Meet The Staff

SUPPORTIVE HOUSING

HARBOR HOUSE

CLINIC

SAFE HARBOR

HOUSING FIRST

DONATE

WAYS TO GIVE

Harbor House Collaborative

1710 E. Pikes Peak Avenue,

Suite 100

Colorado Springs, CO 80909

Phone: 719-473-5557

Fax: 719-473-6442

Matthew Carlstrom, Supportive House Manager

mcarlstrom@harborhouseco.org

Meet Our Staff

Working Behind The Scenes Are Our Dedicated

Employees Who Help Find The Solutions to Ending Homelessness and Addiction in Our Community

Alanna McCaffrey has been with Harbor House Collaborative since July 1, 2008. She is the Coordinator and an Addictions Counselor for the Safe Harbor Women’s Program that provides gender responsive treatment with a holistic approach to healing and recovery from substance abuse.

Alanna has previous experience with partnering in the opening of a women’s recovery home in Colorado Springs in 2006, has been involved with the recovery community on both a volunteer and employment basis. She has a passion for helping women find and embrace recovery from substance use and other destructive behaviors

“I love my job because I get to see amazing changes in women take place as they heal and grow. Helping and being a witness to this process of empowerment transformation makes me feel very blessed to be able to do the work I do”.

Elaine joined HHC a year ago as receptionist and was recently promoted to the Executive Assistant. As the receptionist, Elaine was the first point of contact by phone or in person for those seeking individual therapy, group therapy or sober living services from HHC. She also acted as a referral to other community organizations as necessary. She enjoys the fulfillment of helping others in need. Elaine’s philosophy is “to make everyone feel welcome, important and to give people HOPE.” She will miss the front desk position, but looks forward to the challenges ahead.

Previous to HHC, Elaine worked in the corporate world in various office positions and was a business owner for 11 years. She gained invaluable experience by being a business owner, and learned the value of building lasting relationships with her customers. She is also a creative and artistic person, enjoys making jewelry and would like to some day teach the craft to others and perhaps help them become a business owner in a field they enjoy.

I like to quote Kahlil Gibran – “Life without liberty is like a body without spirit”.

Elaine Firestone, Assistant to the Executive Director

efirestone@harborhouseco.org

Nicole Cosgrove, Receptionist ncosgrove@harborhouseco.org

Annette Barnett is the Bookkeeper for Harbor House Collaborative. She graduated from College in 1984 and has been doing Bookkeeping and Administrative work ever since. Annette is very active in the Recovery Community in Colorado Springs.

She has been with Harbor House since October 2010. “I love my job at Harbor House, I have always loved doing books, but at Harbor House I feel like its workwith a purpose. A really good and important purpose. I have the opportunity to do what I love and work with an amazing group of people. I feel at Harbor House that everyone genuinely cares about our purpose, and especially our clients and giving them the best we each have to offer. We really get so much back.

The gift is indeed in the giving! “

Annette Barnett, Finance Director

abarnett@harborhouseco.org

Bill Dove, Ph.D., CAC III is a licensed clinical psychologist and a certified substance abuse counselor in Colorado. He is also certified in Substance Abuse Treatment by the College of Professional Psychology of the American Psychological Association. He has over 35 years of experience in working with substance abuse clients and has been a clinical supervisor in a number of substance abuse and mental health programs.

Bill Dove, Ph.D., CAC III, Clinical Supervisor

bdove@harborhouseco.org

“In over 15 years of being both personally and professionally involved in the treatment and support of the disenfranchised; I have never come across a more quirky, diverse, caring and competent group of individuals as I have with the Staff of The Harbor House…I am now living, quite possibly for the first time in my life, with a sense of real purpose.”

Matthew, Supportive Housing Manager since December of 2009, Graduated from the University of Colorado in December 1988. He has held numerous corporate positions with some of the most recognizable companies in America and came to Harbor House after a period of both volunteering and working for the Salvation Army. He loves to laugh and you can usually find him at the center of both friendly conversations and hot debate over the plight of the homeless in America. If there is one thing he wants to relay to those both like minded and otherwise, it would be that “some tragedies are simply personal”, “that most Americans simply don’t realize just how close they are to living in a Shelter or being banished to the streets.” He has a heart for service and as such is a valued member of our staff.

Katrina Vigil, CAC III, Supporting Housing Case Manager

kvigil@harborhouseco.org

I have been a Case Manager with Harbor House Collaborative since January 2008. I have 8 years of experience working as an Addictions Counselor and Case Manager; including 6 years serving with the 302nd Aeromedical Staging Squadron as a Mental Health Technician out of Peterson AFB. In that past, I have worked in a variety of settings in this field to include, Detox, Methadone Maintenance, DUI Education and Therapy, and Intensive Outpatient; but Harbor House has been the most enjoyable and rewarding of them all. I take pleasure in being able to work with each client on an individual basis to identify their unique strengths that will allow them to reach their goals.

