Loveland Homeless Youth Point-in-Time Count/Survey Report

- 1 -Loveland Homeless YouthPoint-in-Time Count/Survey ReportPresented to the City of Loveland, ColoradoBy Urban Peak, Denver, ColoradoJuly 17, 2003Contact Info:Darcy McClure, CDBG/Human Services AdministratorCity of Loveland, 970-962-2517 or mcclud@ci.loveland.co.usDave Deforest-Stalls, Director, New Ventures, Urban Peak & The Spot303-507-3230 or dave.deforest-stalls@urbanpeak.orgwww.urbanpeak.org and www.thespot.orgCopyright 2003 by Urban Peak

- 2 -Loveland Homeless Youth Point-in-Time Count/Survey ReportBy Urban Peak, Denver, ColoradoJuly 17, 2003How This Count/Survey Came to BeThe Loveland Homeless Task Force was formed in 1999 by Catholic Charities Northern(CCN). CCN carried out two surveys in Loveland to determine the extent ofhomelessness in the community. The Interfaith Hospitality Network was formed, in part,due to the results of the surveys and the task force. The membership of the task forcegrew to include members from non-profit service agencies, the school district, and thecity and county government. The task force continued to meet after the survey projects tocontinue to discuss homelessness in Loveland, services available, and the need for serviceexpansion.Several members consistently reported requests for services for young people withoutstable housing. The group decided to research services specifically designed forhomeless youth and met with Urban Peak, Stand-Up for Kids and The Spot, all Denverbasedorganizations. At the recommendation of Urban Peak, the task force carried out aninformal survey of local churches, non-profit agencies, businesses, government offices,and schools to determine whether community members had knowledge or awareness ofhomeless youth in Loveland. 90% of the respondents indicated having at least someinteraction with youth who are, or potentially are without a stable living situation.The results of the community survey prompted the task force to take the next step ofcontracting with Urban Peak/The Spot to carry out a street count in Loveland to gatheradditional and detailed information about the extent and nature of youth homelessness inLoveland, Colorado.(above written by Darcy McClure, City of Loveland)Perspective on HomelessnessThe issue of runaway and homelessness among Colorado youth is prevalent in everyethnic and socioeconomic group, and the numbers of homeless and runaway youthcontinue to rise. According to a 2001 point-in-time study, the overall homelesspopulation has increased 26% since 1999. The homeless single youth populationincreased 101% from 197 in 1998 to 396 in 2001 (Metropolitan Denver HomelessInitiative). The 2001 Colorado Continuum of Care process found that approximately7,200 persons who are homeless on any given day in 29 non-metro counties in Colorado.Almost 9,800 individuals and families are on the waiting lists for subsidized housing inrural Colorado (Colorado Department of Local Affairs, Division of Housing, 2001).Homeless and runaway youth face a life on the streets that is both difficult anddangerous. Homeless and runaway youth have three times the rates of depression, posttraumaticstress disorder and conduct disorder as youth who are not homeless (Robertson,1998). Homeless youth also engage in multiple high-risk behaviors, including tradingCopyright 2003 by Urban Peak

- 4 -of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters;are abandoned in hospitals; or are awaiting foster care placement; have primary nighttimeresidence that is a private or public place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regularsleeping accommodation for human beings; are living in cars, parks, public spaces,abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings, andmigratory children.(National Coalition for the Homeless, www.nationalhomeless.org).ColoradoColorado’s Homeless Youth Act (House Bill 97-1079) defines homeless youth as a youthwho is at least fifteen years of age but is less than eighteen years of age and who lacks afixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; or has a primary nighttime residencethat is a supervised, publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporaryliving accommodations, or a public or private place not designed for, nor ordinarily usedas a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.Scope of WorkAs defined in the professionals services agreement between the City of Loveland andUrban Peak, Urban Peak agreed to conduct, with the help of the Loveland Homeless TaskForce, a point-in-time count of homeless & runaway youth in the geographic areas in andaround Loveland on Thursday, June 5, 2003, and to deliver a written report to the City ofLoveland and the Loveland Homeless Task Force on the results of this survey, includingcomparative feedback related to statistics in Denver and Colorado Springs. This reportwill include some possible next steps and further options for working with Urban Peak.MethodWith the assistance of the Darcy McClure (CDBG/Human Services Administrator, Cityof Loveland) and the other members of the Loveland Homeless Task Force we designed apoint-in-time survey specifically for the needs of Loveland. Members of the task forcetranslated the survey into Spanish.Picking the best day of the week, times, and locations for conducting any survey iscritical to maximizing that survey’s accuracy. On the advice of Urban Peak’s outreachstaff we picked Wednesday June 4 th as the survey date. It was felt that the middle of theweek, during warm weather, and while school was still in session would offer the bestresults for locating homeless youth. Unfortunately it was learned that a popular concertin the park was occurring in Ft. Collins on the night of June 3 rd . We were aware thatmany youth travel to this concert, and sometimes take a day to get back to Loveland, sowe moved the survey date to Thursday, June 5 th . Unfortunately that day’s delay meantschool would no longer be in session. Since we were not planning to actively surveyoutside of schools we still believed that the one-day delay was warranted.On Thursday June 5 th our first survey location was Labor Ready, a downtown Lovelandday-labor business. From 5:30 AM – 7:00 AM two members of the survey teamCopyright 2003 by Urban Peak

