La Puente provides HOPE

VALLEY — What do the homeless need?

Most people will list necessities with food, water and shelter as the priority. If you ask organizations that work with homeless populations a more specific list including socks, shoes, blankets and other commonly requested items. These lists, however, are incomplete.

In discussions surrounding homelessness we often focus on peoples physical needs and overlook the need for connection and community, a vital part of the human experience and often, the easiest to provide. During H.O.P.E. (Homeless Outreach & Prevention Education) week, La Puente is working to educate the community on its efforts to ensure all guests are taken care of both in terms of physical wellbeing and given a dignified experience. 

The La Puente Shelter provides a temporary home for 600 to 800 homeless each year. Each client is given a case manager who helps them figure out their unique situation as well as a bed, hygiene kits, three hot meals a day, and the opportunity to connect with members of the community who come to drop off donations, donate their time cooking in the kitchen, or who just come to share a meal. The La Puente Shelter is the only emergency shelter located in the San Luis Valley and is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

The value of these interactions becomes clear when speaking to guests at the shelter. Mark, a guest at the La Puente shelter, said the conversations he has had during his stay at La Puente have kept him on his path.  “I don’t often get the chance to talk with many people. I’ve enjoyed the chance to sit down and have conversations about the real things in life. Being here helps me to try and stay sober and reminds me of my daughter back at home.”

A homeless couple who recently came to Alamosa said, “We really appreciate the warmth we were greeted with here. Not many people go out of their way to help us. We’ve been sleeping in a tent these past few weeks while we traveled to Alamosa to find work. At night it’s been getting a lot colder and we needed blankets. A La Puente volunteer walked with us to ReThreads and we talked about our journey. It was nice to have that interaction.”

The couple walked to Alamosa from Del Norte after hearing about La Puente services. Both are recovering from addiction and are celebrating being sober.  The husband is now employed on a farm in the valley and the wife is receiving treatment for her crippling anxiety.

The community fostered by La Puente provides the support and an outlet for those who are facing some of life’s toughest challenges. The next event in H.O.P.E. week is the Shelter Open House and BBQ where shelter staff and other La Puente volunteers invite the community to come, meet the guest, enjoy free hotdogs and hamburgers, live music, face painting, and learn more about way to get involved with the shelter and other volunteer opportunities to combat homelessness in the Valley. The Shelter Open House and BBQ will take place on Sunday, September 30th from 12- 2 p.m. at the La Puente Home, located at 913 State Avenue.