Tim, featured above, is one of the Vocational Trainees at WellPower’s Resource Center

WellPower’s Resource Center remains a vital lifeline for thousands of Denver residents seeking support on their mental health journeys. The center is adapting its services amidst recent state funding cuts while launching an urgent donation campaign to maintain its critical role in the community at a time when mental health needs have never been greater.

“This is a place that saved my life; they’ve always been there for me,” shared one community member in a recent Google review. This sentiment echoes throughout the Denver metro area, where the Adult Resource Center has become synonymous with hope, dignity and practical support for those facing mental health challenges.

The Adult Resource Center: A Holistic Approach to Well-Being

The Adult Resource Center at WellPower offers comprehensive support services that extend beyond traditional mental health treatment. Operating as a comprehensive hub for basic needs, the center offers food through its Daily Market, clothing and hygiene products through its Shopette, household items, books and more. The center recognizes that mental health recovery requires addressing the whole person — from ensuring they have enough to eat to providing work-appropriate clothing for job interviews.

What sets the Adult Resource Center apart is its comprehensive understanding that mental health recovery requires addressing basic human needs alongside clinical care. The center operates on the principle that stable mental health is impossible without food security, proper clothing, hygiene products and community connection.

A Perfect Storm: Rising Needs Meet Shrinking Resources

The timing of these funding cuts could not be worse. Colorado’s mental health crisis has reached unprecedented levels, with more than one in four Coloradans reporting poor mental health in 2023 The state ranks #46 of all states for overall mental health, dropping from 30th in 2023, with 266,000 adults in Colorado experiencing serious thoughts of suicide. Meanwhile, Denver’s housing crisis compounds these mental health challenges. Meanwhile, Denver’s housing crisis compounds these mental health challenges – in the first three months of 2025, the courts saw more eviction cases than all of 2020. The courts saw more eviction cases than all of 2020.

“Whenever you’re homeless and struggling with mental health, it’s two different things that go hand in hand,” explained Kitty Carden, who now works at the center after receiving services. “WellPower goes above and beyond in trying to provide these services because they understand that it’s not just a mental health problem.”

For Kitty and thousands of others, the Adult Resource Center represents more than just a service provider — it’s where people rediscover their worth when they feel excluded from many areas of life. It’s where a hot meal comes with genuine care, where clothing donations help restore dignity, and where staff remember your name and story. Here, getting help doesn’t require proving you deserve it. In a city where many feel invisible, the Resource Center sees people — truly sees them — and reminds them they matter. Our work is based on relationships. 

The Adult Resource Center’s impact extends far beyond traditional mental health services. In June 2025 alone, the center:

• Provided food to 1,417 people through its food bank
• Welcomed 774 community members to its Shopette for clothing and essentials
• Distributed 4,238 clothing items and 2,358 hygiene products
• Served nearly 500 individuals in a single day during peak food bank operations

“We try to help people at their lowest and bring them back up, showing that light through the darkness,” explained Ravon Terroade, a vocational counselor at the center who has witnessed countless transformations over three years.

Innovative Adaptations in the Face of Adversity

“As funding cuts impact our food, clothing and hygiene bank at our Resource Center, we’re working hard to adapt—streamlining operations, deepening community partnerships and finding creative ways to stretch resources—because we know how critical these supports are. Access to food, clothing and other basic needs are essential social determinants of health that directly influence a person’s mental health and overall well-being.”
-Dr. Heidi Eastman, VP of Housing and Resources

It’s Personal: The Resource Center’s Real Impact

“What makes this work meaningful to me is supporting other people,” shared Candy Rountree, front office coordinator. “I went through some things when I first started here, and all the support I had from everyone at WellPower was amazing. I always promised myself that I’d pay it forward.”  Today, Rountree delivers on that promise daily, ensuring everyone who walks through the center’s doors feels welcomed, seen and gets connected to what they need at the center. 

The Resource Center’s true impact is seen and felt in the stories of our community members. Kitty recalled her first encounter with WellPower: “The first time I went to WellPower was with the food bank, which is absolutely amazing.” Her journey from homelessness and substance use disorder to stability and employment exemplifies the transformative power of comprehensive support.

Jesse Brown, administrative assistant at the center, speaks from personal experience: “The impact I’ve seen at WellPower is life-changing. I’ve seen someone come in from their most desperate moments and in a short time emerge a totally different person — a new life, a new beginning.”

Urgent Call for Community Support

To continue providing these essential services despite funding cuts, WellPower has launched a donation drive through September 30, 2025. The center urgently needs:

• Men’s clothing (larger sizes especially needed)
• Hygiene products (soap, deodorant, toothpaste)
• Nonperishable food items
• Cleaning supplies

Every donation — whether it’s deodorant that helps someone feel confident at work, a clean t-shirt for someone living on the streets in July heat, or canned goods that ensure a family has dinner tonight — directly transforms lives. These contributions provide crucial support that helps people navigate impossible choices with their dignity intact. In a time of shrinking resources, your support can be the bridge between crisis and recovery.

Donation bins can be found at our following locations: Dickenson building, Dahlia Campus and Recovery Center.