oldertruckguy-9225

Homeless teens

25 posts in this topic

18 minutes ago, oldertruckguy-9225 said:

I want to let this community know of a non-profit group focused on helping homeless teens in Colorado Springs. Perhaps some of you are already aware.

The organization is Urban Peak. There is a chapter in Denver as well. I have been involved for just over two years now. Last month (August) Urban Peak identified 53 teens between thirteen and nineteen years old living on the streets of Colorado Springs. Another 34 are currently living in the Urban Peak facility. It is estimated there are another 40+ teens on the streets who have not yet been contacted. These are typical numbers on any given night. Surprisingly drugs are not rampant, yet.

Average age is currently sixteen. Youngest contacted last night is thirteen. 60% to 65% are female. Urban Peak can interact with these kids until they turn twenty one. 

Two of those contacted last night were sisters and on the streets their first night. Most have been homeless for 3 to 5 months. The majority of these kids did not travel to Colorado Springs. They were born here. Lots of horror stories as to why they are no longer at home. 

Should you want to help please put together a care package. Most requested items: socks, chap stick, tooth brush and tooth paste, baby wipes, underwear. Personal hygiene items for the females. Doesn't have to be all of the items, any one of them is greatly appreciated. Not a lot of money involved. Not asking for cash donations.

You can go the Urban Peak website to find out how you can easily drop off the care packages.  Any library branch will accept them as well. At least here in the Springs.

Thank you.

 

I've been looking for a non profit for some volunteer work! Thanks for posting!! :)

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This breaks my heart and thank you for sharing. 

 

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7 hours ago, oldertruckguy-9225 said:

I want to let this community know of a non-profit group focused on helping homeless teens in Colorado Springs. Perhaps some of you are already aware.

The organization is Urban Peak. There is a chapter in Denver as well. I have been involved for just over two years now. Last month (August) Urban Peak identified 53 teens between thirteen and nineteen years old living on the streets of Colorado Springs. Another 34 are currently living in the Urban Peak facility. It is estimated there are another 40+ teens on the streets who have not yet been contacted. These are typical numbers on any given night. Surprisingly drugs are not rampant, yet.

Average age is currently sixteen. Youngest contacted last night is thirteen. 60% to 65% are female. Urban Peak can interact with these kids until they turn twenty one. 

Two of those contacted last night were sisters and on the streets their first night. Most have been homeless for 3 to 5 months. The majority of these kids did not travel to Colorado Springs. They were born here. Lots of horror stories as to why they are no longer at home. 

Should you want to help please put together a care package. Most requested items: socks, chap stick, tooth brush and tooth paste, baby wipes, underwear. Personal hygiene items for the females. Doesn't have to be all of the items, any one of them is greatly appreciated. Not a lot of money involved. Not asking for cash donations.

You can go the Urban Peak website to find out how you can easily drop off the care packages.  Any library branch will accept them as well. At least here in the Springs.

Thank you.

 

You are such a sweet man In person and Board persona :) I will be sure to pass it on. 💙

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That is wonderful to know and thank you for having such a kind heart  to share that with us here in the community...This has become a serious problem across the country and unfortunately it is  something that is likely to continue as the result of the greed of those who have controlled the government  for decades...It is nice that there is a place for homeless teens to go, as that is something that has been lacking in most major cities for a long time because it does not fit within the governments agenda....It is important that everyone help with this serious problem anyway they can.....It is nice to see that others here agree....

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On 9/13/2018 at 5:15 AM, oldertruckguy-9225 said:

I want to let this community know of a non-profit group focused on helping homeless teens in Colorado Springs. Perhaps some of you are already aware.

The organization is Urban Peak. There is a chapter in Denver as well. I have been involved for just over two years now. Last month (August) Urban Peak identified 53 teens between thirteen and nineteen years old living on the streets of Colorado Springs. Another 34 are currently living in the Urban Peak facility. It is estimated there are another 40+ teens on the streets who have not yet been contacted. These are typical numbers on any given night. Surprisingly drugs are not rampant, yet.

Average age is currently sixteen. Youngest contacted last night is thirteen. 60% to 65% are female. Urban Peak can interact with these kids until they turn twenty one. 

Two of those contacted last night were sisters and on the streets their first night. Most have been homeless for 3 to 5 months. The majority of these kids did not travel to Colorado Springs. They were born here. Lots of horror stories as to why they are no longer at home. 

Should you want to help please put together a care package. Most requested items: socks, chap stick, tooth brush and tooth paste, baby wipes, underwear. Personal hygiene items for the females. Doesn't have to be all of the items, any one of them is greatly appreciated. Not a lot of money involved. Not asking for cash donations.

You can go the Urban Peak website to find out how you can easily drop off the care packages.  Any library branch will accept them as well. At least here in the Springs.

Thank you.

 

This is why I love this community. We have a caring and generous group of providers and hobbyists here. Thank you so much for sharing this info, and spreading the love for these young ones. I don't have a car, and don't get out that way. Do you have a link to share for cash donations? Thanks again oldtruckerguy. 

