According to national statistics, senior loneliness and social isolation increase the risk of negative health factors by 50%. For seniors at our Catholic Charities Housing properties, forming bonds with others around their homes is a blessing.
Flora, Barbara, Pandora and Amy are residents of Immaculata Plaza Apartments in downtown Greeley, Catholic Charities Housing’s newest property, and have forged an unbreakable bond since they signed their leases in September. Known throughout the community as the Coffee Crew, these friends are living proof that friendship and care know no age or boundaries.
Catholic Charities operates 30 affordable housing properties across Colorado and cares for seniors, veterans, families and individuals at risk of homelessness.
Each morning at 9 a.m., the Coffee Crew gathers in the communal kitchen or out on the white-fenced patio. They talk about their children and their grandchildren, swapping stories about their best times and their challenging times. Most have loved ones, including spouses, parents, good friends and even children, who have passed away over the years.
Flora lost her husband of over 40 years in 2019, leaving a gap in the companionship that she had enjoyed for so long. “If I didn’t have this building, I would be out living in the streets. Thank you for this place,” she shared with tears in her eyes.
The group leans on each other to talk about their grief and anxieties, knowing they aren’t alone.
Pandora, the group’s spirited ringleader, shares that if one of them isn’t downstairs in time for their coffee and conversation, they check up on her to make sure everything is alright. Pandora spoke at the Immaculata Plaza II Grand Opening on October 19, 2023. “We’ve all had interesting lives and pasts up to this point. We don’t deserve to be thrown away like we are trash. There is so much potential and goodness in these people.”