Cover art by Eric Tworek

Our mission is to promote independence and self-sufficiency for adult men and women in Montezuma and Dolores Counties by providing seasonal emergency shelter, informal case management, job training and employment opportunities. Our vision: We envision a community where adult men and women can access emergency shelter and supportive services in a way that honor individual dignity and encourages self-sufficiency.

Shelter Stats for the 2012-2013 Season Unduplicated guests: 233 Men: 189 Women: 44 Meals served: 10,340 Guest nights: 4136

Shelter Needs: Tents and sleeping bags Drink mix Coffee Backpacks or Bags Deodorant

In the Spotlight:
The Day Labor Center has continued to use innovative methods to make employment a reality for many of our workers. Implemented last month was a bicycle program. Many workers at the Center struggle with the issue of transportation which limits their ability to work. Through this program, individuals are able to request a bike to get to work. As bikes become available through donations and the Police Department, they are given to those who requested them. In return for a bike, the recipient must give $10 to the Day Labor coffee fund or work in the Day Labor garden. We have already seen success stories from this program and look forward to more!

Stay connected to the Bridge. Like us on FaceBook or visit our website at www.thebridgeshelter.org

A Note from our Shelter Manager

Donna Boyd, Shelter Manager

The Bridge Emergency Shelter has ended another season on a high note with lots of individual successes and hopes for many of our guests. We have two AmeriCorps Members, Christy and Kristen, who have brought incredible energy to our organization. They have greatly aided our ability to instill a sense of normalcy and family camaraderie in the shelter with their fun night every other week. This enabled many of our guests to feel some stability in their lives and allowed them to focus on solving problems to move forward in a positive manner. A shift in numbers this season demonstrates that individuals are needing our services longer than in years past to regain employment and find stable housing. In our seventh season, there was an increase in guest nights. With the support of Graces and Hopes Kitchens, we served over 10,000 meals at the shelter. Guests per night increased with a season average of 25 per night and a record of over 40 guests for a few nights in March. However, while our overall nightly numbers were up, our actual unique guest numbers were relatively stable compared to last year, up by only 9 individuals. Our female population this season increased to nearly 20%. This is the second year we have separated the intoxicated guests from sober guests. Our number of intoxicated guests was down by six percent (6%). It is significant that many of last years intoxicated guests have been able to maintain sobriety this season and we were able to move them to a quieter, more stable room for their stay with us. We had a group of returnees from last season, most on the dry side, or sober side, of the house. The casework that Kristen, Christy, and our staff provided had a direct impact for 30 individuals this season. They have assisted with everything from obtaining birth certificates and identification papers to jobs to health care and housing. With our new casework program firmly on the ground this season we are providing relevant steps to success for our guests. I am so proud of our staff, our volunteers who really make it happen, and of our guests who are working so hard to better their lives and regain their independence and self-sufficiency. We are so much more than just a meal and a bed!

Summer Happenings
The season may be over, but the shelter has continued to stay busy. The staff have been able to use the extra time to focus on special projects that cannot be done during the season. Along with intense cleaning and maintenance, the Bridge has been able to collaborate with a SouthWest Open School (SWOS) art class. Ten SWOS students and their art instructor, Claudia Sanderson-OHara and chaperone, Cathy Kingery, completed a mural down our main hallway. The mural, which features a mountain and river landscape, adds some much needed color to the dull walls of the shelter. This is a huge contribution from SWOS! We also had a summer yard sale on May 18-19 at the Day Labor Center. Through the yard sale, we were able to raise money for the Day Labor Community Garden and the Bridges programs. It was a fun two days and we enjoyed great community support. Finally, the Bridge has also been able to run some summer programming for our guests. We have started a Sunday Night Dinner program primarily for former shelter guests. These dinners provide the guests opportunities to continue in case management and get support as they work towards self-sufficiency.

Mark Your Calendars We Still Have More Great Summer Events to Come!
July 19 A Night Out. Eat out at participating restaurants who have pledged to donate a percentage of their sales to the Bridge. July 27 Rockslide Keepin Music Live Festival at Parque de Vida. A portion of the proceeds will be shared by the Bridge and Pinon Project. August 17 Walk with us. Come to the first annual homeless awareness walk.

