Senior Support Services

Click here to view our 2010 Annual Report (PDF).

Click here to view our 2009 Audit (PDF).

Annual Report for the Year 2010

Brief History of Organization

Senior Support Services (SSS) was established in 1976 when six churches in downtown Denver came together to assist low-income and homeless seniors who were being displaced by downtown redevelopment. As the need grew, our services expanded. In 1979, we began to provide day shelter, coffee, one hot meal per day and case management services to assist seniors in obtaining benefits and finding affordable housing. In 1995, SSS bought a building at 18th Avenue & Emerson Street where the full range of services -- one-stop shopping -- are provided for hungry and homeless seniors.

Mission

Our mission is to make each day better and safer for Denver’s low-income and homeless seniors by providing the resources and support they need to lead more self-sufficient and fulfilling lives.

Programs

Our overall goal each year is to meet the full range of needs of more than 1600 hungry and homeless seniors.

We successfully operate the only day center catering to the needs of the hungry and homeless seniors of the Denver area. Clients get meals, emergency food and clothing, individualized case management, medical care, housing, government benefits, socialization, and activities. We provide:

• Safe daytime shelter located at 18th Avenue & Emerson Street
  Open for 12 hours each weekday and 5 hours on Sundays
• Daily breakfast for an average of 72 seniors
• Daily hot lunch for an average of 119 seniors
• Daily hot dinner for an average of 71 seniors
• Mid-day meal on Sundays for an average of 108 seniors
• Emergency food and clothing banks
• Access to medical care, health screenings and mental health care
• Transportation or escort to government offices, work, medical care, etc.
• Access to computers and Internet for word processing, email, etc.
• Individualized case management and advocacy including:
  -- Government benefits obtainment
  -- Assistance in obtaining and retaining low-income housing
  -- Rent and utility payment assistance
  -- Tenant-landlord dispute mediation
  -- Financial management counseling to prevent homelessness.

2010 Accomplishments

Overall
Provided services to 1,650 low-income and homeless seniors

Nutrition
Served 73,500 individual meals
Distributed 760 emergency food bags

Other Basic Needs
Distributed 2000 clothing items
Distributed 1200 hygiene items

Housing
With a direct rent payment, obtained or retained housing for 130 seniors
Through tenant-landlord mediation, retained or obtained housing on 2950 occasions
Provided direct utility payments on behalf of 226 seniors
Physically moved the belongings of 108 seniors
Provided on-site storage for 170 seniors

Government Benefits
Obtained or retained government benefits on 2400 occasions

Transportation
Distributed 12,000 free bus tokens
Sold 384 monthly bus passes at half the market price
Escorted clients to 300 medical appointments, government offices, shopping trips, home

Health
Weekly visits by a mental health professional who provided counseling
Weekly visits by a health care outreach worker who assisted or enrolled 161 clients in the Colorado Indigent Care Program at Denver Health
Two times/month visits by nurses who provided foot care, health screenings and checkups
Provided free eyeglasses for 36 seniors

Employment and Life Skills
Clients benefited from 13,500 computer hours (word processing, email, Internet)
Obtained jobs for 70 seniors

Socialization
TV Room
Monthly billiards tournaments and free pool everyday
Annual Holiday Party with a special meal and special gifts distributed.

Demographics of clients
(Each client is at least 55 years of age)

Ethnicity
42% -- African-American
41% -- White (non-Latino)
11% -- Latino
4% -- Native American
2% -- Asian / Pacific Islander

Income Level
85% -- living at or below the federal poverty level
$600 per month -- the average income of each client

Physical Condition and Health
80% -- mentally ill or impaired
75% -- alcohol or drug abuse problems
66% -- physically frail or physically disabled
34% -- Veterans

Housing
40% -- homeless
90% -- live alone or are homeless alone

Gender
26% -- women
74% -- men

If you would like a copy of our most recently filed Form 990, please send an email request to: mollyream@gmail.com.