Urban Peak Denver

Impact Statement

In 2009, Urban Peak served 2,269 youth across all program areas. Major achievements included:
1) 413 homeless and runaway youth were served at our overnight shelter, and 48% of those youth exited the shelter to safe and stable housing.
2) 388 youth were assisted by the Education and Employment department with 95 receiving their GED, 317 attending Job Readiness Training, and 100 obtaining employment as a result of Urban Peak’s programming.
3) Over 160 youth received housing and supportive services from Urban Peak last year.
4) The Street Outreach team served an estimated 1,840 unduplicated youth.

Needs Statement

The most needed items for our organization are as follows:
1) Hygiene products
2) Gift certificates, coupons, and phone cards
3) School supplies and backpacks
4) Clothing and shoes
5) Kitchen supplies, pots/pans, utensils, dishes for our youth moving into housing.

Background Statement

Urban Peak is a nonprofit organization established in 1988 in response to growing concern among residents and businesses in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood about the increasing numbers of homeless youth living on the streets and in alleys. What began as a drop-in center near the corner of East Colfax and Pennsylvania became an overnight shelter in a church basement. In 1998, the agency constructed and opened Colorado’s first licensed homeless youth shelter with 40 beds in Denver, where youth ages 15 to 21 are able to access a full continuum of services.

Over the years, Urban Peak acquired two apartment buildings (each with 16 units of affordable housing) for youth who are ready for more independent living. One complex is specifically for youth recovering from substance abuse addictions (the STAR Program), while the other (Rowan Gardens) serves youth with disabilities, including mental illness. Residents of these buildings continue to receive case management and other support services from Urban Peak, as do youth who reside in a 36-unit apartment building owned by the Denver Department of Social Services and managed by Urban Peak, and youth who receive Section 8 housing vouchers assigned through Urban Peak.

In the spring of 2003, Urban Peak merged with The Spot Youth Center, a nighttime youth drop-in center established in 1993. The result has been expanded services for the populations of youth served by both agencies. The cross-over in service delivery has streamlined the agency’s ability to meet the variety of needs represented in the population of marginalized youth that we serve. Urban Peak Denver is recognized by the IRS as a nonprofit organization and is governed by a committed 27-member Board of Directors.

Executive Director Statement

Urban Peak works with homeless and runaway youth between the ages of 14 and 24 years of age. We provide a safe and caring place so that youth can begin to work on getting off the streets. Urban Peak has several aspects about its services and work that is unique. The goal of the agency is to assist youth in the best way possible to permanently exit street life. As an organization Urban Peak has taken a wrap-around service approach to serving the youth and operationlizing its mission. This is accomplished by providing a palette of seamless services for the clients. This ensures high quality services for the youth – For example that the most appropriate services are available at the right time, that the service is provided by trained quality staff members and that referrals to services in the community happen in a responsive and timely manner. Urban Peak has the only licensed homeless youth shelter in the Denver Metro area where shelter is provided to youth as long as they are progressing on their case plan. Programs are integrated internally in a manner that allows a youth the ability to work towards their goals ranging from writing poetry at the drop-in center to employment preparedness and obtaining their GED. Urban Peak has three unique housing facilities focused on housing youth with mental health, substance abuse and co-occurring disorders. The oversight and case management is provided in-house and ensures the ongoing stability and self-sufficiency opportunities for the youth. Urban Peak has built partnerships in the community to ensure that its belief in seamless systems continues as youth access services outside of Urban Peak. The partnerships are wide and varied. Partnerships and relationships with Health One, the Mile High Council, Mental Health Center of Denver, the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, Denver Department of Health and Human Services and the Denver’s Road Home assists Urban Peak in its mission and in providing the high quality services.

Board Chair/President Statement

In October of 2005, we collapsed four boards into one*:

Urban Peak Trustee Board
Urban Peak Denver Board
Urban Peak Housing Corporation Board and
The Spot Board

*The one organization that stayed a separate 501(c)3 was was the Urban Peak Colorado Springs Board.

We reduced the number of total board members from 90 to 28, worked to retain many existing board members and recruit new members where appropriate. We re-wrote our By-laws and instituted a committee structure within the board.

We also faced many challenges within the staff, combining two very different cultures, two different, though complimentary missions and reducing redundant staff positions.

We worked to create a new organizational chart, introduced a new structure to the agency and rolled it out to the community.

We hired an outside marketing firm to help us develop a new Parent Name, Logo, Mission and Vision.

We adopted Jim Collins’ “Good to Great for Non-Profits” model and based our strategic plan on the elements outlined in his book: namely improving the effectiveness of our programs, strengthening our support from the community and strengthening the effectiveness of our staff. Each department head was responsible for designing their portion of the Strategic Plan, implementing it and reporting back to the board. The Strategic Plan is re-visited monthly, updated were appropriate and is a very fluid guide to our success as an organization.

While we have made great progress there is still more to do: we have continued issues with “cultural assimilation” between the two agencies. We need to improve internal communication – so that we truly feel like we are one organization with a common mission.