and don't like being front of people, but Mary Beth says you have to accept yourself for who you are. She was just a really nice lady. I didn't really expect that. And truly caring."

Tessa adds, "I would recommend [the Family and Senior Homeless Initiative] completely because it helped my family so much. It was a huge blessing. Can you say the mentors' names in your article? I want everyone to know how wonderful they've been."

Thank you, Tia, Mary Beth, Thomas, and Tom from the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception mentor team for reaching out to this family in such a caring, positive way. Your willingness to engage with poverty and homelessness in your community has made a deep and lasting difference!

By The Numbers