Our Team
We are Roxanne and Monika, dedicated and passionate nonprofit founders who live in Boulder and are committed to providing useful services to the homeless in our city. We are taking our convictions and turning them into action.
Roxanne Peterson
Roxanne Peterson is Executive Director and Co-founder of Homeless Cares. Before launching Homeless Cares in June of 2021, she worked in a transitional housing program for veterans at Volunteers of America, and advocated for the rights of homeless individuals in Boulder, Colorado, where she now resides. Her first-hand experience with homelessness sparked a deep desire to work with the unhoused population, and develop resources to address some of the daily challenges confronting them. Prior to moving to Boulder, she obtained a MA in Program Evaluation from the University of Minnesota, and taught English as a Foreign Language abroad in Portugal and Japan. A strong interest in worker cooperatives, housing cooperatives, land trusts and other alternative best practices has also informed her approach and long-term goals. She believes that by combining creative thinking, collaboration, accountability, and personalized services, more inroads can be made, and better outcomes can be achieved for those experiencing homelessness in Boulder.
Monika Rutkowski
Monika Rutkowski is the Co-founder of Homeless Cares. Her long career as a pediatric cardiologist was a strong expression of caring for fellow human beings in need. As a member of the NYU faculty and director of cardiac clinics in several New York City hospitals, her connection to her patients added a social context to the medical issues. After retirement, Monika moved to Boulder to be close to her family (and enjoy frequent hikes in the mountains!). At the same time, she sought other meaningful pathways to continue caring for others in far less fortunate situations than herself. In Boulder, underserved human beings experiencing homelessness stood out as a stark example of a population in need. In her work with Homeless Cares, she aims to forge relationships with individuals and address some of the many gaps in available services. Through steady engagement, she hopes to continue setting an example for her family, convey the message that we all share responsibility for those in need, and energize public participation to find solutions for disenfranchised communities in Boulder.