to the year:

• Lord of the Rings: The Return Of The King wins 11 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Song, Best Visual Effects, and Best Costume Design.

• Apple launches iTunes and sells one million songs during the first week.

• Basketball legend Michael Jordan retires. He played for the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards for 15 seasons.

In 2003, with tremendous support from the El Pomar Foundation, Partners in Housing greatly expanded our ability to serve more families in our program with the acquisition of the Colorado House & Resource Center! As another collaborative effort with the Rocky Mountain Community Land Trust, and with wide-ranging community assistance (see graph below), the property acquisition gave Partners in Housing twenty-five more housing units in addition to providing clients a central location for life skills classes, budget counseling, a childcare center, and a computer lab for their use!

Formerly the Embers Restaurant and Inn, a very popular location for Colorado Springs residents in the 1950s, the building came equipped with a large, commercial kitchen. Partners in Housing has worked with local catering companies, to include Common Cause Catering, to provide meals for families when attending classes or appointments!

------- Colorado House & Resource Center in the eyes of a child -------

A boy, 8 years old, was asked to tell his class about where they live. He and his mom resided at Colorado House. Mom wasn’t exactly happy with the living arrangement and felt like she “should do more” for her son, but how her eyes were opened when he told his class that he lived in a castle! The castle had a bunch of rooms. It had people who cooked dinner for him and his mom, a playroom where he got to play with his friends, and a playground. He talked about the staff in the playroom who looked after him, helped with homework and gave him snacks. The playroom in his castle was the Child Enrichment Center (CEC).  

This family utilized the CEC almost daily. As a single child, it was an opportunity for socialization and growth, for mom and son. Even years after they’ve completed the program, mom is still interested in bringing her son back to the “playroom in the castle” to play with his friends!

The Child Enrichment Center serves multiple functions for the Partners in Housing Program, but first and foremost it is a safe and nurturing space for children to play while living at or while their parent is receiving services at Colorado House. The CEC provides free on-site childcare during self-sufficiency classes and other appointments, so finding child-care is not a barrier to attendance for parents. The CEC provides numerous benefits for children and parents, including: homework help, educational computer activities, an outdoor playground, arts & crafts, nutritional snacks, holiday celebrations, parental support, and more!

The large dining hall at Colorado House & Resource Center (partially pictured below) was used for meals but most recently has been converted to a large shopping area to provide basic needs, which became difficult for our clients to access due to impacts of COVID in our community.

As a hub for the clients in our program, the Colorado House and Resource Center continues to be a very important asset and we are grateful for the partnerships which allowed us to acquire it and utilize it for the past 18 years.  

To learn more about how you can help families experiencing or at risk of homelessness, please email [email protected]. You can give the gift of time, items, or money.

Monetary donations may be eligible for a state tax credit of 25% or 50%! Click the State Tax Credits button and scroll to the bottom of the webpage to view details!