The OUR Center, one of Boulder County’s leading providers of services to people in need, recently opened a new program services and administration center at 220 Collyer Street, Longmont. The center was made possible by a intensive multi-year community-driven $4.7m capital campaign that is 95% complete. The new facility is intended to meet the projected needs of the community for the next 25 years.

The new center was recently celebrated with two open houses that together attracted over 500 people. The first open house, which was by invitation only, took place on Thursday, September 14. The second open house, which was for the general public, occurred on Saturday, September 16.

Pictured: Edwina Salazar, the Executive Director, and Duane Hahn, the Capital Campaign Co-Chair.

The need for the new center, which encompasses 30,000 square feet of space, was based on the fact that over the last decade the expansion of services offered by OUR Center has doubled.  All program services and administration, which formerly were housed in multiple, dispersed buildings will now operate from one location. The building’s design was specifically intended to facilitate clients of OUR Center’s programs being able to access in one location the full suite of services that are increasingly being required by individuals and families in need who reside in the greater Longmont area.

The consolidated services that OUR Center provides are in the following four areas:

• “Support Network” – rent and utility assistance, housing referrals, substance abuse resources, etc.
• “Personal Development” – life skills classes, financial skills classes, etc.
• “Family Forward” – childcare, child education, parenting support & skills, etc.
• “Hospitality Care” – food pantry, clothing bank, and community cafe.

The OUR Center was founded in 1986. Over the past three decades OUR Center programs have responded to the needs of tens of thousands Boulder County residents who live below the poverty level.

But increasingly the faces and stories of those in need are changing. People who never dreamed they would need to ask for help are turning to the OUR Center in record numbers.  They are being driven to seek assistance by economic needs in an increasingly expensive Boulder County.

OUR Center clients are now coming from all walks of life. They are the elderly, single parents, children, people with mental and physical health issues, veterans, and the homeless. They may have jobs, and roofs over their heads, but are increasingly in need of counseling and assistance to help them regain or begin their road to self-sufficiency.

To help OUR Center deliver client access to needed services and assistance, partnerships have been entered into with 29 non-profit partners and government agencies in Boulder County. The number of these partners is growing.

In addition, OUR Center depends heavily on volunteers to carry out its programs and services in the community. The OUR Center offers opportunities on a regular basis or for a short-term project such as an event or holiday campaign.

For persons wishing to find out more about the OUR Center programs, or to learn about volunteer opportunities. the number to call is 303-772-5529. In the alternative, the e-mail address to use for volunteer opportunities is steve@ourcenter.org.

[OUR Center is the term used for the organization’s formal name, the Outreach United Resource Center, Inc.]

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