Impact & Financials
Stats
33
Housing units around Downtown
97
Current residents
40+
Years of providing housing in Colorado Springs
15
Households have moved into permanent housing since 2019
6
Households have purchased homes since 2019
$484k
Donations and grants directly benefiting our residents since 2019
Resident Stories: Christian and Nicole
*names have been changed to protect the privacy of residents
In 2016, Christian and Nicole left their home state of Florida and moved to Colorado Springs in search of new opportunities. They have 9 kids and dreamed of a better life for their family in Colorado. This family is full of love and Christian and Nicole work tirelessly on behalf of their kids. After the move, Christian began a career at a grocery store, and sure enough, he quickly received a promotion to overnight manager. With the promotion, they began taking big steps toward their goals: building credit, saving money for a home, and purchasing a reliable car.
They looked to purchase their first reliable family vehicle. Unfortunately, shortly after they purchased the car the transmission failed and soon after the car was completely dead. At this point they were stuck with a $37,000 car loan, a repossessed vehicle, and a fallen credit score. Simultaneously, the conditions of their apartment had drastically changed from livable to unlivable. The decline of their living situation began to impact every area of their lives. The landlord neglected serious code violations and management was unresponsive to tenant complaints that included cockroaches, mold, leaks, sewage overflow and more. They decided they could no longer put their well-being at risk and in the hands of a negligent landlord, so they left. They were penalized with a $7800 eviction cost and a devastated credit score. Christian described their situation as “homeless with a job.” In just a matter of months their lives had drastically changed.
At this point they were living out of a car. Christian continued to work until the challenges of homelessness forced him to stop. They had spent over one year moving their family between living in a van, a tent, and hotels. During this time Christian and Nicole remained steadfast in the love they had for their children and each other. Nicole explained during that time, “We clung to hope because of the kids.” Soon after, Christian found a job at a nursing home. The new income allowed them to move into a hotel, but their credit score and rental history still kept them from permanent housing. They moved from hotel to hotel in search of something fair and dignified, but the cost of most hotels was $600 a week. Christian was employed, yet housing instability remained.
Finally, Catholic Charities pointed the family to Ithaka. They moved into one of our homes, and immediately felt the freedom and leeway to set goals and imagine a future. When asked what a safe and stable home means to them, they responded, “Now the kids get to play outside. We see that the kids have a light in them, happiness and joy. It is warming. Financial freedom. It is nice to not have to yell at the kids for being kids because now they have the space to do so.” After two years in the program, with time, support, and stable housing, Christian and Nicole have set the goal to purchase their first home by the end of 2022.
Ithaka has four sources of sustainable funding:
- Resident Program Fees
- Grants from philanthropic foundations
- Donor contributions – Donate Here
- The Shore Family Endowment – established in 2005, provides quarterly assistance for administrative costs, allowing donor support to go to the programs that directly support our residents
Ithaka 