a Place for everyone

Dominique Knowles is passionate about empowering women and families to overcome barriers, build self-sufficiency, and create lasting stability for future generations. She is Program Director of Mary’s Home at Dream Centers and a woman with lived experience of homelessness, incarceration, and sustained long-term recovery. Dominique holds a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership and is currently pursuing an MBA.

The Dream Centers:

Since 2011, Dream Centers, a faith-based nonprofit, has provided health and hope to those rebuilding their dreams. Dream Centers includes the Dream Centers Women’s Clinic offering medical care, professional counseling, and a full suite of wrap-around services. The clinic's holistic approach is designed to heal from the inside out, empowering women to rebuild their dreams.

Mary's Home:

Mary’s Home is a multi-year transitional housing program offering trauma-informed care, life-skills training, education, job development, and positive role modeling in a high-challenge, high-support environment for single-mother families experiencing homelessness. Through this holistic approach, women and children are empowered to rebuild their dreams and exit homelessness permanently.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible applicants are single mothers with three or fewer children under ten years of age, who are at risk of homelessness in Colorado Springs, who have a level of need Mary's Home can support, who are motivated to participate in a structured personal growth and career development program for up to five years, and who are eligible for TANF and CCAP.

Application Process

Mary's Home does phone interviews with potential applicants prior to accepting applications. Completed applications are submitted online or sent to Mary's Home. All applicants receive a phone response. Qualified applicants have a personal interview and submit documentation. Contact Mary's Home at 719.301.5411 (phone) or 719.301.5412 (fax) or email [email protected].

Application form

a Place for everyone is produced by Homeward Pikes Peak and hosted by Executive Director Beth Roalstad. Homeward Pikes Peak (HPP) is a Colorado Springs-based nonprofit dedicated to helping individuals and families permanently exit homelessness through supportive housing, recovery services, and clinical treatment. Founded in 2002, the organization has evolved from a community planning agency into a leading direct service provider for the Pikes Peak region. Learn more at homewardpp.org. You can reach us at (719) 473-5557. Street Outreach, housing, and clinical services are provided.

What do cycling and community change have in common? According to Beth Roalstad, they both bring people together, build trust, and create opportunities to change lives.

A Co-Branded Episode with Pedal The Springs, Buffalo Lodge Bicycle Resort

Co-Hosts: Torie Giffin, Owner, Buffalo Lodge Bicycle Resort & Beth Roalstad, CEO & Social Worker, Homeward Pikes Peak

As a longtime social worker, Beth also offers a thoughtful, myth-busting perspective on homelessness in the Pikes Peak region. She explains how seeing the person first — not just the circumstance — can open the door to real change, and offers practical, compassionate guidance for cyclists and trail users on how to respond when they encounter someone experiencing homelessness: how to lead with dignity, and how to connect people with trained outreach professionals instead of simply riding on by.

A Note on This Episode:

This is a co-branded episode between A Place for Everyone and Buffalo Lodge Bicycle Resort-Pedal The Springs, made possible through the shared belief that community — whether built on two wheels or through housing and recovery services — starts with seeing people fully and treating every encounter with dignity.

a Place for everyone is produced by Homeward Pikes Peak and hosted by Executive Director Beth Roalstad. Homeward Pikes Peak (HPP) is a Colorado Springs-based nonprofit dedicated to helping individuals and families permanently exit homelessness through supportive housing, recovery services, and clinical treatment. Founded in 2002, the organization has evolved from a community planning agency into a leading direct service provider for the Pikes Peak region. Learn more at homewardpp.org. You can reach us at (719) 473-5557. Street Outreach, housing, and clinical services are provided.

A crucial conversation about navigating the complex challenges of homelessness, building community trust, and changing perceptions in the Pikes Peak region. Two prominent leaders driving local, grassroots solutions in Colorado Springs take this deep dive:

Kristy Milligan, CEO of Westside CARES

Beth Roalstad, CEO of Homeward Pikes Peak

They share frontline insights on serving at-risk and unhoused neighbors, managing community anxieties, and implementing dignity-first initiatives.