- 5 -conducted surveys with young people waiting for job assignments. When finished atLabor Ready, and a brief infusion of coffee, the entire team of surveyors met at 10:00AM at Loveland City Hall. The survey team discussed the expectations and propermethods of conducting the surveys. The survey team members included:• Carole Marchand, Loveland Interfaith Hospitality Network• Patrick Garcia, Loveland Boys & Girls Club• Shauna Gregg, Neighbor to Neighbor• Young Adults:o Angela Settleo Matt Glovero James Smith• Darcy McClure, City of Loveland• Urban Peak representatives:o Susan Kelly, Outreach Coordinator, Urban Peak Denvero Jamie Van Leeuwen, Program Manager, Urban Peak Denvero Dave Deforest-Stalls, Director, New Ventures, Urban PeakWe divided the city into three geographic areas (East, Downtown, and West), whichincluded over 2-dozen sites that were thought to be frequented by homeless and runawayyouth. Each group sought young people to survey in their assigned areas from 11:30 AM– 3:00 PM. The survey groups then gathered together for an early dinner and restrategizesession from 3:00 – 5:00 PM. During this session it was decided to disbandone team and proceed with only two teams, both of which operated in areas close todowntown. From 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM we conducted the last set of surveys for June 5 th .The weather on June 5 th was typical Colorado. It changed constantly. The hightemperature was 61 degrees and it rained 4 different times during the day. The teams feltthat this cooler weather and rain diminished our success in locating homeless youth so wedecided to conduct a second survey session later in the summer. We later chose toconduct this next survey session on Friday July 11 th . Since we had heard from manyyouth on June 5 th that evening hours might be best to locate homeless youth we decidedto start our surveying at 7:30 PM. Since we also learned which locations had a higherprobability of finding our target audience we survey team to one group of three. Thesurvey members on July 11 th included the following:• Carole Marchand• Darcy McClure• Dave Deforest-StallsWe sought young people in 5 locations within Loveland, most of which were close todowntown, from 7:30 PM to 12:30 AM.Since it is difficult to accurately stereotype the outward appearance of a young personwho is homeless or runaway, each team agreed to survey any young person who appearedto be within the ages of teens to mid-twenties. If in doubt, we asked them to fill out hesurvey. In order to not automatically label a youth as “homeless”, which is a label oftenrejected by even the most homeless young person, we agreed to make an introductorystatement such as: “We are conducting a survey of youth in Loveland who might findthemselves between homes, couch surfing, staying with friends, etc.” If the young personCopyright 2003 by Urban Peak

- 6 -said that they were not in that circumstance we asked if they knew youth who werehomeless or couch surfing. If they responded “yes” they did know others, then we askedthem to fill out the survey.Once the survey was completed the surveying team member that had the most contactwith the young person filling out the surveyor was asked to write their opinion as to whatdegree they thought the youth was homeless. “Homeless” was considered their status ifthey indicated that they currently had no place to sleep, if they had most recently hadbeen homeless, or if the surveyed youth judged themselves to be coach surfing or livingin an automobile or motel with no clear idea where they would be staying in the nearfuture.Summary of ResultsTotal Number of Surveys 60Number of Homeless Youth Surveyed 18Number of non-homeless youth who knew youth who are homeless 17Following statistics apply to the Homeless Youth onlyMale: 72%Female: 28%Ages: 15 yrs 216 yrs 217 yrs 118 yrs 219 yrs 420 yrs 221 yrs 5Ethnicity:Anglo/White 61%Latino/Hispanic 28%Native American 6%Mixed 5%Spanish primary language 11%EducationH.S. Diploma 2H. S. GED 5Still in School 2Copyright 2003 by Urban Peak