Thursday Fun Night

Christy Janiszewski, AmeriCorps Member
My time at the shelter has included a variety of tasks, from case management to working overnight and intake shifts to community outreach. However, one of my favorite aspects of my work has been the special events and activities that Kristen and I put on for our shelter guests. Many of our guests have been on the fringes of society for a long time, so we introduced a bi-weekly Thursday Fun Night into the schedule in order to break up the monotony of the normal day and to encourage people to A shelter guest and Christy as he makes his first ever snow angel step outside their comfort zone. These fun nights included Christmas cookie decorating, movie nights, game nights, a gardening night, a putt-putt golf night and a tiedye night. Many of my fondest memories are from these nights. There is something special about introducing people to new things and watching people take a chance. Ill never forget giving one of our guests his first Smore. After convincing him to try it, he announced, This is SO sweet! Are you trying to kill me, Christy? I wont forget teaching two of our regulars how to play putt-putt golf or being taught how to play checkers by a guest. I wont forget laughing until tears came out of my eyes while decorating the shelter for Christmas or flying paper airplanes into the night sky on a clear March evening. When I think of my time at the shelter, Ill think of playing hacky-sack with a stale piece of bread in the dining room and laughing as I stumbled over the Navajo words that some of the guests tried to teach me. There were cold winter nights where we built snowmen and made snow angels and warm spring evenings where we barbequed and threw a football around. Despite the pain and monotony, the loneliness and depression that make their way into the shelter, there can be a surprising amount of laughter. Of the many things Ive learned and experienced this year, two things that stand out are these: people will surprise you and there can always be joy.

An Update from the Day Labor Center

Warmer weather means busy times at the Day Labor Center. Employers and workers are connecting for lots of different jobs. There have been a few days when we had more employers asking for workers than we had workers to fill the need. This is a rare situation and it is a positive comment on the importance of our mission of enhancing employment opportunities by providing a place where employers can connect.

Our garden is in the ground! We have seven raised beds for vegetables and three flower beds. Kristen and Christy, our AmeriCorps members, have worked hard to get things planted and we have an effective schedule for keeping things watered and weeded. Our neighboring office has voiced pleasure in driving up to a place with cheerful flowers in front! We will keep track of our harvest when the time comes and share it with Graces and Hopes Kitchens.

There are jobs that cant be done in our area during winter and now that summer is here, folks are doing yard and landscape work; it is a time for moving, packing, unpacking; there is always more work on farms and ranches as well as in construction and carpentry. We are ready to connect workers with folks that need these jobs done.

Two big events will happen in July to benefit the Bridge Emergency Shelter and in turn will benefit the Day Labor Center. On July 19th is A Night Out when participating restaurants pledge to donate a portion of their proceeds to the shelter. This event is sponsored by Dolores State Bank, Citizens State Bank, Vectra Bank, and the City of Cortez. Watch for our colorful posters and flyers to see the list of participating eateries. On July 27th, our local well -known band, Rockslide, is hosting 12 hours of music in Parque de Vida. They continue their tradition of helping local nonprofits and this year proceeds will be shared between the Bridge and Pinon Project Family Resource Center. We need volunteers for this concert event. Let us know if you can help. (970-565-9808)

Come Walk with Us!

Join the Bridge Emergency Shelter for the 1st Annual Homeless Awareness Walk
When are we walking? Saturday, August 17th, starting at 10:30AM at the Bridge Shelter. Why are we walking? To CELEBRATE. The shelter is only able to run because of our communitys dedication and generosity . We think thats something for the community to be proud of and we want to recognize it. To EDUCATE. Homelessness is a complicated issue. We want to keep our community informed about the realities of homelessness and poverty.

What can you expect? A one mile walk featuring interactive opportunities that emphasize the causes of homelessness and challenges that homeless individuals face on a local, state and national level. How you can get involved? Walk! Register early by going online, calling the shelter or visiting the Bridge Shelter booth at the Rockslide Music Festival. You can also register on the day of the event. The first 50 people to register will get a free t-shirt! Come as a group! Bring your family, friends, neighbors, church, book club etc. Volunteer! Call the shelter to sign up to volunteer. Cost? There is none. We ask that those who walk bring a nonperishable food item to help us restock our pantry shelves for this coming season or make a monetary donation to help with shelter costs. However, we want this event to be accessible to anyone and everyone so no donation is required to walk. After we walk, we eat! Upon finishing the walk, attendees are invited to a barbecue in the park.

Want to know more? Call us at 970-565-9808 or visit www.thebridgeshelter.org.