On Sept. 8, Youth Futures announced plans for opening a shelter home in St. George to provide emergency overnight shelter, temporary housing, and ongoing supportive services for homeless youth ages 12–20. This new shelter will meet a critical need in the community, helping to end the cycle for homeless for the hundreds of unaccompanied homeless youth identified by the Washington County School District and local youth service providers. Youth Futures, which currently operates a shelter home in downtown Ogden, will duplicate its existing temporary residential support shelter services for youth ages 12–17 as well as add transitional housing for young adults ages 18–20 and daytime services for youth in the planned facility.
About nine months ago, a coalition of youth service providers from Washington and Iron Counties, as well as concerned citizens, started meeting to discuss the problems and potential solutions for dealing with the needs of homeless youth in southern Utah. Committee members were tasked with researching solutions and talking to groups providing shelter services to homeless youth in Utah and surrounding states. Youth Futures was asked to present its program model in March. The service provider representatives reached consensus and invited Youth Futures to begin working with them in April to establish a shelter home model in St. George/Washington County.
Kristen Mitchell and Scott Catuccio founded Youth Futures, headquartered in Ogden, to provide safe shelter, collaborative resources, respectful guidance, and diverse support to homeless, unaccompanied, runaway, and at-risk youth in Utah. This mission is met through an overnight shelter facility, drop-in services, and street outreach for homeless youth ages 12–17 regardless of circumstances. Youth accessing programs and services receive intensive case management to help them become reunited with family or self-sufficiently contribute to the community. Programs connect each youth on an individual basis with local community resources to build the skills that are needed to support a healthy future.
Since opening, Youth Futures-Ogden has sheltered 126 RHY an average of 38 nights for a total of 5,138 nights; served 17,619 meals; provided daytime drop-in services including case management, connections to education, health care, mental health care and group therapy, facilitation with other youth service providers, computer access, showers, laundry facilities, etc.; opened the resource room 1,014 times with access to basic necessities such as clothing, hygiene items, backpacks, blankets, sleeping bags and basic medical supplies; and conducted approximately 1,100 street outreach hours.
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