The Ribbon is Cut and the Doors are Open at Adams County's First Shelter for Unhoused and Displaced Youth
January 22, 2024
Brighton, CO — After months of work to secure funding, obtain approval, plan, prepare, and hire, Adams County has a shelter for youth in crisis. On January 22, 2024, Community Reach Center, District Attorney Brian Mason, Thornton Police Chief Terrence Gordon, the Adams County Commissioners, and the City of Thornton cut the ribbon and opened the doors of The Empowerment Center for Adolescents.
The Community Reach Center's Empowerment Center for Adolescents (8801 Lipan Street, Thornton, CO) serves as a safe and secure interim housing community committed to offering supportive services to displaced youth. CRC is operating The Empowerment Center for Adolescents in conjunction with its community partners. The program is designed to be a 21-day safe space for adolescents ages 12 to 18 that will provide comprehensive services to youth who are unaccompanied, runaways, victims of human trafficking, and previously living in uninhabitable housing conditions. The goal is to foster a stable living environment and facilitate access to the necessary services needed for youth to thrive. Community Reach Center is a behavioral health services organization that has supported more than 22,000 children, adults, and seniors throughout the last 66 years in Adams County.
On Tuesday, August 22, 2023, the Thornton City Council unanimously approved the re-zoning of the property at 8801 Lipan Street. This process began in 2021 when Thornton Police Chief Terrence Gordon approached District Attorney Brian Mason regarding the need for a youth shelter in Adams County. The District Attorney's Office then engaged in conversations with Community Reach Center about opening a shelter on its vacant lot in Thornton. In 2022, the District Attorney's Office proposed the idea of a youth shelter bill to State Representative Dafna Michaelson Jenet who ultimately sponsored a piece of legislation with former State Senator Dominick Moreno. The bill, which allowed for the funding of shelter options for displaced youth in judicial districts throughout Colorado, was passed and signed into law on June 7, 2022. The bill also requires all Colorado communities to develop a comprehensive plan to address the needs of displaced youth in their communities, a need that has often not been met. The Empowerment Center for Adolescents is one of the first efforts in Colorado to meet the bill’s requirements, and the hope is it can be a model for other shelters specifically focused on the needs of young people.
Following the passage of this law, the District Attorney's Office applied for American Recovery Act grant funding through a program created by the Adams County Board of Commissioners and secured $1.2 million to fund one year of a youth shelter. On August 22, 2023, the Thornton City Council approved the proposal for Community Reach Center to operate the shelter within city limits on its lot at Lipan Street and West 88th Avenue. The shelter could be up and running in as little as three months from now.
Photos from the Ribbon Cutting:
YouthShelterPressReleasePhotos
Quotes:
"Community Reach Center is honored and excited to partner with the District Attorney for the 17th Judicial, Thornton Police Department, the City of Thornton, as well as other community leaders to develop the Empowerment Center for Adolescents. The program is designed to be a 21-day safe space for adolescents and will provide comprehensive services to youth at the shelter who are unaccompanied, runaways, victims of human trafficking, and previously living in uninhabitable housing conditions. Through our partnerships and programming that includes up to 21-day shelter stay, ongoing case management, and access to group, individual, and family services within the Community Reach Center network. Community Reach Center will be able to provide needed services to the children and their families of Adams County, and surrounding areas to ensure supports are in place for the individuals and their families."
--Community Reach Center Leadership
"Youth experiencing homelessness or displacement are more likely to become victims of crime or to commit crimes themselves. We desperately needed a youth shelter for displaced youth in this community and now we have one. This is a decision rooted in public safety and crime prevention and I’m very grateful to everyone who helped make it happen. I am particularly proud of the work of my staff and our partners, Community Reach Center and Thornton Police Chief Terrence Gordon, and I am thankful to Adams County for the grant to get this program up and running and to the Thornton City Council for their critical partnership in approving a location for the shelter."
--District Attorney Brian Mason
"The Thornton Police Department would like to thank the 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office and the Community Reach Center for establishing a safe place for juveniles who need shelter and services to get them and their families back together and back on track. 'Necessary and critical, but non-existent' is too often the case when it comes to essential services for kids and families, but instead of talking about what needs to be done, the partners in Adams County and the 17th are getting it done one step at a time."
--Thornton Police Chief Terrence Gordon
“We couldn’t be more proud to open this center to help our youth, to be able to provide a place for them to stay to get them off the streets, provide services for our youth so that they may become wonderful residents, homeowners, and peers within our community.”
--Mayor Pro Tem Karen Bigelow, Thornton Ward 4
"More than a place to rest, this is the starting point to build a foundation for dreams and brighter tomorrows. These shelter beds are more than just a refuge from the storm; they are a symbol of our community’s commitment to nurturing, supporting, and uplifting the potential of every young soul. Imagine the opportunity to rewrite your story so you are seen, heard, and valued. More than a place to rest, this is the starting point to build a foundation for dreams and brighter tomorrows. With the full support of the Adams County Commissioners, let this new chapter begin."
