Urban Peak Denver

Overnight shelter: denver's only licensed and supervised overnight shelter for unhoused youth ages 12 through 24 provides safety and security for youth in crisis. Youth are provided an array of services to help support them in their journey toward self-sufficiency. When youth enter the shelter, they participate in intake assessment to help determine individual needs and identify personal barriers to exiting the streets. Urban peak has implemented an organizational structure and treatment framework called trauma informed care (tic). Tic involves understanding, recognizing, and responding to the effects of all types of trauma. We emphasize the physical, psychological, and emotional safety of both youth and staff, and assume that every youth accessing services has experienced trauma. In fy24, 324 unduplicated youth stayed at the shelter for 12,106 bed nights.

Day shelter: urban peak's day shelter offers respectful, low-barrier drop-in services in a safe environment for youth to receive a meal, take a shower, do laundry, access medical care, and access case management and service planning. The day shelter provides numerous life skills classes including anger management, healthy relationships, cooking and nutrition, sex and sti education, budgeting, and more. Youth have the opportunity to participate in art, music, yoga, and recreational activities. Youth engaging with a case manager receieve a comprehensive assessment to identify strengths, needs, and goals. Together, case manager and youth develop an individualized service plan. Components of case management may include mental health assessment and intervention; legal advocacy; housing navigation; individual, group and family counseling referrals; substance abuse counseling and support; independent living program referrals; transportation assistance; education/employment assistance; assistance obtaining id's and birth certifications; peer leadership development; and more. The day shelter often serves as a gateway for youth to access other urban peak programs, and uses a positive youth development and restorative justice model which compliments trauma informed care. In fy24, 904 unduplicated youth accessed services; 44,099 meals were provided; 7,352 showers; and 479 youth engaged with a case manager.

Youth support services: urban peak offers education/employment, medical and social emotional services to all youth clients. Because the majority of homeless youth do not have a high school diploma or ged, urban peak encourages youth to complete their high school education at their home school. As an alternative, urban peak offers educational counseling, tutoring, and on-site ged instruction and testing. A computer lab is open during the day and in the evenings so youth can acquire or enhance computer skills. Financial assistance for higher education is available. Urban peak provides employment counseling and job readiness training to equip youth with the tools and support necessary to obtain and keep good jobs - including resume development; application completion; interview skills and other soft skill development; work ethic development; clothing suitable for job search and interview; and personal makeovers (haircuts and styling, makeup tips, help choosing clothing, etc.). Volunteers provide ongoing job mentoring to youth throughout the process. Urban peak also works with local businesses to secure job opportunities for youth, provide ongoing job retention case management to youth, and support to employers who have hired our youth. In fy24, 445 youth participated in established and/or worked on their education, employment, housing, and/or mental/behavioral and physical health goals: 235 received medical assessments through ups on-site clinic; 222 worked with a peer navigator; 205 worked on mental/behavioral health goals; 133 worked on education or employment goals; 142 receieved housing navigation assistance; and 164 worked on life skill goals. Urban peak also provides in-house training to program staff on topics such as mental health first-aid, trauma informed care, de-escalation, and direct client support. Our program evaluation includes collection, collation, and interpretation of an extensive amount of client data used for purposes of reporting, outcome measurement, decision-making, and program strategic planning. Outreach: urban peak's street outreach team members are on the streets at various times throughout the day, seeking out runaway and homeless young people wherever they may congregate. Staff engage youth in conversation and distribute hygiene supplies, clothing, food, and other items that offer protection on the streets. We are able to offer services provided throughout the agency including testing for hiv, sti, and hepatitis c. Our outreach staff is adept at establishing trust with these young people and providing referrals for shelter, education and employment, mental health services, drug and addiction services, health care, and meals. In fy24 our outreach team contacted 293 unduplicated youth an average of 9 times per youth; due to a substantial increase of newcomers in 2024, ups assistance was requested in providing basic needs to over 200 individuals, families and children. These data were not entered in ups data tracking system; 194 accessed ups day shelter; 64 (27%) of youth living on the street were placed in emergency shelter, permanent or transitional housing