Featuring Jerri Schmitz,
Founder/Executive Director, The Mathews House
Jerri Schmitz is a woman who is kind, supportive, strong, and focused. Those characteristics have made her a passionate advocate for those who are at-risk in the communities where she serves as the Founder/President of The Mathews House.
The story of The Mathews House stems from Jerri’s passionate response to a personal concern. In 2003, Jerri met a young man in Old Town Fort Collins. He had just aged out of foster care, which resulted in him couch-surfing and living on the streets. Jerri told him she was going to do some research and find resources for him. However, in the early 2000’s, there weren’t any resources for kids aging out of foster care in Larimer County. Jerri’s response to this lack of services what that “…someone should do something about that…” and that someone was Jerri.
Jerri and Sara Mitchell, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, launched the nonprofit together in 2005. They began working with youth in 2006. They dreamed of creating a safe place where at-risk youth could escape poverty and abuse. Their dream quickly became a reality, and soon every child aging out of foster care was being referred to the program.
But while the Mathews House’s innovative approach was working to support such youth, they also saw the need to address why this need was there. That prompted The Mathews House to reach families early enough and helping them gain stability, so that kids could avoid being placed in foster care in the first place.
The Matthews House currently works with over 3,200 youth and families annually. They are growing with purpose and filling in service gaps to meet the needs of families and communities. They work collaboratively with many nonprofits, businesses, and public entities to best address the needs of participants. The Matthews House offers both intervention and prevention programming, walking alongside youth and families as they work their way from crisis to thriving – providing a safe place for those most at-risk.