We’re glad you found us! We understand this is an extremely stressful, challenging and overwhelming time and we are honored that you are allowing us to work with you through this process. Our goal is to help make this time a little bit easier for you and your loved ones.
We encourage you to check out our blogs, as it provides helpful tools and tips for you during this time.
If you live in the Denver Metro Area, this is how we can help you:
Intake
The first step will be an intake call with Our Front Porch staff where we will ask you a series of questions about your disaster and your displacement so we can better understand how best we can help.
Formulate a Plan
Within a week of the intake, we will have a face to face meeting where we will further explore your housing needs, emotional well being, and other disaster related needs and formulate a plan for moving forward. We will also assess any other needs we cannot directly support and make the necessary referrals.
Weekly Follow-ups
What does this look like? We will meet with you weekly at a location that is convenient to you to check in and provide updates. Our work will include communicating and negotiating with landlords on your behalf and helping you work through the stress connected to the disaster. Finding housing in this market is a full time job. We are here to let you get back to your day to day while we take the lead on the housing search so you don’t have to. We work with you until a new lease is signed and provide ongoing support as needed.
Meet Some of Our Front Porch’s Clients:
Ashley is a 33-year-old single mother of four wonderful children. Ashley was making breakfast for her kids on New Year’s Day when a fire erupted and destroyed a portion of the house. Fortunately, Ashley had a renter’s insurance policy that covered the costs of a hotel stay while she searched for new permanent housing. Red Cross referred her to Our Front Porch so that OFP could assist her with her housing search. The extremely competitive rental market resulted in a search that took much longer than expected. Our Front Porch contacted 12 landlords and looked at 6 properties with Ashley and her family over the course of 3 months. She was frustrated at not being selected for a house, and knowing that her insurance would eventually stop covering her hotel expenses, she was forced to settle on housing that was less than ideal.
Evelyn is 55 years old and has called Colorado home for 20 years. She’s single, and one tragic afternoon, she came home to find her condo severely damaged by a fire. The fire was not her fault, but her condo was unlivable. It started in an adjacent unit when a neighbor left hot coals in a trash can. Evelyn ended up living with a co-worker temporarily and desperately needed assistance finding new housing. Red Cross referred her to Our Front Porch, who spent three months working with Evelyn to secure new permanent housing. During that time, OFP met with her weekly to help her work through the stress and anxiety she experienced being displaced by this disaster. With the help of donated funds, Our Front Porch was able to provide much needed items like bras, underwear, and other basic clothing. She now calls her new apartment home.
Leah is single and lives on a fixed income. She’s 59 years old and was awoken by flames and smoke in her mobile home. Her home was lost in a matter of minutes. The only things to survive were her dog, Sweet Pea, a few personal possessions, and her car. Red Cross connected Leah to Our Front Porch. She met with OFP caseworkers regularly for 6 months. During that time, OFP helped her search for affordable housing to fit her budget. The booming rental market in Metro Denver made the task of finding Leah a new house extremely difficult. The only options available to her were wait lists that were 2-3 years long. She resorted to living in her car with her dog for almost 6 months while she saved enough money to replace her mobile home. Along with emotional support, Our Front Porch provided assistance with food, clothing and blankets. OFP also located a donor who provided food and bedding for Sweet Pea. Leah is now enjoying her new home and getting settled. “I am getting my life back in order. It’s nice. I was finally able to relax and not think about a million different things. Throughout this process, I learned I was stronger than I thought I was.”