Our Work
Our Beginnings:
In 2003, Jerri Schmitz met a young man in Old Town Fort Collins. He had just aged out of foster care, which resulted in him couch-surfing and living on the streets. In the early 2000’s, there weren’t any resources for kids aging out of foster care in Larimer County, and Jerri knew she had to do something about it. Together, with Sara Mitchell, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Jerri launched the nonprofit. It was a safe place where system-involved youth were provided with the resources and support they needed to escape the cycles of poverty and abuse. In 2005, The Matthews House became incorporated, and in 2006 we began working directly with youth.
The Foundation: Youth
Our agency has seen a need to create a more stable environment for our communities most vulnerable youth population. While working alongside both the justice and foster care system’s, as well as, local schools we are able to grasp a greater understanding of the youth’s most immediate need, which range from housing and employment to academic development and domestic skill-set building.
Families
Our Family Programs were created to aid in securing the foundations of loving and beautiful familial structures. We help families to set and attain goals. We help to secure employment opportunities, navigate educational obstacles, and hone individual life-skills.
Community
2020 was unchartered territory for all of us, but it also allowed our agency to lean on the community like never before. Without the generosity of our donors and volunteers, our partners and staff would not have the capacity to serve our participants, and continue to lift our community.