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BEST PRACTICES: HOMELESS YOUTH SERVICESTopic OverviewAn unknown, but significant, number of Colorado youth are homeless. A homeless youth lacks a fixed, regular and adequate residence, or has a primary nighttime residence that is in a supervised shelter for temporary accommodations, an institution providing temporary residence or a public or private place not designated for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings. While the specific number of homeless youth in Colorado is unknown, the Colorado Department of Human Services estimates that the number of homeless youth has risen by 39 percent since 1998. This increase is significant because homeless youth are especially vulnerable to health-compromising behaviors and poor health and educational outcomes. A new opportunity was recently created by the Colorado General Assembly to learn more about, and address the needs of, this vulnerable population. Effective July 2002, an Office of Homeless Youth was created in the Division of Prevention and Intervention Services for Children and Youth at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The office will provide information, coordination and support services to public and private entities serving the homeless youth of Colorado. It will identify procedural and substantive obstacles to the provision of services and make recommendations for procedural, regulatory or statutory changes to remove them; and it will develop and maintain a clearinghouse of information on services and funding sources available for services to homeless youth. Recommended Strategies
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