Our Community - Karis Community

What makes us unique?

Karis Community offers a community-oriented residential program for adults managing serious and persistent mental illness as well as co-occurring substance use disorders.
We are the least restrictive environment for mental health programming.
We offer a program for individuals with mental health and substance use disorder, issues often treated separately.
We believe that everyone deserves support that is inclusive and affordable.
We highlight that recovery is a continuous journey.
We reiterate that you can live a happy, meaningful life while managing serious and persistent mental illness.
We emphasize that you are far from alone!

Our Goals

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To help Community Members develop skills for symptom management, healthy coping, and independent living.

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To provide an environment that offers a sense of emotional safety, mirroring of one’s value, increased self-reliance and self-efficacy..

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To equip Community Members to live a meaningful, fulfilling life at Karis and beyond.

Our Objectives

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Community Members will create daily structure through a minimum of 20 hours per week of employment, volunteering, or education.

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Reduce psychiatric hospitalizations by 80% for all Community Members during their stay.

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80% of all Community Members will complete the program and transition to independent living.

Length of Stay

Community Members commit to six months’ participation and may stay up to two years at Karis, providing the much-needed longevity and stability needed to grow and succeed. A typical Community Member lives at Karis for an average of 18 months and then moves on to independent living. Success in this transition is directly related to greater independent living skills and the development of a personal support system.

Karis is located in the Metropolitan Denver area; however, we have established a local and national reputation for success. We receive referrals and requests for information daily, not only from the Denver area and throughout Colorado but also around the country. Currently, close to 1/3 of our Community Members moved to Karis from states outside Colorado.

Karis serves adults (ages 21+) managing serious and persistent mental illness. To help us better understand and get to know our new Community Members, we ask them to fill out a self-identification questionnaire. In the fiscal year 2022-2023, 27% of Community Members reported having ADHD, 31% Anxiety, 31% Bipolar Disorder, 31% Depression, 38.5% Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and 31% Schizophrenia or Schizoaffective Disorder.50% of Community Members were in recovery from a Substance Use Disorder. Due to the severity of their illnesses, 45% had no daily structure (work, volunteering, or continuing education) before moving to Karis.

Studies indicate that mental illness is roughly twice as common among low-income populations. The reason is primarily due to additional barriers such as a lack of financial resources to maintain basic health standards, fewer educational and employment opportunities, overcrowded housing and exposure to adverse living environments, fear of debt and hunger, and lower access to quality healthcare. These stressful living conditions often perpetuate a cycle of inequality, placing the underserved at a higher risk of developing a mental health disorder and receiving improper treatment. Karis aims to remove these obstacles by providing affordable housing, healthcare and food security resources, and group and individual check-ins to support employment and educational opportunities.

Karis encourages inclusivity, and the Community embraces individuals from diverse ethnicities, gender identities, ages, and stages of life. Last fiscal year, 27% of Community Members identified within the LGBTQIA+ community. Many of our referrals identify as White, reflecting broader trends in access to and utilization of mental health care. Karis continues to enhance its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion via our monthly DEI work group. We strive to be a welcoming community where everyone can feel a sense of belonging.

Most of our Community Members have financial resources below the poverty line. Many utilize Medicaid, disability, and food stamps, among other public support. In the fiscal year 2022-2023: before moving to Karis, 38.5% were managing homelessness, living in a group home, treatment facility, or sober living environment; 46.5% were living with family members, and 15% were living independently.

Karis charges a small monthly fee of $685. This fee is considered extremely low-income housing in Denver and helps teach accountability, financial awareness, and realistic integration into the mainstream of life. Our program is a stepping stone to independent living in the community. Our fees offer a representation of what life will be like outside Karis. Monthly fees cover lodging, six meals per week, household supplies, utilities, the Empowerment Program, and group activities. Other therapeutic communities charge upwards of $10,000 per month, making our commitment to accessibility and affordability unique among similar organizations.

Demographics

The Stepping Stone Cottage

Isolation is a cruel reality prevalent amongst those managing mental illness. After reviewing exit interviews and online surveys from current and former Community Members over two years, it was concluded that additional services after the Empowerment Program were essential. Some individuals benefit from additional peer support within independent living before the transition into complete independence. In 2015, Karis opened the Stepping Stone Cottage (The Cottage), a smaller residence offering a peer-supported community for individuals who have completed the program yet still wish to reside in a community setting. Karis purchased a house near the original Karis building with the assistance of grants from the City and County of Denver Office of Economic Development and the State of Colorado Division of Housing to serve this need. The house allows seven individuals to practice the coping and living skills learned at Karis in a less structured environment. The Cottage allows people to live independently but not alone.

The Alumni Group

Karis provides support upon completion of the program. Community Members can join the Alumni Group and have an opportunity to meet for weekly check-ins with the Executive Director and the Program Manager. The Alumni Group provides bi-monthly support groups facilitated by Karis‘ Peer Specialist. Community Members often form lasting friendships at Karis and leave with rich support networks.

What if I'm not ready for Karis?

In July 2022, Karis hired a full-time Operations and Community Services Manager to our team. This position offers assistance, support, resources, and alternative options to those not yet ready to move into Karis. Contact dalia@kariscommunity.org for more information.

“The beauty of Karis Community is that the relationships you develop with the staff and residents don’t end when you move out. I have had many of my friends from Karis calling me to check in and see how I am doing and make plans to be together.” – Karis Community Alumni