As someone in your teens or early 20’s, maybe you’ve been sleeping outside and are
thinking about finding a safe place indoors, especially now that cold weather has
arrived. Where can you go and what can you expect there? Here’s a rundown of some
shelters, along with some other services you might want to check out.
(Note: All places say they welcome LGBTQ individuals and, unless otherwise stated,
are wheelchair accessible. All overnight shelters also state that they provide assistance
to help young people transition to stable, secure housing situations that meet each
person’s needs--including family reunification if appropriate.)
Attention Homes provides The Source Runaway and Homeless Youth emergency
shelter program, which can accommodate up to 14 people ages 20 and under at 3080
Broadway Street in Boulder. You’re eligible whether you’re living on the streets, couch
surfing, needing some respite time from your family, or doubled up with other families.
Call 303-447-1207 any time to see if a bed is available. (You can also just show up.) If
you’re under 18, you’ll always get a bed, and usually adults will too, but when they’re full
the 18-plus people will be put on a waiting list. Once you’re a resident you can stay for
21 days. The shelter is open every day from 5pm to 8am. Attention Homes also
operates a Drop-In Center for youth ages 24 and under that’s open every afternoon
from 12:30-5pm.
In these programs you’ll have access to a full array of services, including
medical/dental/mental health care, meals, showers, laundry facilities, and education and
employment assistance. Attention Homes also has a Street Outreach Team of folks you
can talk to and get help from even before coming in for services. (Note: The facility is
not wheelchair accessible.)
The Bannock Youth Center, run by Volunteers of America, has two transitional rental
assistance housing programs for people between ages 16 and 24: Youth Transitions
and Housing For Young Mothers. (Fathers are also welcome.) Program participants
are housed in apartments throughout the community. You need income, since you’ll pay
up to 30% of your rent, with the program paying the rest. You can stay for up to 18
months, during which time you’ll attend school or work and get help achieving your
housing and other goals. (Note: This program is currently full, and the waiting list is
closed. Call 720-217-3884 to check on the status.)
The Comitis Crisis Center, operated by Mile High Behavioral Health Care, provides
the Homeless and Runaway Youth Shelter program for young people ages 12
through 17 at 2178 Victor Street in Aurora. The program has two parts. Safe Place
provides a place where a youth needing a break from a difficult family situation can stay
for 24 hours. You can call ahead or just walk in. Often a guest will transition from Safe
Place to the Basic Care Program--a 21-day program with family reunification as the
goal. To get into this program, call the 24-hour crisis line 303-341-9160. A phone
assessment will be conducted--generally with the youth’s guardian--to see if the person
is appropriate for this program.
Urban Peak’s Overnight Shelter, located at 1630 S. Acoma Street, hosts up to 50
young people ages 15-20 who are experiencing homelessness. The shelter provides
three meals a day and snacks, and offers recreational activities, counseling and
referrals as needed. A medical clinic is open three times a week. Urban Peak also offers
a housing program through which many guests end up moving into their own
apartments. (There’s a long waiting list for these apartments.) To check on bed
availability, call the 24-hour line 303-974-2908. Those 18 and over may occasionally
experience a waiting list, but if you're under 18 they’ll fit you in.
Urban Peak also offers a Drop-in Center at 2100 Stout Street for young people ages
15-24 experiencing homelessness. You can get breakfast there Monday through Friday
from 8-10am. Drop-in hours are from 10:30 to noon, and there’s a BBQ every Tuesday
from 4-5:30pm. Come here to get out of the elements, hang out in a safe and friendly
environment, do your laundry, take a shower, use a locker, and--especially--find a
listening ear and support in getting your needs met. Education (including GED classes)
and employment assistance are also available. Out on the streets you may run into
some of the friendly, helpful folks on Urban Peak’s Street Outreach Team. For more
information about the Drop-In Center call 303-974-2928.
