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Based on research indicating few teen homeless services, Attention Homes initiated community meetings with teen
<br />and adult homeless service providers. These include, but are not limited to: Boulder Shelter for the Homeless,
<br />Carriage House, Gemini, HOPE, Stand Up for Kids and St. Vrain Valley School District (SWSD) / Boulder Valley
<br />School District (BVSD) McKinney -Vento Representatives. The goals of the participants are to form a coalition to
<br />increase information sharing and availability of adequate services, reduce duplication of services and provide a more
<br />comprehensive support and advocacy network for runaway and homeless youth in Boulder and Broomfield Counties.
<br />The next meeting will occur in January, 2011.
<br />Our research indicates there are between 150 -250 runaway and homeless teens in Boulder County. Attention Homes
<br />initiated its own street survey in August, 2010 and found 42 teens on the streets of the City`of Boulder during just six
<br />hours of canvassing. The following is the information we gathered.
<br />• All 42 teens surveyed reported being under the age of 18; 52% were male and 48% were female.
<br />• Of the ten locations surveyed, the downtown bus station (31%), Pearl Street Mall (24 %) and the downtown
<br />library (24 %) had the highest concentration of homeless teens.
<br />• The majority (64 %) reported being on the streets for 2 -6 months, the longest was 18 months.
<br />• When asked what services they would access, all reported they needed food. Service requests also
<br />included Internet access (98 %), shower facility (66 %), laundry services (64 %), a day drop -in center (45 %)
<br />and basic medical attention (45 %). 19% reported they would utilize shelter services *.
<br />• 81% reported feeling safe on the streets, 19% reported feeling somewhat safe on the streets. The majority
<br />of the girls reported feeling safer when they were with a boy.
<br />• When asked what services they had accessed in the past 30 days, the top five responses were bathrooms,
<br />Internet at the library, phones, begging and asking for food at fast food restaurants.
<br />• The majority (74 %) had been living at home and 36% reported couch surfing prior to living on the streets
<br />(multiple answers could be selected).
<br />* National standards indicate it takes an average of four months for street outreach teams to build a strong enough relationship with homeless
<br />teens for a teen to develop enough trust to admit themselves into a shelter.
<br />Attention Homes RHY program 3 Boulder City Council
<br />01.04.2011
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<br />street outreach team.
<br />HOPE - Longmont adult homeless
<br />street outreach program
<br />Monthly contacts with duplicated people under the age of 18 from January through
<br />May, 2010, respectively: 17, 25, 43, 92, 68. Focus is on services to adults, but they
<br />provide outreach to teens as there are no other service providers.
<br />McKinney -Vento Liaison, Boulder
<br />Valley School District - Each school
<br />district has a federally mandated
<br />McKinney -Vento Liaison who helps
<br />homeless children stay connected to
<br />their school
<br />In the 2009 -2010 school year, BVSD recorded almost 600 cases of youth
<br />homelessness. Of these, 74 were identified as high school students who are both
<br />McKinney -Vento eligible (lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence) and
<br />unaccompanied, not living with a parent or legal guardian. In 2010, McKinney -Vento
<br />cases were capped at 700, although there were 900 applications. "We feel these
<br />numbers are low and do not actually reflect the number of high school age youth
<br />without stable living situations" Wendy Gaylord, BVSD. "Many of them are couch
<br />surfing or living with a relative or friend, often with the family of a friend."
<br />CO Dept. of Education
<br />In 2009 there were more than 1,200 homeless students in Boulder County: 904 in
<br />SWSD and 337 in BVSD. These numbers were deemed under - reported. Data
<br />collected from local school districts across the state by Dept. of Ed. indicates a 29%
<br />increase in homeless students from the 2007 -2008 to the 2008 -2009 school year.
<br />Boulder County Cares - January 27,
<br />2009 Point in Time Study, Boulder
<br />County
<br />This Point In Time study stated approximately 1,050 people in Boulder County were
<br />homeless. 214 were homeless children under age 18 (over 20 %); 61 of the 214
<br />homeless children (29 %) were unaccompanied youth ages 13 -24.
<br />Boulder County Housing & Human
<br />Services - 2008 Status of Children in
<br />Boulder County Report
<br />The report stated 581 children (a rate of 9.3 per 1,000) were victims of child abuse or
<br />neglect that year. The County also reported 400 children (a rate of 6.4 per 1,000) were
<br />placed in out -of -home facilities due to abuse, neglect, serious emotional problems, and
<br />conflict with parents or juvenile delinquency. The discrepancy between children who
<br />were identified as being abused and neglected and those receiving out -of -home
<br />services is a rate of 2.9 per 1,000 children or 189 children under the age of 18 who are
<br />living in unsafe home environments or turning to the streets.
<br />Based on research indicating few teen homeless services, Attention Homes initiated community meetings with teen
<br />and adult homeless service providers. These include, but are not limited to: Boulder Shelter for the Homeless,
<br />Carriage House, Gemini, HOPE, Stand Up for Kids and St. Vrain Valley School District (SWSD) / Boulder Valley
<br />School District (BVSD) McKinney -Vento Representatives. The goals of the participants are to form a coalition to
<br />increase information sharing and availability of adequate services, reduce duplication of services and provide a more
<br />comprehensive support and advocacy network for runaway and homeless youth in Boulder and Broomfield Counties.
<br />The next meeting will occur in January, 2011.
<br />Our research indicates there are between 150 -250 runaway and homeless teens in Boulder County. Attention Homes
<br />initiated its own street survey in August, 2010 and found 42 teens on the streets of the City`of Boulder during just six
<br />hours of canvassing. The following is the information we gathered.
<br />• All 42 teens surveyed reported being under the age of 18; 52% were male and 48% were female.
<br />• Of the ten locations surveyed, the downtown bus station (31%), Pearl Street Mall (24 %) and the downtown
<br />library (24 %) had the highest concentration of homeless teens.
<br />• The majority (64 %) reported being on the streets for 2 -6 months, the longest was 18 months.
<br />• When asked what services they would access, all reported they needed food. Service requests also
<br />included Internet access (98 %), shower facility (66 %), laundry services (64 %), a day drop -in center (45 %)
<br />and basic medical attention (45 %). 19% reported they would utilize shelter services *.
<br />• 81% reported feeling safe on the streets, 19% reported feeling somewhat safe on the streets. The majority
<br />of the girls reported feeling safer when they were with a boy.
<br />• When asked what services they had accessed in the past 30 days, the top five responses were bathrooms,
<br />Internet at the library, phones, begging and asking for food at fast food restaurants.
<br />• The majority (74 %) had been living at home and 36% reported couch surfing prior to living on the streets
<br />(multiple answers could be selected).
<br />* National standards indicate it takes an average of four months for street outreach teams to build a strong enough relationship with homeless
<br />teens for a teen to develop enough trust to admit themselves into a shelter.
<br />Attention Homes RHY program 3 Boulder City Council
<br />01.04.2011
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