- 7 -Out of School, Last Grade Completed4 th 18 th 19 th 210 th 211 th 3Where do you sleep? (in order of most frequently circled answer)FriendsSquat / StreetCouch surfCarHouseRelativesBridgeShelterMotelDuration away from family?Over 6 months 36%3-6 month 45%Under 3 months 29%Duration in Loveland?Over 6 months 62%Under 6 months 38%Family in Loveland?No 50%Yes 50% If yes, who? Biological Parent 58% Other 42%Place of BirthLoveland 33%Other 67%Ever stayed in adult shelter?No 83%Yes 17%Ever stayed in youth shelter?No 94%Yes 6%EmploymentCurrently?Copyright 2003 by Urban Peak

- 8 -No 73%Yes 27%Number Jobs in Past YearZero 20%One 27%Two 47%Three 6%What services needed most in Loveland? (allowed to choose all that applied)Food 12Employment 11Medical 10Shower 8Education 8Hygiene 7Drug/Alcohol Treatment 6Laundry 6Identification / Birth Cert. 5Shelter 5Counseling 5Mental Health 3HIV / STD testing 2Condoms 2Bleach Kit (clean needles) 2Legal help 2Other: emotional support, heroin facilities, fun, and activitiesAdult Surveyor Comments• When verbally asked “What drug is biggest problem with youth inLoveland?” All answered “Crystal meth” or “Meth Amphetamine”• 2 youth were stumbling drunk• 2 youth were highly intoxicated (probably combination of meth and/orheroin)Runaway Reports and ArrestsIt is often helpful to consider the number of runaway reports to and runaway arrests madeby police. According to the Loveland Police Department’s Information Office theyverified 136 individuals that ran away between July 1, 2002 and June 30, 2003. Incontrast, the Denver Police department in their 2002 Annual Report stated that they made610 arrests of runaways in 2001. Denver has a population that is 10.9 times the size ofLoveland. If Loveland had a runaway rate similar to Denver’s that was adjusted for itspopulation size, then Loveland’s runaway count should be closer to 56 youth per year.Copyright 2003 by Urban Peak

- 9 -Significance of Selected Categories of ResultsThe CountLoveland has a significant population of homeless youth relative to its population. Whilethere are differences between the communities, the most comparable Colorado city thathas conducted a homeless youth count and survey was conducted by Urban Peak inColorado Springs in August of the year 2000.Colorado Springs LovelandNumber of Homeless Youth Counted 50 18Population of Cities (2000 Census) 360,890 50,608Given Colorado Springs has a population over 7 times the size of Loveland it is notsurprising that the Colorado Springs count would be more than those counted inLoveland. While Colorado Springs conducted their count over a 2-hour period, they hadgood weather on the day of count, their downtown Acacia Park where homeless youthfrequently gathered, and downtown homeless feeding services that made their count lesschallenging than in Loveland.AgeThis count and survey focused on adolescent youth, not on younger children. While thestate of Colorado defines youth as those under the age of 18, Urban Peak and mosthomeless youth programs nationally include young people up to age 21. In fact someprograms are considering expanding their services to youth up to 24 years of age. Theage breakdown of the Loveland count/survey appears to be fairly evenly distributedbetween 15-21 yrs.EthnicityPlease note that there is a much higher percentage of Latino/Hispanic population than inthe census reported populations.Census 2000 Homeless CountAnglo/white 88% 61%Latino/Hispanic 9% 28%African Amer. 0.4% 0%Native American 0.7% 6%Other 2% 5%EducationThe homeless youth in this count exhibited a 75% higher rate of educational lack ofsuccess than the general high school population of Loveland.Educational statistics from this count/survey:Level of Education Achieved Number of YouthCompleted high school & received diploma 2Still enrolled and attending high school _ 2___Succeeded/Engaged 4 (22%)Copyright 2003 by Urban Peak

