Building Hope, Family Resource Center discuss possible nonprofit campus in Breckenridge
Photo by Liz Copan / Summit Daily archives
The Family & Intercultural Resource Center might eventually have all of its services under one roof. The organization is beginning to discuss a potential campus for itself and Building Hope Summit County — and maybe other nonprofits down the line.
“We are spread out in four buildings across the community, and it’s honestly really difficult in terms of getting programs executed and making sure clients have their needs met,” Family & Intercultural Resource Center Executive Director Brianne Snow said. “Even just to have the thrift store and main food pantry all in one location is a pretty amazing thought.”
According to a news release, the town of Breckenridge would provide the resource center with 3 to 4 acres of land through a long-term lease at a site next to the new Alta Verde housing project on the McCain property near the north end of town. The release stated that the nonprofits would manage the capital campaign aspect of the project along with design and construction of any buildings.
The proposed building would theoretically also house Building Hope. The nonprofit was originally incubated at the resource center before becoming its own 501(c)(3) years ago, and the directors — who still collaborate on a daily basis — are excited about the possibility of seeing it come full circle with a one-stop shop.
“Oftentimes, people come to Building Hope and not only do they need a Building Hope scholarship, but they are struggling with a bad job or a housing issue, or they have a food insecurity,” Building Hope Executive Director Jennifer McAtamney said. “In this case, it’ll be more simple than it is today to connect them to the necessary resources and have that be one place where people can come and get connected with all of the things.”
Snow stressed that no aspect of the plan is finalized — including the resource center’s involvement — and she hopes the announcement provides an opportunity for discussion. Size, cost, timeline and other details aren’t yet available since the talks are in the early phases. Snow and McAtamney said the idea of a centralized location for nonprofits has been part of casual chats for decades.
“We’re just entering into that conversation at this point,” Snow said. “We’re going to be sitting down in the next couple of weeks and talking about what this would mean for all parties and what this would look like. … Ultimately, we need to look at our real estate portfolio and make sure that this is going to work.”
If it works, Snow and McAtamney said it could strengthen the resources of the nonprofits with more opportunities for collaboration. McAtamney said efficiency could be increased with shared departments like IT support or human resources. Additionally, the campus could help cultivate a strong community with the workforce in Alta Verde and elsewhere.
Snow realizes it could be limiting for the resource center to go from four locations back down to one, but she sees this as a possible chance to be creative with online resources launched during the pandemic and programs such as a mobile food pantry.
The new space could become a venue for Building Hope, but McAtamney said there are no plans to stop hosting events at places such as the Silverthorne Pavilion.
“One of the things that’s super important for that program is that we offer those events at a variety of locations,” McAtamney said. “We want them to be accessible to people no matter where they live in the county.”
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