Mother and son from Samaritan House Fort Collins find success post pandemic

*stock photo used to protect clients’ privacy.

The best days at Samaritan House Fort Collins are when our team hears from a family who has been through our program and is thriving. Kendra Bornhoft, Director of Programs in Larimer County, had one of those “best days” earlier this month, when she heard some amazing news from a family who used to be in our extended stay program.

During the pandemic, Susan and her son Jeremy* found themselves living in their car when Susan lost her job and ran quickly through her savings. Like so many others, they came through the doors of Samaritan House, having nowhere else to go and nowhere else to turn. Kendra, and the rest of the Samaritan House Fort Collins team welcomed them in, moved them into a cozy room with comfortable beds and provided a safe place to store their belongings. They fed them three nutritious meals a day and connected them with support services across the Larimer County community.

“We were so blessed to have the Samaritan House team helping us during such a difficult time,” Susan wrote to Kendra. “Everyone on the team worked with us while we were going through this tough time and we will be always grateful for the way that you and your team trusted in us.”

Susan found a fantastic and rewarding job in Fort Collins that she loves and also volunteers at a local community center in her spare time. Jeremy graduated from high school and has started taking classes at CSU. They were able to save up enough money to move out of Samaritan House Fort Collins and into an affordable home and, joyfully, they were also able to reconnect with additional family including Susan’s mom and sister.

“Helping people is what we do,” Kendra said. “Hearing from past clients is one of the joys of our job. Knowing they’ve been successful and are grateful for the time they spent with us is simply priceless. It gives us a reason to hope on cloudy days, push through the challenges we face and come together as a team knowing that we are working to be the hands and feet of Christ. We’re all blessed to be part of Samaritan House Fort Collins.”

*Names have been changed at the request of the family