Denver, Colorado
Bright Future Foundation/Bright House
Most domestic violence shelters across the U.S. are in undisclosed locations to protect the families escaping abusive situations staying there. Unfortunately, especially in small rural communities, it can be a challenge to keep the location confidential, and with ever-evolving technology such as GPS and Google Earth, it’s nearly impossible to keep a safe house’s location truly hidden.
This was the case with Bright Future Foundation’s safe house, Freedom Ranch, which the organization opened in 2002. “As much as we tried, it was very difficult to keep the location confidential. As time went on, we realized we needed to do something different, and by 2018, we’d begun work on a new model,” says Sheri Mintz, CEO at Bright Future Foundation. “We made the decision that our new shelter, Bright House, would not be a traditional safe house. We were going to make it visible and place it in a public location.”
By making the address of Bright House public, the people staying there could also suffer less disruption in their day-to-day lives. “On a client impact level, it was very difficult for the families with young children to go into shelter, and for them to not be able to tell their friends where they are—you can’t easily make sense of confidentiality for the very young kids. It’s also hard to not be able to share with your work where you live. Some of it was simply impractical,” explains Mintz. “After being operational for almost three years, we can see that the public model is working for us, and families are very comfortable in our new facility.”
The new facility was designed with purpose. To provide families with privacy, there are five small efficiency units, which each contain a bedroom, a living area, a private bath, and a mini kitchenette, but there are also congregate areas to encourage a sense of community. “We have a congregate kitchen, congregate living room, and outdoor spaces with gardens and a playground,” Mintz says. “Our task is to work with the survivor to stay in our shelter for as brief a time as possible and then help get them wherever they ultimately want to be. Sometimes we help for a night or two, but we can accommodate up to a 45-day stay.”
Those staying at Bright House can engage with Bright Future Foundation’s wraparound services, which include a behavioral health team, attorney consultations, case managers, housing stabilization services, assistance with protection orders, and some subsidies. The organization also focuses on the prevention side of domestic violence. “We work in local schools and have a mentoring program. We like to say ‘Prevent, Protect, and then Prevail,’” says Mintz. “We want to change our society’s thinking, prevent the next generation from needing to suffer. We also have our protection services. And that includes the SANE program, a sexual assault nurse examiner program, and we partner with Vail Health and Colorado Mountain Medical for that, so if there’s an incident of sexual assault that needs evidence collection or medical treatment, we can help. We also partner with law enforcement through SANE for referrals. Much of what we’re doing requires cooperation from multiple parties.”
Bright Future Foundation is keenly aware that without assistance from funders such as McGowan and a strong commitment from their 14-person board, they wouldn’t be able to make as large of an impact. “Our donors and board members are so passionate about our cause and about the work that we do,” shares Mintz. “Some of them have directly experienced this type of situation.”
For Dorothy Browning, a past board member, domestic violence survivor, and the first funder of Bright House, making a contribution of $1 million to help get the new facility built was personal. “I was directed to Bright Future by a friend, though my circumstances at that time were long past when I needed to seek shelter. There is no aspect of Bright Future or Bright House that is not a necessity in the healing needed for victims of domestic violence to move forward,” Browning says. “This organization is without a doubt a shining star to be emulated by any community partner. It remains extraordinary to me that I could make the gift I made to launch Bright House. I know with certainty that there is life beyond the searing emotional pain of exiting an abusive relationship. Bright House could not be more aptly named—simply entering the facility is an inhalation of care and hope.”