Cyn Connais, Psy.D., MC/MFT, LPC, Addictions Therapist

cconnais@harborhouseco.org

Cyn Connais has been with Harbor House collaborative since June 2008. She came to Harbor House as an Intern in Clinical Psychology specializing in women’s issues and trauma. She is currently Program Manager for the Safe Harbor Program.

Cyn has over 20 years experience in substance abuse, which began while she was serving in the United States Army. She has developed a passion for working with women and families who have been affected by substance use and trauma.

Cyn’s passion is to assist women who have abused substances to grow and become empowered through an holistic recovery environment. Additionally, she strives to help women overcome obstacles in life while they seek their individual spiritual guidance.

“I don’t ‘go to work’, nor do I ‘have a job’. I have an opportunity to share in the miracles our women experience as they progress through treatment. I am fortunate to see and share the “I can” moments when they realized they are empowered to change their lives.

Alanna McCaffrey-Bucknell, MSW, CAC II, Addictions Counselor

amccaffrey@harborhouseco.org

One of my dreams for the future is to provide women and their children a safe, transitional housing program to assist them in making positive changes in their lives with sustainability.

Kitta Renfroe, Intern krenfroe@harborhouseco.org

Jennifer Pressey, Intern jpressey@harborhouseco.org

Todd Ponczoch, tponczoch@harborhouseco.org

Linda Peterburs, CAC II, Addictions Counselor

lpeterburs@harborhouseco.org

Linda Peterburs has been with Harbor House Collaborative since February 2011. She does Individual and Group Counseling for General Recovery and Co-Occurring Disorder. She believes Addiction is a symptom, so uses a holistic approach to life recovery.

Linda has previously worked with other Addiction Centers in Colorado in an employed and volunteer capacity. Her passion is to help people not only get out of addiction, but to actually get a good life. She believes life is joy, and so many are dwelling in pain.

Linda is pleased to work with Harbor House because she believes people heal from a place of safety. When a client does not feel the need to fear or worry, the real work can begin. She believes Harbor House offers clients a chance to enter sobriety by providing life skills and a place of safety.

Although I was born on a farm in Greentown, Ohio, I’ve always thought of New Orleans as my home. I was able to achieve one of my dreams and live in NOLA for 8 years! I spent many years in the restaurant industry as an owner and multi-unit operator, opening restaurants across the country, including Olive Garden, Ground Round, Planet Hollywood and La Madeline. I also worked for fellow Chef, Emeril Lagasse at his restaurant Delmonico in New Orleans, before hurricane Katrina, considered one of the top five restaurants in the USA. In 2003, I moved to Colorado Springs from New Orleans and operated Texas T-Bone on South Academy.

Since 2004, I volunteered and then worked at Springs Rescue Mission. The first year I volunteered in the kitchen teaching cooking classes as I am also a chef. In 2005, God changed the direction of my life, I left the restaurant industry and I was hired as the Men’s Recovery Program Coordinator and Counselor. I recently left SRM as their Chief Operations Officer.

I was contacted in February of this year by board members of Harbor House Collaborative about the possibility of becoming the Executive Director. Read Full Bio.......

Lyn Harwell

Executive Director

Lyn Harwell, Executive Director

lharwell@harborhouseco.org

Elaine Firestone

Executive Assistant

Annette Barnett

Finance Director

Bill Dove

Clinical Supervisor

Matthew Carlstrom

Supportive

House Manager

Cyn Connais

Addictions Therapist

Alanna McCaffrey

Addictions

Counselor

Linda Petersburg

Addictions Counselor

Katrina Vigil

Supporting Housing

Case Manager

Laura Fonner is the Housing First senior case manager. She has been a licensed professional counselor for seven years and has worked with Housing First in Virginia and Colorado. She has 16 years of experience in the mental health field. She graduated from Chapman University with a Masters degree in Psychology. She has been a yoga instructor for two years and recently started teaching a yoga workshop for anxiety and depression. She is passionate about working with the severely mentally ill and sets the bar in helping clients receive Social Security benefits.

Laura Fonner, Housing First Senior Case Manager

lfonner@harborhouseco.org

Jacki Ballou is a compassionate case manager at Housing First. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Northern Iowa. She has experience working with homeless youth at Urban Peak and has worked with victims of domestic violence at TESSA. She is working on a Masters in Social Work degree at Newman University. She aspires to become a licensed social worker. Her great compassion and easy manner have helped defuse many situations with our chronically mentally ill clients. She is an excellent team player and has been a great asset to the Housing First Program.

Phyllis Minter, Housing First Program Director & Case Manager

pminter@harborhouseco.org

Phyllis Minter is the Housing First program director as well as a case manager. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology from Regis University. Her 10 years of corporate experience in project management, technical proposals, systems engineering and customer support have enabled her to manage and direct the HF project to a new level of professialism. She has worked in mental health for over ten years as a private practice counselor and with youth in the foster care system and juveniles in residential treatment. She has been with HF for over two years. She is enthusiastic about treating clients holistically and helping not-for profits become more stable by implementing more sound business practices.

