The Gathering Place, A Refuge for Rebuilding Lives

Background Statement

The Gathering Place (TGP) was founded in 1986 by two University of Denver, School of Social Work graduate students: Toni Schmid and Kathy Carfrae. While interning at homeless shelters in Denver, they observed that women and their children did not have a safe place to spend the day and instead spent their limited resources trying to meet their basic needs. Try as they might, women who were experiencing homelessness had little support for activities that would help them become self-sufficient, like finding a job or securing transitional housing. Through their observations, Schmid and Carfrae came to believe that women and children needed a safe place to go during the day. With a $6,000 donation, the two women started The Gathering Place in a small, one-room facility on Santa Fe Drive. Despite its initial size, The Gathering Place offered warmth, protection from the streets, and nutritious meals to women and children experiencing homelessness and poverty. At that time, women and children made up about 10% of Denver's homeless population and approximately 40 women a day visited TGP.

Tina Stein was the first employee at The Gathering Place. In 1986, Stein and her husband (a cab driver) were homeless and staying at a shelter, and when she had spare time she would come by TGP and help out. More than just becoming TGP's first employee, Stein was mother, auntie, sister, grandmother and inspiration for thousands in our TGP community. She remained at The Gathering Place as Director of Guest Services until her death in 2003. From her experiences with homelessness, she influenced - perhaps more than any other single person - TGP's philosophy. She often said that if we had nothing to give other than a safe place and our caring selves, people would still come and always need us. "We are here to do with, not for," Tina ingrained in the TGP philosophy.

As demand for services increased, The Gathering Place moved to an aging office building at 1535 High Street in 1990. The expanded space was adequate for the next decade, but demand still continued to grow. With much though, TGP leaders conducted a feasibility study to determine a solution to the growing space inadequacy. The study determined that tearing down the existing building and rebuilding at the same address was more cost effective than moving or remodeling. In August 2006, demolition and construction began on a new 28,800-square-foot building that was specifically designed to house TGP programs and to be a safe refuge for TGP members. From August 2006 to June 2007, The Gathering Place was temporarily housed at the Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church in Denver's Park Hill neighborhood. Construction on the new building was completed in September of 2007, and The Gathering Place moved back to 1535 High Street.

Not surprisingly, The Gathering Place has evolved with changes driven by increases in the number of people seeking assistance, intent to provide healthy lifestyle choices, member identified needs, eagerness to implement best practices, and of course, the pandemic. For example, the Education and Job Readiness Program was developed because TGP members recognized that they have education and skill gaps following the prolonged economic downturn and the Physical and Mental Health Program was developed to increase access to health care by bringing partner agencies and pro bono health professionals on site.