Other Services
While they don’t offer overnight shelter, you might want to check out these other
services:
Sox Place, at 2017 Lawrence Street, provides a safe, warm and supportive drop-in
center environment where street youth from age 1 to their early 30’s can hang out. Their
website says this is the place for “the gutter punk, the train rider, the homeless youth, you who just need something to eat, you who just need a safe place to crash, whether
you’ve been on the street for one day or one decade...” Come and have a hot meal,
watch movies, play video games and pool, or just sit and talk. Sox Place is open
Tuesdays through Fridays from noon to 4pm and Saturdays from 11am-2pm. For more
information call 303-296-3412.
While not specifically for youth, The Harm Reduction Action Center, at its new home
at 231 E Colfax Avenue, works to educate, empower, and advocate for the health and
dignity of Denver’s injection drug users, in accordance with harm reduction principles.
Among its goals are reducing the spread of communicable diseases and eliminating
fatal overdoses. They offer education and support, as well as clean syringes, syringe
disposal, HIV/HCV testing, syringe exemption cards, and referrals. The Drop-in Center
is open Monday through Friday from 9am to noon.
Prax(us) is a grassroots community organization dedicated to ending the exploitation of
youth and young adults, including its most severe forms, domestic human trafficking
(sex and labor). Prax(us) runs a drop-in center for youth and young adults ages 13-29 at
1029 Santa Fe Street on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am to 2pm. Here you can get
all kinds of useful things--including food and snacks, conversation, socks, hygiene
supplies, HIV and Hep C testing, and items that provide protection when engaging in
sex and drug use. They also hold Monday Nights Are Righteous! every Monday from 6-
8pm, also for people ages 13-29, at 1660 Sherman Street (The Central Presbyterian
Church). Come share a meal while your peers provide trainings on such topics as Know
Your Rights, Selling Sex Safely, Squatting 101, Clean Vein Care, Do’s and Don’ts of
Dumpster Diving, and Street Life Safety. Prax(us) also engages in street outreach
Monday through Saturday in and around the Denver Metro area.
thinking about finding a safe place indoors, especially now that cold weather has
arrived. Where can you go and what can you expect there? Here’s a rundown of some
shelters, along with some other services you might want to check out.
(Note: All places say they welcome LGBTQ individuals and, unless otherwise stated,
are wheelchair accessible. All overnight shelters also state that they provide assistance
to help young people transition to stable, secure housing situations that meet each
person’s needs--including family reunification if appropriate.)
Attention Homes provides The Source Runaway and Homeless Youth emergency
shelter program, which can accommodate up to 14 people ages 20 and under at 3080
Broadway Street in Boulder. You’re eligible whether you’re living on the streets, couch
surfing, needing some respite time from your family, or doubled up with other families.
Call 303-447-1207 any time to see if a bed is available. (You can also just show up.) If
you’re under 18, you’ll always get a bed, and usually adults will too, but when they’re full
the 18-plus people will be put on a waiting list. Once you’re a resident you can stay for
21 days. The shelter is open every day from 5pm to 8am. Attention Homes also
operates a Drop-In Center for youth ages 24 and under that’s open every afternoon
from 12:30-5pm.
In these programs you’ll have access to a full array of services, including
medical/dental/mental health care, meals, showers, laundry facilities, and education and
employment assistance. Attention Homes also has a Street Outreach Team of folks you
can talk to and get help from even before coming in for services. (Note: The facility is
not wheelchair accessible.)
The Bannock Youth Center, run by Volunteers of America, has two transitional rental
assistance housing programs for people between ages 16 and 24: Youth Transitions
and Housing For Young Mothers. (Fathers are also welcome.) Program participants
are housed in apartments throughout the community. You need income, since you’ll pay
up to 30% of your rent, with the program paying the rest. You can stay for up to 18
months, during which time you’ll attend school or work and get help achieving your
housing and other goals. (Note: This program is currently full, and the waiting list is
closed. Call 720-217-3884 to check on the status.)