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14 minutes ago, Hunter VanDyke said:

This is why I love this community. We have a caring and generous group of providers and hobbyists here. Thank you so much for sharing this info, and spreading the love for these young ones. I don't have a car, and don't get out that way. Do you have a link to share for cash donations? Thanks again oldtruckerguy. 

 If you go to urbanpeak.org  you will easily find.... Donate..... and you can read all about everything they offer homeless teens in Colorado Springs and Denver. Thank you! I should have put this info in my original post.

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13 minutes ago, oldertruckguy-9225 said:

 If you go to urbanpeak.org  you will easily find.... Donate..... and you can read all about everything they offer homeless teens in Colorado Springs and Denver. Thank you! I should have put this info in my original post.

Great thanks! That was easy peasy. You're a sweetheart. 💙

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Normally i don’t announce much when I donate anymore. This site really got to me.❤️ 

Edited by Kali Sensual Reiki
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Urban Peak is a non-profit that does a lot of good things for youth and young adults who are homeless and have other life challenges.  It is a very worthwhile organization.  

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On 9/13/2018 at 5:15 AM, oldertruckguy-9225 said:

I want to let this community know of a non-profit group focused on helping homeless teens in Colorado Springs. Perhaps some of you are already aware.

The organization is Urban Peak. There is a chapter in Denver as well. I have been involved for just over two years now. Last month (August) Urban Peak identified 53 teens between thirteen and nineteen years old living on the streets of Colorado Springs. Another 34 are currently living in the Urban Peak facility. It is estimated there are another 40+ teens on the streets who have not yet been contacted. These are typical numbers on any given night. Surprisingly drugs are not rampant, yet.

Average age is currently sixteen. Youngest contacted last night is thirteen. 60% to 65% are female. Urban Peak can interact with these kids until they turn twenty one. 

Two of those contacted last night were sisters and on the streets their first night. Most have been homeless for 3 to 5 months. The majority of these kids did not travel to Colorado Springs. They were born here. Lots of horror stories as to why they are no longer at home. 

Should you want to help please put together a care package. Most requested items: socks, chap stick, tooth brush and tooth paste, baby wipes, underwear. Personal hygiene items for the females. Doesn't have to be all of the items, any one of them is greatly appreciated. Not a lot of money involved. Not asking for cash donations.

You can go the Urban Peak website to find out how you can easily drop off the care packages.  Any library branch will accept them as well. At least here in the Springs.

Thank you.

 

Thank you for bringing this very worthwhile organization to this board.  These folks are compassionate caregivers and have a real passion for reaching out to these young people.  When searching for our own entertainment, we can sometimes lose sight of those who are in true need.  It's such a simple task to make a real difference by caring enough to provide simple necessities.  

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On 9/14/2018 at 9:21 PM, Kali Sensual Reiki said:

Normally i don’t announce much when I donate anymore. This site really got to me.❤️ 

It did me too lady💙 I  even made my parents and siblings that have children donate.. 😎 I urge everyone and anyone from All walks of life to help give these Kids a fighting chance.. They didn't ask to be here, they are just doing what they can with the hand that was dealt to them. 

I am soooo thankful for my Parents, I wish everyone had Parents like I do😎

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I made a donation last night and will be doing the same every week, it really made me feel good knowing that I was doing something this important to others and these young people are our future so we need to help protect them now or our future might seriously be in question someday...It has also made me decide to create a website for myself soon just so I can include a comment about this program for others to see who might not make it here....

Working together I am certain we can actually help to change someone's life for the better by each of us just doing one small thing...That is why I am asking each of you to do this one simple thing....Winter is coming soon and these young people are going to need a place to stay when it gets cold, so what a better time to help....So I am asking everyone to bypass the stop at Starbucks once a week and at the end of the month donate what you saved by doing that to the Urban Peak program....It is something that we would not even miss but all of us doing this simple thing every week it would make a huge difference to the Urban Peak program and those that they help...I hope you all will consider doing this because these young people are out future and they need our help now....

Thanks for reading and for sharing the information about such a wonderful program as Urban Peak....

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If I can do anything with the time I have left on this planet, it is to help these kids. I’m going to reveal I ran into one of and she wanted $$ for sexual favors to me. She was probably 21 and not a teen. Instead of sexual favors I would bring food to her once a week or take her out for lunch and talk to her. I love mentoring and helping. She was on drugs also. One year later she is clean and hopefully on the road to a better life. I don’t have contact with her any longer. Best of luck to her. Hope I helped.

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20 hours ago, Skg said:

If I can do anything with the time I have left on this planet, it is to help these kids. I’m going to reveal I ran into one of and she wanted $$ for sexual favors to me. She was probably 21 and not a teen. Instead of sexual favors I would bring food to her once a week or take her out for lunch and talk to her. I love mentoring and helping. She was on drugs also. One year later she is clean and hopefully on the road to a better life. I don’t have contact with her any longer. Best of luck to her. Hope I helped.

You did. Bravo friend. 

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On 9/13/2018 at 5:15 AM, oldertruckguy-9225 said:

I want to let this community know of a non-profit group focused on helping homeless teens in Colorado Springs.

Awesome!! Thank you for posting this.  Sounds like an excellent operation to donate to.