- 10 -Dropped Out:Received GED 5No Diploma or GED_9____Not Succeeded 14 (78%)The Colorado Department of Education reported the following dropout rates for theacademic year 2001-2002:Loveland High School 2.9%Thompson Valley High School 2.5%Mountain View High School 3.7%Average 3.0%Utilization of SheltersThe homeless youth of Loveland choose not utilize the adult shelters in Loveland and Ft.Collins. This is exactly in line with national and local trends. Youth under the age of 18cannot use adult shelters. In a recent focus group of 10 homeless clients of the ColoradoSprings Urban Peak, the youth reported that those clients who are old enough to enter theadult shelters report feeling unsafe and preyed upon. The youth emphasized the need forservices that recognize their unique set of circumstances, where they do not feeldiscouraged or discriminated against. They believe that homeless adults are oftencomplacent and are not as eager to change their futures, and cannot provide relevantadvice or mentorship. Like many teens, homeless youth are faced with the expectation ofadult responsibilities but still struggle to be taken seriously.“Older people on the street are set in their whiskey; this doesn’t help us to leave thestreets. Adult programs are designed to remind adults how to be an adult. Youthprograms are designed to teach us and show us how.” – Tech, 19“Adult shelters are scary and full of predators. Old men hit on you, your things getstolen, people are doing drugs all the time. There’s a lot of reasons you can’t go there.”- Emily, 19“We still want to do something with ourselves. We need people who understand youthand have experience with youth.” –Pam, 19Since there are no licensed homeless youth shelters in Larimer County it is not surprisingthat only one youth, who went to Boulder, reported utilizing a youth shelter.EmploymentThe Colorado Department of Labor reports that the unemployment rate for April 2003 forthe Ft. Collins / Loveland MSA stood at 5.4%. The youth in our survey report aunemployment rate of 73%, yet indicate a willingness and ability to work since 80% ofthem have held 1-3 jobs in the past year.Copyright 2003 by Urban Peak

- 11 -Services Needed in LovelandMaslow’s Hierarchy of Needs are so apparent when we view the prioritized list ofservices that the homeless youth feel are needed in Loveland. According to Maslowlower level needs must be satisfied before a person can successfully proceed to workingtoward higher level needs. The lowest level of need he entitled Physiological Needs,such as air, water, food, and sleep. The next level up is Safety, which includes the safetyof home and family. We cannot expect our homeless youth to successfully pursuehigher-level achievement until they have food, water, employment (money for food &water & shelter), and personal safety.Other CommentsIn hindsight, a question that should have been asked on the survey is “What is the drug ofchoice in Loveland?” Questions similar to this were frequently asked verbally and anastounding 100% of the answers were “Crystal Meth” (meth amphetamines). Methamphetamines are not only incredibly dangerous to the user, but the production of thisdrug is quite volatile and can endanger the makers, family, friends, and neighbors. Whenasked why this drug was so popular in Loveland, the most common answer was “there’snothing to do here”.The surveying teams were frequently told by homeless youth and non-homeless youththat there is consistent travel by homeless youth between Loveland and Ft. Collins.When asked about travel to other cities such as Greeley, Longmont, Boulder, Denver, etc.and the youth indicated that these locations were not as popular as Ft. Collins. Ft.Collins’ “old town” and the free summer concerts were mentioned as popular destinationsRecommendationsThe City of Loveland and the Loveland Homeless Task Force continue to do the rightthings by investing their time, effort, and resources into learning about the homeless andrunaway youth issues in Loveland. The results of this point-in-time homeless youthcount and other statistics, such as the number of verified runaways, warrants further stepsbe taken to improve the opportunities for safety and healthy youth development inLoveland. Urban Peak specifically recommends the following steps:• Immediately hire a Homeless Youth Outreach Specialist that will invest 2-3days/evenings per week locating, engaging, and referring homeless and runawayyouth to existing resources/services; this Specialist will also gather furtherinformation relevant to analyzing the needs of this population and identifying theresources/services that are currently available or that need to be created or foundin order to allow these youth to help themselves.• Explore with the City of Ft. Collins and private organizations in Ft. Collins theirwillingness to conduct a similar Point-in-Time Count/Survey of homeless &runaway youth this August or September; this timing will assure the maximumrelevance of the Ft. Collins information and positive impact on the homeless andrunaway youth that travel between these two cities.• Consider partnering with Ft. Collins by sharing the Homeless Youth OutreachSpecialist; this will allow the hiring of a fulltime outreach staff person, maximizeCopyright 2003 by Urban Peak

