“Hand Up Cooperative gave me all the resources I needed. That’s the bottom line. Hand Up gave me everything I needed to be successful at finding a job and getting into a home.”

- Hand Up Graduate, Nick

Two years ago layoffs at Longmont Dairy Farm, Inc. led Nick down a path he had never foreseen. Nick was happily living in Longmont in a house he had owned for twelve years. He owned a nice new car, an Audi A6. He was even helping support his mother w­ho was living in an assisted living facility in Fort Collins. But when he lost his job Nick’s life quickly changed.

“After I got laid off, I had to start from ground zero,” Nick said. “I lost my job, then my car, then my house.”

Before long, Nick found himself completely homeless. He migrated north of Longmont to Fort Collins to be closer to his mother while he tried to get back on his feet. While living in a homeless shelter he tried for many months to find a job. Nick filled out more than one hundred job applications, without any success. Then one day, a social worker at the homeless shelter recommended Nick try working with Hand Up Cooperative.

Nick met with Hand Up Cooperative director Daniel Covey and enrolled in the Hand Up program. He began to take a series of skills classes at the Workforce Center of Larimer County. He and his Hand Up case manager worked on interview skills and the classes he took helped him sharpen his computer skills. Not long after enrolling with Hand Up Nick completed the curriculum and received an opportunity for an interview with Hand Up partner, Center Partners, Inc. After a successful interview with Center Partners, Nick landed a full-time job in the company’s Web Telesales Support department. Nick credits Hand Up Cooperative for helping him find his job.

“If you just fill out applications around town, it’s not enough,” Nick said. “But with the classes and the Hand Up program, I was able to show that I’m motivated and deserve a chance at a job.”

Nick’s been employed more than a year and loves his job. By continuing with Hand Up he’s been able to find affordable housing after living in a shelter for six months. Hand Up referred Nick to Neighbor to Neighbor, a local housing affordable housing agency and last November he moved into an apartment not far from his new job.

From being homeless for almost an entire year to being fully self sufficient, Hand Up has equipped Nick with the tools he needed to be successful each step of the way.  –  Jan. 2011