In December of 2022, Kat Altman’s son was hospitalized. Christmas was approaching, and he worried that Santa might not find him. Kat began searching for holiday gift assistance programs and discovered IFCS. Applying for the Helping Hands for the Holidays program became a first step toward opportunities that would change the trajectory of her entire family.
Kat and her husband had been living just a few miles from IFCS when, during their son’s hospitalization, they lost their apartment. Thankfully, just weeks after receiving holiday gift assistance, another door opened, quite literally.
Looking Back
Kat’s life had challenges long before the 2022 crises. Originally from Texas, she rose out of homelessness in her youth and was inspired to serve others through an outreach ministry. Having experienced both the challenges of needing support and the opportunity to provide it, she has a unique perspective. She understands not only what it means to receive assistance, but also the compassion and generosity that motivate those who offer it.
“As a homeless teenager, I managed to get myself through high school, college, and get out here [to Colorado], and basically do everything on my own,” she says, while acknowledging the importance of community resources. “You have to match resources with your determination, your hard work, your consistency… understanding that stability and routine create a healthy life.” This is hard-won wisdom from a young woman.
Kat understands the value of establishing routine in her life. She also knows how to stretch the smaller resources, such as food assistance, to help manage long-term needs like utility bills, transportation costs, and clothing for the children. “It’s not easy,” she says, “Finding balance is incredibly hard when you have lived a life of unbalance…the tumultuous journey started long before I even met my husband.”
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Kat and her husband had successful careers, but a series of challenges led to instability in their lives. Reflecting on that period, Kat credits their recovery to achieving sobriety and finding the support and community they needed to build a stable foundation for their family. Knowing firsthand the persistence it takes to build a healthy life after hardship, Kat says, “It’s not just something you sit back and receive.”
Precarious Housing
Before Kat reached out to IFCS, her family was living in tight quarters: three people in a bedroom with a kitchenette. They were barely making ends meet, unsure if they’d be “sitting out in the rain the next day.” They had income, but not enough to stay where they were.
In addition to the stress of their son’s illness and hospitalization, then the loss of their apartment, Kat was pregnant with their second child. The uncertainty was daunting: “You’re sitting there wondering, how can I give this child a better life?” Kat recounts. “You’re considering adoption… you’re wondering if you can do it, not just financially, but emotionally. Because you don’t want your child to grow up in a situation where they’re facing a state system. And that’s never anything you want for your kids, especially when you grew up that way.”
A Door Opens
“I reached out to IFCS on a whim,” Kat recalls. When she found the holiday gift support, she also found the list of other resources. She returned to the IFCS website to apply for the Rapid Re-housing program IFCS offered at the time (but no longer provides), in partnership with Innovative Housing. There was a lot of hesitancy as Kat and her husband searched for housing assistance, knowing there were waiting lists, several steps in the application processes, and hoops to jump through. They had a lot of doubts, but they didn’t give up.
They waited a couple weeks, tentatively planning to live in their vehicle while proactively searching and applying for an apartment. To their surprise, they were interviewed and approved for rapid re-housing within the month. Adding to their relief, the apartment they had sought out on their own was a fit for the South Metro Housing assistance the program provided.
For their third year in a row, Kat and her husband renewed their lease at this apartment in June of 2026. “I couldn’t be more grateful for the stability I was able to obtain with the help of IFCS,” Kat says. “IFCS is a huge part of where we are now, because they were able to connect us to the resources to get us the housing that we needed.”
Making a Difference Together
Kat’s family is a powerful example of what’s possible when a community comes together. Her story reflects the impact of partnership among organizations, donors, and determined program participants who refuse to give up even when life becomes incredibly difficult.
“When you can’t provide, you feel helpless. You don’t know what people will think of you when they know you’ve done so well at one point in your life and have lost it all,” Kat says. “There aren’t enough thanks and gratitude that we could ever express to IFCS for what they’ve done for us and our family… Being two children who experienced hardship and lived on the streets as teenagers before growing into adulthood, this is the most stability we’ve had in our entire lives.”
Looking back on her family’s journey with IFCS, Kat has a message for everyone who is a part of this nonprofit:
- To those facing hardship: “Don’t give up… Eventually there’s a light at the end of that tunnel.”
- To those who work and volunteer at IFCS: “Every person that we’ve ever met through IFCS has been so incredibly helpful, mindful, and thoughtful to us… and that is just the icing on top of what you all provide and offer to the community. So thank you.”
- To those who support IFCS: “I don’t think any government will ever take into account what humans really need. Ever. So it’s left to the people to take care of each other in that way. And sometimes that means donating. Sometimes that means reaching out.”
Kat wants donors to know that their generosity provides far more than financial support. “We’re talking about people’s confidence in society. Talking about people’s well-being, their ability to live and breathe and feel like they can be a part of society,” she says. Support of IFCS offers real hope, stability, and the opportunity for families like Kat’s to build a future they once thought was out of reach.
Thank you, Kat, for sharing your story with us and allowing us to publish it for others to know the transformative impact of helpful resources. We appreciate all the ways you support our community’s health, beginning in your own home. Cheers to your family’s continued success!
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