--Commissioner Emma Pinter, Adams County District 3 and Board Chair
Go Back The Community Reach Center's Empowerment Center for Adolescents (8801 Lipan Street, Thornton, CO) serves as a safe and secure interim housing community committed to offering supportive services to displaced youth. CRC is operating The Empowerment Center for Adolescents in conjunction with its community partners. The program is designed to be a 21-day safe space for adolescents ages 12 to 18 that will provide comprehensive services to youth who are unaccompanied, runaways, victims of human trafficking, and previously living in uninhabitable housing conditions. The goal is to foster a stable living environment and facilitate access to the necessary services needed for youth to thrive. Community Reach Center is a behavioral health services organization that has supported more than 22,000 children, adults, and seniors throughout the last 66 years in Adams County.
More information about the Center: The Empowerment Center for Adolescents
On Tuesday, August 22, 2023, the Thornton City Council unanimously approved the re-zoning of the property at 8801 Lipan Street. This process began in 2021 when Thornton Police Chief Terrence Gordon approached District Attorney Brian Mason regarding the need for a youth shelter in Adams County. The District Attorney's Office then engaged in conversations with Community Reach Center about opening a shelter on its vacant lot in Thornton. In 2022, the District Attorney's Office proposed the idea of a youth shelter bill to State Representative Dafna Michaelson Jenet who ultimately sponsored a piece of legislation with former State Senator Dominick Moreno. The bill, which allowed for the funding of shelter options for displaced youth in judicial districts throughout Colorado, was passed and signed into law on June 7, 2022. The bill also requires all Colorado communities to develop a comprehensive plan to address the needs of displaced youth in their communities, a need that has often not been met. The Empowerment Center for Adolescents is one of the first efforts in Colorado to meet the bill’s requirements, and the hope is it can be a model for other shelters specifically focused on the needs of young people.
Following the passage of this law, the District Attorney's Office applied for American Recovery Act grant funding through a program created by the Adams County Board of Commissioners and secured $1.2 million to fund one year of a youth shelter. On August 22, 2023, the Thornton City Council approved the proposal for Community Reach Center to operate the shelter within city limits on its lot at Lipan Street and West 88th Avenue. The shelter could be up and running in as little as three months from now.
Photos from the Ribbon Cutting:
YouthShelterPressReleasePhotos
Quotes:
"Community Reach Center is honored and excited to partner with the District Attorney for the 17th Judicial, Thornton Police Department, the City of Thornton, as well as other community leaders to develop the Empowerment Center for Adolescents. The program is designed to be a 21-day safe space for adolescents and will provide comprehensive services to youth at the shelter who are unaccompanied, runaways, victims of human trafficking, and previously living in uninhabitable housing conditions. Through our partnerships and programming that includes up to 21-day shelter stay, ongoing case management, and access to group, individual, and family services within the Community Reach Center network. Community Reach Center will be able to provide needed services to the children and their families of Adams County, and surrounding areas to ensure supports are in place for the individuals and their families."
--Community Reach Center Leadership
"Youth experiencing homelessness or displacement are more likely to become victims of crime or to commit crimes themselves. We desperately needed a youth shelter for displaced youth in this community and now we have one. This is a decision rooted in public safety and crime prevention and I’m very grateful to everyone who helped make it happen. I am particularly proud of the work of my staff and our partners, Community Reach Center and Thornton Police Chief Terrence Gordon, and I am thankful to Adams County for the grant to get this program up and running and to the Thornton City Council for their critical partnership in approving a location for the shelter."
--District Attorney Brian Mason
"The Thornton Police Department would like to thank the 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office and the Community Reach Center for establishing a safe place for juveniles who need shelter and services to get them and their families back together and back on track. 'Necessary and critical, but non-existent' is too often the case when it comes to essential services for kids and families, but instead of talking about what needs to be done, the partners in Adams County and the 17th are getting it done one step at a time."
--Thornton Police Chief Terrence Gordon
“We couldn’t be more proud to open this center to help our youth, to be able to provide a place for them to stay to get them off the streets, provide services for our youth so that they may become wonderful residents, homeowners, and peers within our community.”
--Mayor Pro Tem Karen Bigelow, Thornton Ward 4
"More than a place to rest, this is the starting point to build a foundation for dreams and brighter tomorrows. These shelter beds are more than just a refuge from the storm; they are a symbol of our community’s commitment to nurturing, supporting, and uplifting the potential of every young soul. Imagine the opportunity to rewrite your story so you are seen, heard, and valued. More than a place to rest, this is the starting point to build a foundation for dreams and brighter tomorrows. With the full support of the Adams County Commissioners, let this new chapter begin."
--Commissioner Emma Pinter, Adams County District 3 and Board Chair
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