- 12 -funding sources, and provide the most accurate information from and successfuloutcomes for those youth who travel between the two cities.• Conduct a 6-12 month Homeless & Runaway Youth Services Feasibility Studythat will more fully identify the homeless and runaway youth population, theirchallenges and needs, the resources/services currently available, theresources/services that need to be created or found, estimate the expenses of thoseresources/services, and identify the funding sources to create and operate thoseresources/services. To maximize local resources and it’s positive impact onLarimer County youth, this feasibility study should be conducted as a partnershipbetween Loveland and Ft. Collins.AcknowledgementsThank you to the City of Loveland, the members of the Loveland Homeless Task Force,and our energetic and passionate survey teams. Thank you for the ideas, feedback, timeand effort of Urban Peak Denver’s Program Manager (Jamie Van Leuuwen) andOutreach Manager (Susan Kelly). Thank you for your patience and understanding to thebusinesses and organizations such as Java Lounge, Set Free, Game Castle, and the UnityClub for allowing our survey teams to conduct surveys with youth in and near theirfacilities. Loveland is very lucky to have two people as skilled and passionate as DarcyMcClure (CDBG/Human Services Administrator, City of Loveland) and CaroleMarchand (Interfaith Hospitality Network). Thank you to Shauna Gregg Neighbor toNeighbor) for the Spanish translation of the survey. Thank you to the leadership of theCity of Loveland for having the courage and compassion to make their youth a priority.About Urban PeakMissionUrban Peak’s mission is to serve homeless and runaway youth. We provide youth with asafe, caring, stable environment and assist them in permanently exiting street life. UrbanPeak believes in the potential of every youth to contribute to our world. Urban Peak’sgoal is that 55% of youth seeking services will permanently exit street life.History & ProgramsUrban Peak was founded in 1988 in response to growing concern among members ofDenver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood regarding increased numbers of homeless youth inthe community. Since that time, Urban Peak has dramatically expanded its services tomeet the changing needs of homeless youth. To fulfill its mission, Urban Peak offers afull array of supportive services including a street outreach program; a 40-bed overnightshelter; basic services such as nutritious meals, clothing and hygiene products; casemanagement; a GED program; job skills and job placement; a medical clinic; andfinancial assistance for higher education. Urban Peak is the only licensed homelessyouth shelter in the state of Colorado.Copyright 2003 by Urban Peak

- 13 -URBAN PEAK POINT-IN-TIME SURVEYLoveland, ColoradoJune 5 th , 2003This is an anonymous survey. DO NOT put your name anywhere on this paper. We represent a youthorganization in Colorado called Urban Peak and we are trying to determine what information and servicesyoung people in the Loveland area need based on their current living situation. This survey is confidentialand the information will allow Urban Peak to provide you with better services. To collect the mostaccurate data possible, we ask that you only complete this survey once throughout the day.Gender: Male Female Transgender Age: _______Ethnicity: Anglo/White African American Latino/HispanicNative American Asian Pacific Islander Other ____________What is the highest grade in school that you have completed? _________Do you have: High School Diploma GED Certificate Any College CreditsNone of the AboveAre you currently living with your family? Yes No Group/Foster home? Yes NoIf not, where are you living? Squat/Street Couch Surfing Relative Friend(s) MotelShelter Car Other__________Do you have friends or know any young people who are homeless? YesNoIf yes, where do they sleep? Squat/Street Couch Surfing Relative Friend(s) MotelShelter Car Other__________If you are not currently living with your family, how long have you been apart?Less than one month 1-3 months 3-6 months More than six monthsHow long have you lived in the Loveland area?Less than 6 monthsMore than 6 monthsDo you have family living in Loveland area? Yes NoIf yes, who? Biological Parent Foster Parent Adoptive ParentGrandparent(s) Other Relative Other __________________Were you born in the Loveland area? Yes No Other ____________________Copyright 2003 by Urban Peak

- 14 -Have you ever been in the custody of social services? Yes NoHave you ever stayed in an adult homeless shelter? Yes NoIf yes, where? Loveland Ft. Collins Denver Other_____________Have you ever stayed in a homeless youth shelter? Yes NoIf yes, where? Loveland Ft. Collins Denver Other_____________Are you currently employed? Yes NoIf yes, what is your employment status? Part-time Full-timeDuring the past year, approximately how many jobs have you held? ________As we conduct this survey, are there specific locations where homeless and runawayyouth tend to “hang-out”? Yes NoIf yes, where? ___________________________________________________________If we could create services for young people in the Loveland area, what do you thinkyou and/or your friends would find helpful?Food Shower ID/Birth Certificate Shelter MedicalEducation Employment Drug and Alcohol Mental Health CounselingHygiene HIV/STI Testing Condoms Bleach Kits LaundryLegalOther __________________________Is there any other information that you have for us that might be helpful inconducting this survey? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Thanks for your help! We hope that this information will provide you and your friendswith better services. Please contact Urban Peak Denver (303-777-9198) if you have anyadditional questions.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Interviewer ID: _______________Other Comments:Copyright 2003 by Urban Peak

- 15 -(Spanish Version of Survey)Copyright 2003 by Urban Peak