Name of Affiliated Agency:

                Hand Up Cooperative

Service

                Homelessness / Housing

Program(s) and description:

Hand Up Cooperative assists the homeless and nearly homeless of Fort Collins in becoming self-sufficient by providing employment education and career opportunities. Hand Up Cooperative offers classes on job search topics like computer skills, resume writing, interviewing, stress tolerance and handling a background with incarceration. One-on-one meetings with the Hand Up counselor lead to the formation and implementation of a job search plan with accountability and milestones. Once ready for the job market, the counselor may arrange for an interview with one of our business partners who have successfully employed Hand Up graduates in the past. Now with a steady job, the Hand Up graduate is able to secure or retain stable housing. To insure job retention, Hand Up Cooperative will provide a volunteer mentor to work with the new hire on any workforce transition issues that could jeopardize employment status.

We serve . . .

                The homeless or nearly homeless of Fort Collins and Loveland, Colorado.

Location and days/hours of service:

House of Neighborly Service, 565 N. Cleveland Avenue, Loveland, CO-Monday, 9:00AM-3:00PM.
Sister Mary Alice Murphy Center of Hope 242 Conifer Street, Fort Collins, CO Tuesday-Thursday 8:00AM-5:00PM, Friday 9:00AM-5:00PM.

Website:

                www.handupcooperative.org

Contact information:

                Daniel Covey-970-494-9700, dcovey@handupcooperative.org

Common volunteer opportunities:

Hand Up Cooperative seeks volunteers to act as mentors for Hand Up graduates as they enter the workforce. The mentors are trained to intervene and therapeutically solve employment issues before they can cause problems with employment status. The mentor may be employed at the same company or can be from outside the company. The volunteer should meet with the new hire regularly and also be available to handle issues as they arise.

Benefits we derive from participation in Interfaith Council:      

Understanding the needs of the interfaith community.