Our Mission
La Puente is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving Colorado's San Luis Valley by providing food, shelter, and advocacy for the homeless and community members in crisis. La Puente endeavors to meet immediate needs and to empower people to live independently with dignity.
Our Community
Alamosa, home of La Puente, is located at 7,500 feet at the center of the San Luis Valley, the world’s largest alpine valley. The Valley is larger than the state of Connecticut, and it is home to thirty-five communities within the boundaries of Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande, and Saguache counties.
As of 2009, the U.S. Census estimated that the Valley has a population of 46,006 residents. 20.5% of the Valley’s residents lived below the poverty line compared to the state average of 11.2% in 2008. 31.8% of children living in the Valley live in poverty compared to the state average of 17%. The median household income in 2008 was $34,597 for the San Luis Valley, as compared to $55,184 for Colorado as a whole. |
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Economically the San Luis Valley is fueled primarily by agriculture. Each year the Valley is one of the largest potato growing regions in the world, and lettuce, barley, carrots, and alfalfa are also prevalent in the fields. The seasonal need for farm labor draws migrant workers from across Latin America. This influx of workers creates an added dimension to the mission of La Puente.
The table below shows data from the 2006 Point in Time Homeless Count. This count was conducted in the fall and thus reflects the large migrant worker population present in the Valley at that time. A new count was conducted in January 2011 and the results should be forthcoming.
Colorado Point in Time Homeless Count San Luis Valley/Front Range Comparison |
County |
Urban Region |
Number of Homeless |
Population |
Rate of
Homelessness
(%) |
% SLV Rate Greater than Urban Rate |
San Luis Valley |
|
497 |
45,359 |
1.10 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Adams |
Denver |
1699 |
363,857 |
0.47 |
234% |
Arapahoe |
Denver |
468 |
487,967 |
0.10 |
1,142% |
Boulder |
Boulder |
1026 |
291,288 |
0.35 |
311% |
Broomfield |
Denver / Boulder |
156 |
43,478 |
0.36 |
305% |
Denver |
Denver Metro |
3401 |
554,636 |
0.61 |
175% |
Douglas |
Denver Outskirt |
12 |
175,766 |
0.01 |
16,049% |
El Paso |
Colorado Springs |
943 |
516,929 |
0.18 |
601% |
Jefferson |
Denver |
1010 |
527,056 |
0.19 |
573% |
Pueblo |
Pueblo |
228 |
141,472 |
0.16 |
680% |
Colorado |
|
16,203 |
4,301,261 |
0.38 |
289%
|
Our Work
Serving in the San Luis Valley of Southern Colorado as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, La Puente provides to the homeless, seasonal farm workers and migrants, and other community members in crisis.
- Emergency shelter
- Food assistance
- Transitional housing and self-sufficiency services
- Homeless prevention and community outreach services
- A licensed children's program
Our Impact - 2010
- La Puente Home provided shelter for 643 individuals and 66 families. That amounted to 9,524 nights of shelter.
- Over 42,000 meals were served to guests and community members.
- Homeless Prevention Services were supplied to 1,311 households.
- More than 34,000 emergency food packages were supplied throughout the year to people in the San Luis Valley.
- 24 families and 2 individuals were served in the Adelante self-sufficiency program.
- 52 children took part in PALS Children's Program.
History
The project began in 1982 as a response to the San Luis Valley community’s need to house and provide assistance to a number of homeless and under-served families and individuals in the Valley. Originally operated through a local Catholic church, La Puente began as a homeless shelter in the church’s basement. During the late 1980’s they hired a director for the program, and La Puente became an independent organization. Throughout the late 1980s and the 1990s La Puente Home expanded to provide a variety of services needed by the San Luis Valley community.
For example in the 1991, La Puente began the Adelante Family Self-Sufficiency Program, the first rural transitional housing program in Colorado. La Puente Enterprises also grew as a means to provide revenue to support La Puente's programs. Since 2000, the organization has doubled the size of the shelter in order to serve the increasing needs of the growing community. Today La Puente is a multi-faceted organization comprised of a dedicated staff and numerous full-time volunteers that devote a full year service to the mission of La Puente. |
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Stewardship
La Puente is committed to proper stewardship of the financial resources to which it is entrusted. The organization's budget for fiscal year 2010 including all program categories is $1,354,592. The graphs below depict the sources of revenue and the breakdown of expenses.
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Note: Administration includes wages & benefits, accounting services, occupancy costs, equipment, supplies, and travel. Fundraising includes: wages & benefits, newsletter costs, supplies, and printing expenses.
Visit GuideStar.org to access La Puente's IRS Form 990. |
