For women who have experienced homelessness

and are ready to rebuild their lives

May, 2023

Dear Friends of Julia's, 

My greeting is from the heart, because if you're reading this, you're already friends of the Julia Greeley Home, and that means I count you as friends, too.

As JGH's day-to-day, boots-on-the-ground administrator for almost ten years, I've met many of you by phone, in correspondence, or in person, and have been deeply moved by your generosity as you faithfully support and grow our mission. Many of you have also taken time to update me on your families and to share your challenges. You've sent kind notes and sweet family photos. You've stopped by the Julia Greeley Home to bring cookies and donate clothing. And some of you have shared the prayers you've offered, asking the intercession of our patron, Julia Greeley, as you seek God's help for your loved ones and for the women of the Julia Greeley Home. 

So, friend to friend, I want to bring you up to date on where the Julia Greeley Home stands today.

First, I'm honored and humbled to tell you that the Board of Directors has appointed me as executive director of the Julia Greeley Home. Given my history, this opportunity truly feels like coming home. I was blessed to be one of the team Father Regis Scanlon assembled to oversee the mission he founded in 2012. He sounded the call for volunteers, board members, and advisors to bring their professional experience to his cause - to offer the woman who was alone and homeless what the world cannot offer: a safe, faith-based haven to rebuild her life. He asked me if I would come on board to handle daily operations, and he turned to longtime office manager and bookkeeper, Anne Yanez, to oversee bookkeeping and financial matters. 

Then, a decade later: "If God wants the Julia Greeley Home to continue, it will," Father Regis said, just a few days before he died on November 6, 2021. And here we are, carrying his mission into a new era. To add to our news, Anne Yanez also has an expanded role -- she has been appointed a board member and treasurer of JGH. She comes from the office management and accounting world, while I come from a background in communications and project development. With our board and advisors, we're looking forward to building on Father Regis's mission. 

Of course, your support is at the heart of everything we do, and you might be surprised at all you've accomplished over a decade's time. Women who came to us terrified and broken have found jobs, new family relationships, and permanent homes. But most of all, you're offering each woman something that the world and the "homeless industry" cannot offer -- the opportunity for a woman to rediscover her God-given dignity. How vital this is, especially after the loss of the fundamental anchor of a person's life - one's home! That was the essence of what Father Regis wanted to accomplish -- the acknowledgement and support of a woman's dignity, even after she has lost everything. When a woman believes she has intrinsic value as a woman and as a human being, and knows she is loved by God as her own individual self, that gives her a powerful incentive to change her own life -- and she does!

This is the foundation of our Christ-centered home. Compact in size (we can welcome six women at a time), we're able to meet each woman where she is, individually. We welcome women of every faith and none at all, and we ask no one to believe as we do,

Jean Torkelson

but the daily operation of our home is anchored in the convictions of traditional Christianity. The reason we can practice and share our Christian beliefs and our Catholic faith freely is because, for eight years, we have "shared our roof" with a like-minded, faith-based ministry, Shannon's Hope, which serves women who are pregnant or have small children. We are blessed to have a seasoned management team headed by Leslie Pottebaum, founder of Shannon's Hope, who has more than 40 years' experience in social services and helping women in need. A deeply committed Christian, Leslie understands our mission, and she is dedicated to helping each Julia Greeley woman recognize her dignity and achieve her goals.

Wait a minute, you say -- whatever happened to finding a place of your own? The answer is that our first priority is to be good stewards of your generosity, and to do that, we need to choose our goals with great care. Yes, we have explored properties in the past, but the fact is, Colorado is ranked among the top ten most expensive states to live in, and on average, housing costs alone account for over 40 percent of a household's income. For the foreseeable future, the wisest and most effective use of your generosity is to stay disciplined and focused on fulfilling our goals one at a time. For us, that means being able to concentrate on continuing to create new opportunities for individual women within the stability of our present, well-managed home, and we are blessed to be able to do so. 

Finally, I'd like to share a private reflection with you. Sure, we're "small" in the world's eyes, but seeds are small, too! I think of our patron, Julia Greeley, who was racked by physical disabilities and may have been haunted all her life by memories of her terrible oppression as a slave. In the world of the 19th and 20th centuries, she was a "small" and insignificant person. In fact, she started from a place like many Julia Greeley women do -- crushed by life. Yet every day, Julia got up, met her challenges with courage, and helped those that she saw as even less fortunate than she.

When Julia died, a thousand mourners came to honor her, and today she is closer than ever to being recognized as Saint Julia Greeley. What carried Julia forward was the conviction that God loved her, and He would supply her every need. But she didn't shrink back from doing her part, either. She worked hard, she always looked for new opportunities, and she made good and loyal friends. We can do no better than to follow her lead. 

So, thank you for joining us on our mission, and for everything you do for the women of the Julia Greeley Home. I will be in touch,

Sincerely,

I dearly hope you'll want to stay with us on this journey. I would love to know your thoughts, ideas and questions about the Julia Greeley Home, so please don't hesitate to reach out to me. For now, the best way to reach me is at jtorkelson@juliagreeleyhome.org.

Your support has built a strong foundation...

Father Regis Scanlon, OFM Cap., our late founder and president, with Shannon's Hope founder Leslie Pottebaum, our skilled house manager.

Prayer, faith, and emphasizing the dignity of each woman - these are core values of the Julia Greeley Home.

Father Christopher Popravak, OFM Cap., now our JGH president, seen here in 2016 with a good friend of Julia's, Deacon Dave Arling.

... and has helped to change the lives

of these women and many others:

JGH women are invited to apply for scholarships from the Ward Family Foundation ...

... they support each other in achieving their goals ...

... and they know how to get through tough times together.

JGH women come from every background, and each woman's story is uniquely hers.

Safe at last, Pam has the freedom to be creative again

Camille, a professional office manager by training came to JGH six years ago, now works here as assistant manager!

Many JGH women, like Pat, are educated and from excellent backgrounds. Disaster can overtake anyone.

Just before finding us, Raelene lived in constant fear for her safety at a violence-prone, drug-infested hotel for the homeless. Now she gives talks on how JGH changed her life. She became a donor, too!

Deborah recently left a temporary shelter to join our JGH family, and she is eager to start building her future again.

Every woman pitches in to maintain our family-style home, takes turns to cook meals, helps to clean up, and keeps a peaceful home.

When a JGH woman returns to tell her story of success, she gives immeasurable encouragement to others to continue to meet their goals.

Sylvia Bailey, who was with us in 2014, was inspired to say, "Thank you, Julia Greeley, you were a light for me when I could not see the way!"

Julia Greeley got up every day

to face each challenge with courage.

She is an exceptional example for women everywhere - and for us all.

Your gift helps today's woman, crushed by circumstances, find her courage, too. Thank you!