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I was just talking to my teenage daughter about this problem. She currently has a few friends who are homeless. Breaks my heart. I've taken a few both boys and girls in so that they had a safe place to sleep and some food to eat but I can only keep them for about a week or so. I didnt know this organization existed and am so glad you posted this. Now I can hopefully help these kids out a little more. If I had a big enough place I'd take as many as I could in. They are good kids. Thank you for such very useful and informative information.

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Just over a month ago I introduced Urban Peak to this community. The initial response, for me, was humbling. Truly humbling. I would urge all of us to not let that initial response be all there is. The onset of cold weather increases the competition for a warm place to sleep. The dynamics of stress and fear dealing with that competition increases greatly. The meanness increases. The exploiters and users  step up their game. Please go to Urban Peak.org and find out just what you can do to help. Really simple items will make a huge difference. Gloves, scarves, knit hats. Anything will help!! This community CAN make a difference. OK I am off my soap box.

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4 hours ago, oldertruckguy-9225 said:

Just over a month ago I introduced Urban Peak to this community. The initial response, for me, was humbling. Truly humbling. I would urge all of us to not let that initial response be all there is. The onset of cold weather increases the competition for a warm place to sleep. The dynamics of stress and fear dealing with that competition increases greatly. The meanness increases. The exploiters and users  step up their game. Please go to Urban Peak.org and find out just what you can do to help. Really simple items will make a huge difference. Gloves, scarves, knit hats. Anything will help!! This community CAN make a difference. OK I am off my soap box.

God Bless you Truck Guy!

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On 9/13/2018 at 6:15 AM, oldertruckguy-9225 said:

I want to let this community know of a non-profit group focused on helping homeless teens in Colorado Springs. Perhaps some of you are already aware.

The organization is Urban Peak. There is a chapter in Denver as well. I have been involved for just over two years now. Last month (August) Urban Peak identified 53 teens between thirteen and nineteen years old living on the streets of Colorado Springs. Another 34 are currently living in the Urban Peak facility. It is estimated there are another 40+ teens on the streets who have not yet been contacted. These are typical numbers on any given night. Surprisingly drugs are not rampant, yet.

Average age is currently sixteen. Youngest contacted last night is thirteen. 60% to 65% are female. Urban Peak can interact with these kids until they turn twenty one. 

Two of those contacted last night were sisters and on the streets their first night. Most have been homeless for 3 to 5 months. The majority of these kids did not travel to Colorado Springs. They were born here. Lots of horror stories as to why they are no longer at home. 

Should you want to help please put together a care package. Most requested items: socks, chap stick, tooth brush and tooth paste, baby wipes, underwear. Personal hygiene items for the females. Doesn't have to be all of the items, any one of them is greatly appreciated. Not a lot of money involved. Not asking for cash donations.

You can go the Urban Peak website to find out how you can easily drop off the care packages.  Any library branch will accept them as well. At least here in the Springs.

Thank you.

 

Is there an update on how we can continue to help?

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Lacie you are amazing!! Thank you. The number of kids on the streets over the past 4 months, that can be accounted for, hovers around 50. Urban Peak strongly feels that another 20 to 25 are out there and not been contacted yet. Some of them still go to great lengths to stay hidden.  The Colorado Springs shelter still has 30. Lots of good news as several large donors and a collaborative effort with several large companies and foundations has made a dozen apartments available. A new "drop in" facility is very close to opening. That facility will allow kids to come by during the day and do laundry, shower,  get a solid meal. We are working on acquiring lap tops, tablets and lots and lots of books to be available to the kids when they "drop in". There will be a "trade it" area for the kids as well. These kids love to barter and trade and this will be a safe place to do so. 

The care packages of chap stick, socks, undies, personal hygiene products are still in great demand and still a simple way for our contact people to reach out to these kids. Of course this time of year gloves, wool caps, jackets are always in demand. I would caution against clothing with big name logo's such Niki or North Face. Unfortunately that can cause jealously and tensions. No-descript is best. This time of year Jolly Rancher candy is a big help. Back packs are a great gift for these kids. Small and easy items to carry in a back pack are always welcome. Paper back books. Note pads. small games.

If you go to urbanpeak.org you can easily find a wealth of ideas of how to help. It does not need to be a lot to make a huge difference

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Along with all of the items that oldtruckerguy mentioned, sleeping bags are also needed.  And what he said about a good back pack is spot on.  Remember, you can have some basic stuff, but you also need to have something to carry it in (and a good, somewhat safe place to keep any prescription medication in).

Oldtrucker guy, I admire you a bunch for your willingness to be of service and share the message of sharing with those less fortunate.  So many people want to say, "What's wrong with those kids?" and a better question is, "What happened to these kids?" because so many of them have incredibly traumatic pasts (and present) and no real guidance or healthy supports to help them through those things or to build resiliency. Childhood trauma is the number one predictor for many things later in life.

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Those wanting to donate gear like sleeping bags, backpacks, etc., you should consider going to Sierra Trading Post at Barnes and Powers.  You can get new gear to donate for a great price, meaning you can get more for your bucks.  You can even just directly donate gift cards I'm sure...

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