Rising Stars: Meet Jason Goertz

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Goertz.

Hi Jason, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I graduated from the University of Colorado-Boulder with a degree, but no clear idea of what I wanted to do with it. I eventually found a job teaching conversational English in Seoul, South Korea. I thought that it would be fun to live overseas. But it was while I was living in Seoul, that I got connected to a church that was focused on justice ministry, and I ended up going on an exploratory trip to Cambodia. Because I was already living in South Korea, my eyes were already being opened to a bigger world.

My trip to Cambodia, however, took that to a whole new level. While there were many profound moments, there is one experience I had with a little girl that sticks with me. She couldn’t have been more than 7 or 8 years old, and she tried for 45 minutes for me to buy a dollar bracelet. As a part of our conversation, I asked her about happiness and joy. She said she had no joy. And I still remember that. I think as adults, we can get to various phases of our lives that are difficult. We forget about the sun for the proverbial clouds in the way. But for a child to have no joy in life? Children shouldn’t be weighed down like that! So it left me with a question, of what do I do with this? I have seen and heard too much. I can no longer do anything!

That is the question that led me to pursue a degree in Missions and Justice from Denver Seminary. It is a degree that is focused on encouraging the Evangelical church to pursue social justice issues. Upon graduating from Denver Seminary, I found a job doing Street Outreach with Mile High Behavioral Healthcare, to work with people who are experiencing homelessness in the city of Aurora, and try to get them connected to services. I am here today because of that specific realization: I can no longer do anything.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I don’t know if it has been a smooth road or not.

Perhaps time just smooths out the rough edges of life? I think, like many people, I have moments of self-doubt, or wondering, “What am I doing with my life?” I have not chosen a very lucrative field, and I didn’t always make great choices, or set myself up for success. Do those count as obstacles?

But at the end of the day, I have always had God, my family, and my friends to lean into. So if there were challenges along the way, I always had them with me. Life isn’t as hard when you are walking together with others.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am the Team Lead of Street Outreach and Volunteers for Mile High Behavioral Healthcare. My primary role right now is to help the Street Outreach team as they endeavor to end homelessness in Aurora, Colorado. They are the real superheroes; I am just trying to make sure that they can be as successful as they can be.

On Street Outreach, we go to the tents, fields, tunnels, and bridges of the city. We try to find people wherever they are and build relationships with them. The physical resources we have to give are items that bring dignity back to a person’s life. We give them water, food, and hygiene items. In the wintertime, we will pass out warm coats and hot chocolate. We give these items in the hope of building a relationship. In truth, what we are trying to pass out is trust and hope. These can be light, fluffy terms.

They are hard to get and easy to lose. But they are essential for ending homelessness. If a person does not trust us, then they are never going to come with us to explore other resource options. If they don’t have any hope that their situation can change, they are never going to try to change. If we can pass out trust and hope (through water and hygiene items), then we can start showing people that they matter. I have found that if you treat people like people, they tend to act like it. If you treat people like animals, they may act like it. That is why dignity matters so much

If we can pass out enough trust and hope, we can empower people to begin exploring options that will end their homelessness. We empower by giving people dignity through showers and warm meals. We empower people by honestly examining strengths and obstacles in life. We can empower them by supporting them with getting their IDs, helping them look for jobs, and encouraging them as they look for temporary and permanent housing opportunities.

In this capacity, I go out into the community, to convince people to come to the Comitis Crisis Center and the Aurora Day Resource Center to GET resources that can help people experiencing homelessness.

But I also have another role as a Volunteer Coordinator. In that capacity, I write newsletters, help organize and host events at our various facilities, reach out to prospective groups and organizations to commit to days of service, organize donation drives, and recruit volunteers for our facilities (just to name a few.

In that capacity, I go out into the community, to convince people to come to Comitis Crisis Center and the Aurora Day Resource Center to GIVE resources that can help people experiencing homelessness.

In truth, there is no other job like this.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I am a task-oriented, introvert at heart, but I have a job that requires me to be a people-oriented, extravert in both the Street Outreach position and my role as Volunteer Coordinator.

But I have an unyielding, unrelenting, fire in my bones that says “People Deserve Dignity;” I can’t help but to try and pass that passion on.