Jacki Ballou, Housing First Compassionate Case Manager

jballou@harborhouseco.org

Ann Jung, Office Manager

ajung@harborhouseco.org

Anne Junge is the office manager. She holds a MBA from Regis Uiversity and has 15 years experience as an Accountant. She supports the staff in everything from general office managment, compiling reports on income and tracking client data. She solicits support from the community and helps prepare reports for HUD. She enjoys keeping the staff organized and on track.

Ann Jung

Office Manager

Laura Fonner

Housing First Senior Case Manager

Jacki Ballou

Housing First

Compassionate

Case Manager

Phyllis Minter

Housing First

Program Director

& Case Manager

I started working at Harbor House in June. I have never worked in a place where I felt at home immediately. For the first time in my life, I love my job. Being that I am in school to become a counselor, I feel this is the perfect place for me to be. I am learning a lot from the staff here. They truly care about their clients. As the receptionist, I get to work with both the clients and the counselors on a daily basis and I love it.

Coming from the Westside of Chicago, I learned early that there were people that needed help, myself included. Due to the ups and downs of life I was able to go to college in Texas on an athletic scholarship to play football. I tried out for a couple of professional teams but unfortunately, I did not make them. While in school I had some R.O.T.C. training and chose to join the United States Army where I served for seven years and was honorably discharged. I began working in the hotel industry, mainly in the food service department. I worked a little over twenty years as an Executive Steward for several 4-star hotels.

I am happy to be here at Harbor House. Everyone works hard at working together to serve others. I’m grateful to be a part of the team and to be of service.

Eugene Motley, Assistant Resident Manager

emotley@harborhouse.org

Eugene Motley

Yolanda Hodges, CAC III, TASC Addictions Counselor

yhodges@harborhouseco.org

Previously before coming to Harbor House, I worked on an inpatient acute mental health and a dual diagnosed unit. I worked the “front lines” for eight years. Six years was working directly with detox clients and encouraging them to seek treatment and help them recognize that there is hope and things will get better when they are in recovery. I was briefly the Involuntary Court Coordinator before transferring to the Intensive Outpatient Program where I facilitated groups for one year. I had recently been working on the mental health unit and gained experience and knowledge, but truly missed working with those with substance abuse issues. I am now looking forward to the next chapter of my career and the benefits of seeing others succeed and become self sufficient.

Kary Tuinstra, CAC III, Case Manager

ktuinstra@harborhouseco.org

Terry Thayer, Outcomes Specialist

tthayer@harborhouseco.org

Kary Ann Tuinstra

Terry Thayer

Yolanda Hodges

Nicole Cosgrove

Receptionist

I am a native of Colorado, born in Salida and raised on a ranch in Gunnison. I am 2nd oldest of 11 children (nine girls and two boys)

I’ve always had a desire to be of service to my fellowman; first working the restaurant industry and then for 10 years managing Board and Care Facilities for clients suffering from various stages of dementia or Alzheimers.

In 1984 I found it necessary to seek help overcoming my own Chemical Addictions. I became a Certified Addictions Counselor and have devoted the past 24 years helping others out of the addiction maze.

I began service to Harbor House Collaborative in July of this year as an addiction counselor and am looking forward to learning and growing in the Harbor House Mission.

Marsha has been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in residential, inpatient, and outpatient settings, with individuals, groups, and families for over 20 years. Her primary focus has been Chemical Dependency and mood disorders. She has been an active volunteer in self-help support and Twelve Step programs for the past 40 years.

Marsha earned her Masters degree in Social Work at the University of Tennessee and then started working with patients with addictive disorders in a range of in-patient and out-patient settings, as well as five years serving geriatric behavioral health patients. In some positions, Marsha supervised Master level Social Workers towards licensing requirements. She also supervised unlicensed Social Workers and Counselors towards earning licensure. Read Full Bio

MARSHA A. RITTERBAND, MSSW, LCSW, C-CATODSW

mritterband@harborhouseco.org

Marsha A.

Ritterband

Over the last 3+ years, I have combined my situation (stay at home dad) with improving my Excel skills to help community nonprofits. I found that nonprofits need a low-cost solution to collect data and report information. I have helped them by creating tables to measure how much they are doing (outputs) and how well they are doing it (outcomes). I have found a “home” in the nonprofit community by serving the needs of “the housing continuum”. This includes Harbor House, Partners In Housing, Greccio, and the Rocky Mountain Community Land Trust. Thus my goals are two-part: to serve the needs of the individual agencies and to do my part in strengthening the entire continuum. By serving the needs of the individual agencies, they will be in a position to quickly and accurately respond to grant requests and reports. They will also have a tool useful for management decision-making along with having the support to help tell their story to others. By serving the needs of the housing continuum, the community as a whole will be helped by trying to provide all people with a place to call home. All of this culminates in helping people in need achieve their potential.