Recommended resources to understand this complex issue more include two great non-fiction books:

There Is No Place for Us - by Brian Goldstone - (winner of the Pulitzer Prize)

When we Walk By: Forgotten Humanity, Broken Systems, and the Role Each Can Play in Ending Homelessness in America - by Kevin F. Adler, Donald Burns, Amanda Banh, Andrijana Bilbija

a Place for everyone is produced by Homeward Pikes Peak and hosted by Executive Director Beth Roalstad. Homeward Pikes Peak (HPP) is a Colorado Springs-based nonprofit dedicated to helping individuals and families permanently exit homelessness through supportive housing, recovery services, and clinical treatment. Founded in 2002, the organization has evolved from a community planning agency into a leading direct service provider for the Pikes Peak region. Learn more at http://homewardpp.org/. You can reach us at (719) 473-5557. Street Outreach, housing, and clinical services are provided.

The Street Outreach team from Homeward Pikes Peak discuss the daily realities of engaging with unhoused individuals in the Pikes Peak region. Steve Wayant, LCSW and Haley Crist, MSW student share how they build trust, navigate systemic barriers, and help people transition from the streets into stable housing. Hosted by Beth Roalstad, Executive Director of Homeward Pikes Peak.

LINKS:

Street Outreach, including Give Help – Get Help: https://homewardpp.org/what-we-do/housing/street-outreach

a Place for everyone is produced by Homeward Pikes Peak and hosted by Executive Director Beth Roalstad. Homeward Pikes Peak (HPP) is a Colorado Springs-based nonprofit dedicated to helping individuals and families permanently exit homelessness through supportive housing, recovery services, and clinical treatment. Founded in 2002, the organization has evolved from a community planning agency into a leading direct service provider for the Pikes Peak region. Learn more at http://homewardpp.org/. You can reach us at (719) 473-5557. Street Outreach, housing, and clinical services are provided.

Jarron Cook, the visionary behind Father’s First, a new and vital organization in Colorado Springs discusses the critical role of fathers in the family unit and how this innovative program provides the housing, mentorship, and recovery support men need to become the pillars their families deserve. We also speak with Benjamin Herbert, the first staff member of Father’s First who is putting a new spin on a case manager and is a Father Figure, a mentor for new participants.

Host: Beth Roalstad, CEO of Homeward Pikes Peak

Guests: Jarron Cook, Founder and Executive Director of Father’s First & Ben Herbert, Father Figure

Origin Story: Jarron shares his personal history and the specific "why" that led him to launch a program dedicated to men in the Pikes Peak region.

Resources Mentioned:

Homeward Pikes Peak: https://homewardpp.org/

Father’s First Website: https://www.fathersfirstinitiative.com/

Follow Father’s First on Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61588194840402

About Father’s First

Father’s First is a Colorado Springs-based program dedicated to rebuilding lives and strengthening families. By providing stable housing and focused support, they empower fathers to achieve economic stability, maintain recovery, and reclaim their roles within their families.

a Place for everyone is produced by Homeward Pikes Peak and hosted by Executive Director Beth Roalstad. Homeward Pikes Peak (HPP) is a Colorado Springs-based nonprofit dedicated to helping individuals and families permanently exit homelessness through supportive housing, recovery services, and clinical treatment. Founded in 2002, the organization has evolved from a community planning agency into a leading direct service provider for the Pikes Peak region. Learn more at http://homewardpp.org/. You can reach us at (719) 473-5557. Street Outreach, housing, and clinical services are provided.

The "Extended Family" Model: Discover how Fostering Hope uses a volunteer-based support system to act as "aunts and uncles," providing a safety net that prevents youth from reaching a point of crisis.

Healing Through Connection: How developmental psychology and trauma-informed care are integrated into volunteer training.

