All Roads Shelter is holding Rock the Shelter: Leading the Way Home at eTown on October 17th
Recently, we caught up with Andy Schultheiss from All Roads Shelter, Boulder’s leading organization tackling homelessness through emergency shelter and permanent housing solutions. Formerly known as the Boulder Shelter for the Homeless, All Roads is holding a benefit concert, Rock the Shelter: Leading the Way Home at eTown on October 17th.
There will be live music and an opportunity to support All Roads as they address the homelessness crisis in our community. Tickets can be found on our events page.
eTown: What inspired the creation of “Rock The Shelter,” and how does it help the Boulder community?
Andy Schultheiss: Rock the Shelter is All Roads’ (formerly Boulder Shelter for the Homeless) first big fundraising event in years. All Roads operates the emergency shelter for homeless adults on North Broadway and has since 2002. But we are far more than that.
We also housed (permanently) or helped keep housed over 300 formerly homeless people in Boulder county in 2023. Our housing activities are growing very fast. By this time next year we expect to add almost 35% to that number, people who would otherwise be on the streets, costing the city and county in many ways. This helps both the community, by reducing the impact of homeless encampments, and the unhoused themselves, who are able to make progress toward putting their lives back together much more easily while housed. Every dollar from Rock the Shelter will go toward ending homelessness in our clients.
Every $500 raised feeds an entire night’s capacity at the Shelter. Every $5,000 means another formerly homeless individual will be housed for a year and on the road to recovery.
How can attendees make a direct impact by participating in this event?
Homelessness can seem like a hopeless problem to solve. But it isn’t!
Every year All Roads takes advantage of over 400 volunteers at our Shelter building and raises millions of dollars from private sources in order to END homelessness, person-by-person. Not just keep people alive but end their homelessness. We are a big part of the reason why Boulder county had the only large homeless population in the state that decreased in size from 2023 to 2024.
By coming to the concert and giving generously, attendees can be part of a solution to one of society’s biggest and most glaring challenges. Every $500 raised feeds an entire night’s capacity at the Shelter. Every $5,000 means another formerly homeless individual will be housed for a year and on the road to recovery.
What can guests expect from the performances and the overall experience at “Rock The Shelter”?
Rock The Shelter will feature an all-star band of Boulder musicians, led by band leader David Williard. They’re calling themselves the All RoadStars. They’ll be playing favorites from our founding year, 1982, as well as other hits made for dancing. We’ll have drinks (one drink comes with the ticket!) and lots of fun stuff to bid on in a private auction.
Who are some of the key artists or speakers at this year’s event, and what makes their contributions special?
We’ll also be honoring our Chris Byrne Homeless Service Award winner, Jenny Paddock, of the Boulder Police Department, who has long been an advocate for our homeless population from within the police department.
How do proceeds from “Rock The Shelter” benefit local shelters, and what specific programs or services will they support?
All of the proceeds from the event will go toward All Roads’ service for homeless adults. That includes finding and maintaining permanent housing, outreach to encampments, and emergency sheltering at our building on North Broadway (which in turn means hot food, warm beds, showers, lockers, and as we like to say, a little bit of dignity).
All Roads is the main homeless response agency in Boulder. If you are concerned about the homeless problem in Boulder, from any angle, the best way to get involved is to give to, or volunteer with, All Roads.
Thank you for your time and all your work for the Boulder community.
We’re looking forward to seeing all of our supporters, past and future, at our first annual fundraising concert. Get your dancing shoes on!
Tickets are available here for Rock the Shelter: Leading the Way Home, a concert to benefit All Roads in Boulder.