Denver Employees Emergency ProgramAbout UsDenver Employees Emergency Program (DEEP) DEEP is an employee driven program that provides grants to City and County employees who need emergency assistance with basic expenses such as rent, utility payments, or medical. These grants need not be repaid. Future donations are always welcome.
DEEP is funded through employee donations. The program relies and is dependant on the sense of family unity between employees, each of us supporting the City family.
DEEP operates through an employee board in partnership with Community Shares of Colorado.
Supporting the City Family
The Denver Employees Emergency Program (DEEP) began assisting city employees in need in the spring of 2004.
The program was a long time dream of Chris Weimer, director of the Office of Employee Assistance. In the course of their work, Chris and his staff, often assisted city employees who were dealing with extreme financial problems often resulting from difficult life experiences such as death, health problems, or divorce.
Since many financial assistance programs are closed to the employed, in an effort to assist, Chris often tapped resources such as non-profit organizations, church groups and generous friends, not to mention reaching into his own pocket on a few occasions. He dreamed of setting up a fund so that city employees could support each other in times of financial crisis.
After many years of hoping and dreaming, in the fall of 2003, the time was finally right. Chris found a group of other city employees who shared his commitment to establishing an employee emergency fund. That group, with the support of the Hickenlooper Administration created DEEP.
The initial project team was composed of seven city employees: Deb Bartelson (City Council), Shirley Garcia (Career Service), Steve Hutt (Treasury), Christine McGroarty (Budget and Management), Chris Weimer (Office of Employee Assistance), Chrisanne Wilhelmi (Human Services) and Tom Wulf (Auditor’s Office).
Rather than setting up its own non-profit organization, the DEEP project team chose to partner with an existing non-profit, Community Shares of Colorado. This would reduce administrative costs and allow DEEP to use more of its funds to assist city employees in need.
The board then drafted By-laws and Policies and Procedures which would be the framework of how DEEP would operate. The purpose of the program was to provide grants to city employees in severe financial hardship. The project team decided that the only course of action was to establish a very strict definition of an emergency, for example utility shut off notice or eviction notice. The team also decided that to protect the funds DEEP would make payments directly to vendors, never giving cash to applicants.
With the operating structure established, the next step was to develop a public information and fund raising campaign, which culminated in the DEEP kickoff celebration in May of 2004. By the time of the kickoff event DEEP had raised over $12,000, including significant contributions from Mayor Hickenlooper, Michael Bennett and the Friends of Denver Municipal Services, as well as donations from City Council members, Cabinet members, and many city employees.
The kick off was a wonderful event, with music, baked goods and guest speakers including the Mayor, the Auditor, Council President Wedgeworth, and others. The outpouring of support in direct financial contributions, as well as in kind donations, was truly remarkable.
Despite DEEP’s tremendous success in raising funds, as feared, the needs drastically outweighed the program’s resources. In the first four months of operation, DEEP received over 100 requests for assistance from city employees. Funds were drained by early August and many applicants had to be turned away.
With both the undeniable support for the DEEP program and the obvious need for its services driving it, the DEEP board moved into a significant effort to raise funds through the aforementioned, Denver Employees Combined Campaign, known as DECC. This campaign was again an amazing success. In its first year in the DECC, DEEP was the second highest recipient, coming in just behind the Dumb Friends League in contributions from city employees. Because of this generous support, DEEP was able to start awarding grants again in March of 2005. Since that time DEEP has received more than 75 applications.
In addition to continuing to provide grants using the DECC funds, DEEP has recently partnered with a local food bank to provide assistance to city employees who are in need, but do not meet DEEP’s strict eligibility criteria. DEEP has also offered money management classes, has partnered with Xcel Energy and begun to explore a variety of new ways to raise funds.
In its brief history, just over two years at this writing, DEEP has gone from an idea, to a source of pride and support for city employees as well as being a role model. The first program of its kind for local government, DEEP and its supporters have been able to help hundreds of city employees keep their lights on, keep a roof over their heads, and keep families from going hungry.
The success of DEEP is a powerful testimony to what we can do when we work together!
Our Mission
To provide financial assistance in support of our fellow City employees during times of personal financial crisis.
Our Vision
To create and administer a self-supporting, employee funded emergency grant program, which will bring City employees together as family.
Our Values
Confidentiality
Employee funded
Dignity
Non-judgmental
Non-discriminatory
Self-supporting