Brian Newsome oversees the Fostering Hope Foundation, a Colorado Springs-based nonprofit that recruits volunteers to serve as "aunts, uncles, and grandparents" to foster families. His work focuses on providing the emotional and practical support—like date nights, transportation, and a "listening ear"—that the traditional child welfare system often lacks.

Fostering Hope was established in 2006 after four years of research into the foster care system. Their goal was to better understand the plight of children in foster care and the challenges of foster parents who step up to provide them with a home. What began as a little more than a hunch and a heart for helping these families is today an organization impacting hundreds of lives.

Fostering Hope: https://fosteringhopefoundation.org/

How to become a volunteer: https://fosteringhopefoundation.org/volunteer/

Donate now: https://fosteringhopefoundation.org/give/

Get involved and Support HPP: https://homewardpp.org/get-involved/

a Place for everyone is produced by Homeward Pikes Peak and hosted by Executive Director Beth Roalstad. We empower individuals and families to access stable housing, increase mental health, increase recovery and achieve economic stability. Learn more at http://homewardpp.org/. You can reach us at (719) 473-5557. Street Outreach, housing, and clinical services are provided.

We dive into the vital work of Hope COS, a Colorado Springs-based organization dedicated to supporting individuals at their most vulnerable points. Executive Director Melissa Wallace discusses how their values-driven approach provides a lifeline for those navigating homelessness, battling addiction, or reentering society after incarceration.

Key Discussion Points

1. Providing compassionate, values-driven support to bridge gaps in the community with justice, love, and humility. The team has lived experience which provides a key differentiator for high impact services.

Hope COS: https://hopecos.org/

a Place for everyone is produced by Homeward Pikes Peak and hosted by Executive Director Beth Roalstad. We empower individuals and families to access stable housing, increase mental health, increase recovery and achieve economic stability. Learn more at http://homewardpp.org/. You can reach us at (719) 473-5557. Street Outreach, housing, and clinical services are provided.

A new recovery program called Step Springs helps men in a state of desperation end their cycle of addiction, take back control of their lives, and transition to a safe and sober living environment. There, they can become productive, contributing members of their families and our community. Step Springs CEO Meghan Shay shares details with our host, Beth Roalstad, CEO of Homeward Pikes Peak.

For More Information:

Step Springs: https://stepsprings.org/

a Place for everyone is produced by Homeward Pikes Peak and hosted by Executive Director Beth Roalstad. We empower individuals and families to access stable housing, increase mental health, increase recovery and achieve economic stability. Learn more at http://homewardpp.org/. You can reach us at (719) 473-5557. Street Outreach, housing, and clinical services are provided.

Clean & Safe is a unique pilot program designed to make the heart of the city of Colorado Springs more welcoming to all and to connect people with needed resources to resolve homelessness. Beth discusses the program with Pat Rigdon, Director of Downtown Safety and Public Space for the Downtown Partnership of Colorado Springs.

Clean & Safe Program: https://downtowncs.com/clean-safe-pilot-program/

Downtown Partnership: https://downtowncs.com/

a Place for everyone is produced by Homeward Pikes Peak and hosted by Executive Director Beth Roalstad. We empower individuals and families to access stable housing, increase mental health, increase recovery and achieve economic stability. Learn more at http://homewardpp.org/. You can reach us at (719) 473-5557. Street Outreach, housing, and clinical services are provided.

Catholic Charities of Central Colorado’s Deana Hunt covers the range of programs CC provides in our community and the footprint they have in our region. Deana is Vice President of Family Services for Catholic Charities of Central Colorado.

 LINKS:

Catholic Charities of Central Colorado: https://www.ccharitiescc.org/

a Place for everyone is produced by Homeward Pikes Peak. We empower individuals and families to access stable housing, increase mental health, increase recovery and achieve economic stability.  Learn more at http://homewardpp.org/. You can reach us at (719) 473-5557. Street Outreach, housing, and clinical services are provided.