The best way Mona Highline can explain what the Jospeh Center does is by calling it a bridge.
“It’s a bridge between resources; it’s a bridge to give families or an individual that next step they need,” she said.
Highline, 53, was one of the founders of the Joseph Center, 2511 Belford Ave., in 2015.
She realized there were numerous gaps that needed to be filled to get people in need some help to get them back on track.
Filling that need is at the heart of the Joseph Center’s mission.
“It’s people that may not qualify for this over here or they make too much money to get help over there, or they make too much money to qualify for something.
“They might be working every day, but ends just aren’t meeting,” Highline said.
The center keeps evolving as community demand changes or increases.
Recently, Highline said, they added another program, making 12 different ones at the center.
“When COVID hit, we noticed that there were some middle-aged, elderly women that were homeless, sleeping in their cars,” she said. “Two were recently widowed and lost everything. Winter was coming, and some of them had health issues. That’s when the Golden Girls idea came up. We wanted to create transitional housing for middle-aged and elderly women,” Highline said.
Many women, Highline said, are victims of circumstances and just need that little break to get them back on their feet.
The old adage, “a hand up, not a handout” comes to mind.
“Many of these women were just waiting for resources.”
Resources like housing vouchers, survivor or pension or Social Security benefits to kick in.
Helping people and seeing them ultimately succeed is what the job is all about, Highline said.
Seeing an individual get off the street and into a shelter, watching an addict turn the corner and get clean, a family getting the resources so they can get into a home, providing needed clothes for a family: The center offers a buffet of services.
The weight of the mission can be demanding, and it’s the success stories and seeing people get their pursuit of happiness back in focus that inspires Highline even more.
Joseph Center has success stories like Jessica Martinez and Lisa Campbell, who are now giving back to the center by volunteering.
“When I get discouraged at times, because it gets heavy sometimes, when I see them and see them giving back, working with clients, it’s so encouraging because this is why we do what we do,” Highline said.
Highline is especially proud of Martinez, who is on the verge of becoming the first-ever outreach coordinator for the center.
“When she shared her heart with me, you could see her passion for this,” Highline said.
Martinez said the coordinator position is the ultimate goal for her.
“To be able to help people, addicts, people on the streets, that’s been my dream,” she said.
The position will send Martinez out to talk to homeless people and others and educate them about the resources available to them.
That really is the defining part of the Joseph Center’s mission, Highline said.
“We can direct them to other resources if necessary. If the Joseph Center can’t do it, maybe (Department of Human Services) can,” Highline said.
Helping people is all that matters.
“That’s the beauty of Grand Junction, we have a ton of resources,” Highline said. “That’s why I call us a bridge because if we can’t help, we will direct them to where they can find the help they need.”
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November 28, 2021 at 02:15PM
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The Joseph Center serves a need - The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
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