“One-hundred percent of the young people we serve have experienced some form of trauma, abuse, or neglect – including some 30% of the youths we serve who identify as LGBTQ.”
Attention Homes – a longtime grantee of the Community Foundation – is well known for its work with homeless and at-risk youths and young adults. What’s perhaps less well known is the nonprofit’s conscientious approach to continually evolving as community needs and opportunities change.
“We’re entering the 52nd year of serving youths in crisis,” says Executive Director Claire Clurman, who will step down from her position next month, to be succeeded by Deputy Director Chris Nelson on March 19. “Including Boulder County, we serve young people from North Denver to the Wyoming border.
“What’s unique about Attention Homes is that we’ve evolved to meet the needs of youths in a very community-based environment.
“Since we got our start through the First United Methodist Church in Boulder, we’ve emphasized attention – not detention. Too often, kids are put in detention through no fault of their own. So we’ve grown and refined our services to include using residential homes in our community that accommodate young people for temporary periods of time.
“We provide respite care and a safe place when home isn’t an option, and we collaborate with other community systems already in place – from social services to corrections, if needed.”
For many years, providing such assistance and alternatives for youths in crisis was “the bread and butter of what we do,” says Brittny Wilson, Senior VP of Development and Marketing. “But in 2010, in response to the growing population of 18- to 25-year-olds experiencing homelessness, we also began to support young people exiting the foster care system – but who just aren’t yet ready to live independently.
“We evolved to provide a continuum of services, including street outreach, referrals, and emergency assistance.”
Indeed, Attention Homes now has a daytime drop-in center for up to 40 youths and young people at a time. Open seven days a week, the center is a place where basic needs are met, “from showers and laundry, to hot meals and connecting on the Internet with family and friends,” adds Brittny. “We also provide counseling services, access to educational support and tutoring, and onsite health services provided by partners like People’s Clinic, Dental Aid, and the Boulder County AIDS Project.”
Additionally, Attention Homes offers overnight shelter for youths who are working toward family reunification or other stable housing. “One-hundred percent of the young people we serve have experienced some form of trauma, abuse, or neglect – including some 30% of the youths we serve who identify as LGBTQ,” says Brittny.
“Our partners really deepen the impact of the work that we do,” Claire is quick to chime in, also referencing Attention Homes’ partnership with Boulder County Housing and Human Services, Thistle affordable housing and others to better support our community’s youths with transitional housing, as needed.
Most recently, Attention Homes has partnered with Gardner Capital – a family-owned private equity firm specializing in affordable housing and solar development – to start its newest housing development, Attention Homes Apartments in Boulder.
“For the last few years, it’s been challenging to secure an adequate number of stable housing options for high-risk youths who lack a safety net, and who require more time to heal and thrive,” explains Claire. “We’ve learned that for youths experiencing homelessness to achieve their full potential, they need housing, as well as counseling, life-skills development, and permanent connections.”
She concludes, “The Boulder ‘bubble’ is an interesting phenomenon. We’ve experienced so much growth and increasing affluence here – but a lot of people who move here don’t anticipate the level of vulnerability that those of us in this profession see on a daily basis.
“That’s why we’re committed to creating more of a spirit of community. Because a sense of belonging goes a long way toward successfully transitioning our community’s youths from adolescence to adulthood.”
