The Need
Since 1989, MHM has worked with the homeless people who don't have a safe, stable and permanent place to live and on a daily or weekly basis are asking themselves "Where am I going to stay?" Many families resort to extended stays in the dilapidated motels lining East & West Colfax, Broadway and other similar areas.

• On any given night, as many as 9,670 persons are homeless in the Denver metro area. (Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, 2002)
• Families comprise more than 65% of those who are homeless in metro Denver. This is a 49% increase from last year's point-in-time study. (Colorado Dept. of Human Services, 2001)
• To afford the fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Denver at 30% of income, an individual must earn $17.17/hour. A minimum wage worker must work 133 hours per week to afford a two-bedroom apartment. (National Low Income Housing Coalition, 2001)
  

The motels serve a very real and immediate need for these families - room in one of these motels can get them off the street for a time. But, typically they are ridden with many negative social factors: drugs, prostitution, violence and filth.

Joshua Station was conceived to transform one of these motels into a clean, safe and stable community for families who want to address the issues that have kept them from permanent housing.

Joshua Station Capital Campaign and Renovation Project
In June 2001, Mile High Ministries purchased the former Motel 7 at 8th Avenue and I-25...

...and the transformation process began.

Combining the efforts of hundereds of volunteers with the resources and product donations of many individual, foundation and corporate partners, Joshua Station underwent $1,000,000 in renovations.

Renovations completed: All 71 rooms renovated (electrical, drywall, plumbing, paint, windows, blinds and doors); lobby; exterior paint; new airconditioning system; new heating & hot water systems; chapel; exterior signs; restaurant kitchen update; guest laundry update; pool demo & fill; new handicap accessible lobby bathrooms; meeting room with audio/visual equipment; community kitchen update; new second community kitchen; staff offices; banquet room; and exterior lighting.

Finally, with the help of the Adopt-A-Room program , which transformed the newly renovated rooms into beautiful homes for our families, Joshua Station welcomed our first families in April 2002.

In 2005, 45 families (67 adults and 87 children) received Joshua Station services.

Campaign Volunteers
The generous gift of time has been invaluable to the JS capital campaign and renovation project.

For over two years, Roland, Seymour, Dick & Marilyn, Gib, Herm & Peggy, Pete, John, Art, Bernie, Rod, Ron P., Dick P., Marv, Bill, Ron V., Ralph & Emilie and others from the Denver Diaconal Conference (DDC), a ministry of the Denver Christian Reformed Churches, have volunteered at Joshua Station most everyday. Each and every room at Joshua Station has handprints of love from the labor of the DDC.
Their dedication & service to Joshua Station has been a huge blessing and a savings of over $200,000 in professional service costs.

An additional 2000 volunteers - youth groups, companies, churches and individuals - have donated more than 6,500 hours of service on the demolition, renovation and clean up of Joshua Station.