The Comitis Crisis Center, operated by Mile High Behavioral Health Care, provides
the Homeless and Runaway Youth Shelter program for young people ages 12
through 17 at 2178 Victor Street in Aurora. The program has two parts. Safe Place
provides a place where a youth needing a break from a difficult family situation can stay
for 24 hours. You can call ahead or just walk in. Often a guest will transition from Safe
Place to the Basic Care Program--a 21-day program with family reunification as the
goal. To get into this program, call the 24-hour crisis line 303-341-9160. A phone
assessment will be conducted--generally with the youth’s guardian--to see if the person
is appropriate for this program.
Urban Peak’s Overnight Shelter, located at 1630 S. Acoma Street, hosts up to 50
young people ages 15-20 who are experiencing homelessness. The shelter provides
three meals a day and snacks, and offers recreational activities, counseling and
referrals as needed. A medical clinic is open three times a week. Urban Peak also offers
a housing program through which many guests end up moving into their own
apartments. (There’s a long waiting list for these apartments.) To check on bed
availability, call the 24-hour line 303-974-2908. Those 18 and over may occasionally
experience a waiting list, but if you're under 18 they’ll fit you in.
Urban Peak also offers a Drop-in Center at 2100 Stout Street for young people ages
15-24 experiencing homelessness. You can get breakfast there Monday through Friday
from 8-10am. Drop-in hours are from 10:30 to noon, and there’s a BBQ every Tuesday
from 4-5:30pm. Come here to get out of the elements, hang out in a safe and friendly
environment, do your laundry, take a shower, use a locker, and--especially--find a
listening ear and support in getting your needs met. Education (including GED classes)
and employment assistance are also available. Out on the streets you may run into
some of the friendly, helpful folks on Urban Peak’s Street Outreach Team. For more
information about the Drop-In Center call 303-974-2928.
Other Services
While they don’t offer overnight shelter, you might want to check out these other
services:
Sox Place, at 2017 Lawrence Street, provides a safe, warm and supportive drop-in
center environment where street youth from age 1 to their early 30’s can hang out. Their
website says this is the place for “the gutter punk, the train rider, the homeless youth, you who just need something to eat, you who just need a safe place to crash, whether
you’ve been on the street for one day or one decade...” Come and have a hot meal,
watch movies, play video games and pool, or just sit and talk. Sox Place is open
Tuesdays through Fridays from noon to 4pm and Saturdays from 11am-2pm. For more
information call 303-296-3412.
While not specifically for youth, The Harm Reduction Action Center, at its new home
at 231 E Colfax Avenue, works to educate, empower, and advocate for the health and
dignity of Denver’s injection drug users, in accordance with harm reduction principles.
Among its goals are reducing the spread of communicable diseases and eliminating
fatal overdoses. They offer education and support, as well as clean syringes, syringe
disposal, HIV/HCV testing, syringe exemption cards, and referrals. The Drop-in Center
is open Monday through Friday from 9am to noon.
Prax(us) is a grassroots community organization dedicated to ending the exploitation of
youth and young adults, including its most severe forms, domestic human trafficking
(sex and labor). Prax(us) runs a drop-in center for youth and young adults ages 13-29 at
1029 Santa Fe Street on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am to 2pm. Here you can get
all kinds of useful things--including food and snacks, conversation, socks, hygiene
supplies, HIV and Hep C testing, and items that provide protection when engaging in
sex and drug use. They also hold Monday Nights Are Righteous! every Monday from 6-
8pm, also for people ages 13-29, at 1660 Sherman Street (The Central Presbyterian
Church). Come share a meal while your peers provide trainings on such topics as Know
Your Rights, Selling Sex Safely, Squatting 101, Clean Vein Care, Do’s and Don’ts of
Dumpster Diving, and Street Life Safety. Prax(us) also engages in street outreach
Monday through Saturday in and around the Denver Metro area.
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