Kristin & David’s Story

“People walk through HRDC’s doors because they need a service. They may need help finding a safe place to live, putting food on the table or navigating a system that feels overwhelming. But sometimes, something more happens along the way. The people we serve become part of our lives, and we become part of theirs. David was one of those people. He came to HRDC looking for housing, but over the years, he became someone we looked out for, celebrated, worried about and, ultimately, loved.”

For Kristin Hamburg, our Development Director, David's story is personal.

Kristin has been part of HRDC for 31 years, and David was one of the very first customers she remembers getting to know. Their friendship stretched across more than two decades, and in that time, David became a familiar face throughout the organization, building friendships with staff that felt more like family.

“He knew people at HRDC by name,” Kristin said. “He took pride in the relationships he had with them.”

David first came to us for help with housing. He was working, but the rising cost of living was making it difficult to afford his rent. He moved into an income-based apartment at Boulevard Apartments, and his relationship with HRDC grew from there.

Over the years, HRDC helped David with food, transportation, taxes, SNAP applications, Social Security recertifications and the countless pieces of paperwork that can be overwhelming to navigate alone. Staff helped connect him with support for his physical and emotional health, too.

But David's relationship with HRDC was never simply transactional. He regularly stopped by to visit. He always paid his rent in person, Kristin remembers, partly because it gave him a chance to see people and have some face-to-face social interaction.

And David found ways to contribute, too. He helped with property management, landscaping, shoveling sidewalks and taking pride in caring for the place he called home.

For someone who had spent much of his life experiencing trauma and without a strong support system, the relationships he built at HRDC mattered.

“Over the years, he rarely saw his biological family. They just weren't really a part of his life,” Kristin said. “HRDC became his family in a lot of ways.”

David became part of Kristin's family, too.

“I always say, my kids grew up ‘HRDC’ and customers like David were a huge part of that. They knew we brought him German chocolate cake for his birthday and cherry pie for Thanksgiving. They knew he loved the Broncos, so whether they were winning or losing, we’d have to go talk to David about it. He became a part of our family, too.”

They also learned that when David stopped by, a quick visit wasn't necessarily going to be quick.

“A 10-minute conversation could easily turn into an hour because David was often lonely,” Kristin said. “And my kids knew to give him kindness and respect. I believe they looked forward to spending time with him.”

That is what Kristin remembers most. Not one particular service or program, but the simple act of showing up.

“When David was in the hospital, staff visited him. When the holidays came around, we remembered him. When his health began to decline,  and at the end we were all there. Even on his darkest days, if one of our team members showed up, you could get a smile out of him,” Kristin said.

David passed away after more than 20 years of connection to HRDC, but he left an impression on the people who knew him that has lasted long after his final visit.

“We were very grateful to be a part of his life,” Kristin said. “David is someone none of us will ever forget.”

When Kristin thinks about the question, Where Would We Be Without HRDC?, she can't imagine what David's life might have looked like without the people and services he found here.

“It would have been harder. It would have been lonely,” she said. “And he wouldn't have been able to fulfill many of his goals without HRDC.”

Those goals weren't extravagant. They were having food in the refrigerator. Having a safe place to live. Being able to get where he needed to go. Having someone help him through the paperwork and systems that were difficult to navigate alone.

And knowing that when he needed someone, someone would show up.

David came to HRDC looking for housing but what he found was community.