July Newsletter: Tax Credit, Transition, and building update
It is hard to believe that it is already July!
This is a longer newsletter than some so let me give you a preview:
A note from Shawn
about his move to Founder and my role to Executive Director
about the finish line of the building
A note from Kayla about
the future of JOC
the homeless tax credit
invite to new volunteer training
A note from Shawn:
We are excited to announce that as of July 1, Kayla Horne will become Executive Director of JOC. For the last year the two of us have been Co-Executive Directors, but as many of you know, our plan was for her to fully take on that role and we are all, me included, excited that the day is here!
Kayla has a deep love for Jesus, JOC and our friends and brings a broad range of gifts that are a perfect fit for the ED position. Her organizational skills and leadership gifts will serve JOC well in coming years. She has been functioning in this role over the past couple of years and many of the great things going on at JOC have been driven by her. And, stay tuned because we have more great opportunities coming up. Please pray for her as she leads and operates our ministry.
I, on the other hand, will also drop the Co-Executive Director title and will carry the title of Founder. What this move means for me is more freedom and time to lean into the things I love, that suit my skill set and that bring deep value to our friends, JOC and the community. More time for me to be a pastor to our friends and team, more time to connect with our donor base, more time to write and more time to engage the broader environment of Colfax. I am excited about this transition. Kayla and I work well together and these shifts will increase the impact of JOC in the years ahead.
We are also excited to announce that we have finally reached the end of our long journey with our building. It has been a beautiful and hard road that Jesus has had us on with lots of open and closed doors. As you know, we have been trying to sell the building for the last couple of years. We have had several offers but each fell through. It is hard to describe just how bad the real estate environment is right now. Construction costs have more than doubled and interest has skyrocketed, radically driving down building values. That has impacted us and many others. Many larger buildings on Colfax are boarded up and very little is happening. Buyers are nearly impossible to find.
We decided the best avenue was to essentially “sell” the building back to the Friends Estate for the debt we had with them. The real estate process was a complex one but at the end of the day, we no longer own the building.
We are grateful for a generous friend of JOC who has covered the bulk of our interest costs over the last 6 or so months so that we could raise money for ministry, not interest payments. And, the same donor also gave money to pay off the remaining debt attached to the building. God provided and we can now fully focus on the work in front of us.
This was a journey Jesus had us on that ended differently than we hoped and prayed for. Yet at the same time we see many benefits that have come to JOC from it. Our ministry has flourished and grown exponentially even with building stuff going on.
With Kayla and my roles clarified and with the building out of the way, we are excited to see where Jesus leads us on this long, beautiful journey.
Blessings,
Shawn
PS. I will be on sabbatical for the next 6 weeks
A note from Kayla:
It is with great honor and enthusiasm that I assume the role of Executive Director following Shawn and Diane's journey of service and compassion on East Colfax. I am privileged to lead our community forward in continuing this vital mission and I am thrilled that they will continue to show up and love people alongside the ministry.
Having been part of Jesus on Colfax for six years, with five of those years spent on staff, I can confidently say there is nothing else I would rather dedicate my life to. My passion for serving those in material poverty began during my time at Moody Bible Institute in downtown Chicago 15 years ago. Simply handing out peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and gathering for Bible Study in the train station ignited my calling.
While I have had the privilege of meeting many of you, I look forward to connecting with those I haven't yet had the pleasure of meeting. I would love to buy you a cup of coffee and hear about how you were connected to Jesus on Colfax and share our ideas for the future.
I want to express heartfelt gratitude to all who volunteer, pray, and generously give to support our mission. Your contributions enable us to reach more individuals and families and make a tangible difference in our community.
Although we are halfway through the calendar year, our fiscal year begins today and with it, a new strategic plan. In the past year, we have expanded our outreach efforts significantly. Our Family Rooms have grown from serving over 100 members to nearly 700, and we have introduced dedicated hours for women at risk or affected by exploitation. This year, we are excited to embark on new initiatives aimed at helping our community members stabilize and thrive. We are planning on providing more specific support, job skills training, and housing to help our friends reach their goals.
Thank you for being part of the Jesus on Colfax family. I am honored to serve alongside each of you in this important work.
Best,
Kayla
The Tax Credit info:
Jesus on Colfax is a participating Homeless Contribution Tax Credit (HCTC) organization! The Colorado Homeless Contribution Income Tax Credit provides a state income tax credit to Colorado taxpayers who contribute to eligible homelessness-related projects within Colorado. Our ministry is an approved eligible project to receive the tax credit.
Donors who give monetary gifts of $100 or more OR in-kind gifts of over $5,000 after June 6, 2024 are eligible to receive a 25% state income tax credit. This can include cumulative gifts that are given by the end of the tax year.
All donors who give eligible contributions can opt into this tax credit by entering their qualified donations into the system in January of 2025. We are having donors enter their own information because Colorado statute (C.R.S. 39-22-548) states that a full Social Security Number for the donor is required to be on the distributed tax credit certificate and entered at the time that the contribution is submitted. The Social Security Number and other personal information is used by the Department of Revenue to verify identity.
Jesus on Colfax’s donors will receive their tax credit certificate on an annual basis in Feb of the following year.
If you have any questions regarding HCTC, please contact kayla@jesusoncolfax.org
For more information about the new HCTC program, visit