Peace and Justice Center

The Peace and Justice Center responds to social issues of the day that impact the poor, vulnerable and disenfranchised on the Western Slope of Colorado.  Our projects improve the quality of life for our neighbors whether they are housed or not and focus on giving them a sense of belonging.  Our ID Project provides assistance in obtaining ID, Driving License and Driving Permits plus birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce decrees, court paperwork, baptismal certificates, legal name changes and other necessary documents to obtain identification. This opens the door to schooling, housing, medical care, benefits and voting.  Our WEShelter program for single unhoused men who are drug and alcohol free, operates for three months of the winter and is supported by 300 community volunteers.  We create a a warm and welcoming, safe overnight space for our guests to rest and rejuvenate as they work towards employment, housing and self-sufficiency.  Our Electronic Resource Guide of Services is used by case managers locally and across the state as well as family members of our unhoused neighbors to link those in need with services of all kinds.  Our Guide is now over 30 pages long and comes in both English and Spanish.  Our Food Pantry for Those Who Carry "Home" on their backs or Live in Their Vehicles provides light-weight and easy to carry bags whether you are on foot, a bicycle or in a vehicle.  They contain 2 proteins, water and an electrolyte drink plus fruit, and peanut butter crackers.  Our neighbors can't always make it to a soup kitchen when they have other appointments or a job, so our bags help fill that gap at lunchtime or later. On the days we are closed, a volunteer delivers bags to a 24 hour Blessing Box near our Main Branch Library so that they are still available to our unhoused neighbors.   We have operated since 1990, and were originally known as Grand Valley Peace and Justice.  Our work began to stretch beyond our local area as more and more people needed help with identification.  We received calls from family members out of county and state trying to bring their loved ones home and they enlisted our help in making sure they had what they needed to fly.  We want our clients to feel better going out of our door than when they came in it.  We do the same whether we are communicating with our unhoused neighbors or family members by email or phone.  We all need one another and we are grateful for all the support we receive to help our neighbors whether they are in housing or not.