Latest news with #YouthFutures
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Youth Futures supports at-risk and homeless Utah children
Kristen Mitchell and her team have been supporting Utah's youth for the last 10 years. With overnight shelter, drop-in services and street outreach, Mitchell says the Youth Futures organization has changed countless lives and helped to lessen the cycle of homelessness at no cost to the kids. As founder, Mitchell's involvement began one winter night while working on a mental health hotline for youth. During a conversation with a young boy, she found her new calling. 'He was in a park and wouldn't tell me where he was, but he was feeling suicidal, had no place to go and was very distraught,' Mitchell recalled. 'I talked to him on the phone for hours. … I stayed awake the rest of the night. When my husband woke up, I told him the story and said, 'If someone is going to do us, it's going to be us.'' Mitchell immediately got to work developing a homeless youth shelter for kids ages 12-18 and transitional living for those 16-22. In 2015, she opened her first shelter in Ogden. Since then, Youth Futures has opened shelters and transitional living centers in St. George and Cedar City. One of the most important guiding principles of the organization was never turning youth away. Youth Futures is open 24/7 and provides access to laundry, computer access, overnight shelter, support groups, art therapy, pregnancy prevention and a myriad of other courses. 'If you can think about it, we offer it. If we don't offer it, and a kid needs it, we will figure out how to help build it,' Mitchell said. Youth Futures is made possible by grants, fundraisers, donations and the annual Sleep Out event. The event has attendees sleep outside to raise money and ensure that youth will not have to be on the streets. Other sponsors include Havenwood Academy, a girls' trauma treatment facility that consistently donates and brings girls to help with yard work at the facility. With all the life-changing work that happens within Youth Futures, one of the biggest obstacles has been altering the public's perception of the youth. 'There is a lot of stigma that goes on with homeless kids,' Mitchell confessed. 'They get marked as runaways or difficult kids. That is really not what these kids are dealing with. These kids are homeless and unaccompanied for reasons that are not their own.' The stories of what led the youth to homelessness have been heartbreaking to Mitchell and only resolved her drive to help in whatever way she can. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel for the organization. 'Statistics show that kids are four times more likely to become homeless adults if they become homeless as a kid. If we can intervene early and help these kids build the life skills and resiliency that they need, they will be more likely to be successful and stay out of homelessness,' Mitchell explained. Over the past 10 years, 80% of the youth served by Youth Futures have not entered the adult homeless system, according to Mitchell. The staggering statistics prove to Mitchell and her army of volunteers and employees that they are making a difference. With many youth-facing programs constantly being rolled out, Youth Futures sets itself apart by consistently providing positive programs. 'Our motto is 'We serve kids no matter what.' We check our judgment at our door and meet the kids where they are at,' Mitchell explained. 'We are very youth-centered. When a kid sets their goals, it is their goals, not our suggestions of goals. We will help them down whatever path they choose. We run on positive youth development.' For more information or to volunteer with Youth Futures, visit its website.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Youth Futures supports at-risk and homeless Utah children
Kristen Mitchell and her team have been supporting Utah's youth for the last 10 years. With overnight shelter, drop-in services and street outreach, Mitchell says the Youth Futures organization has changed countless lives and helped to lessen the cycle of homelessness at no cost to the kids. As founder, Mitchell's involvement began one winter night while working on a mental health hotline for youth. During a conversation with a young boy, she found her new calling. 'He was in a park and wouldn't tell me where he was, but he was feeling suicidal, had no place to go and was very distraught,' Mitchell recalled. 'I talked to him on the phone for hours. … I stayed awake the rest of the night. When my husband woke up, I told him the story and said, 'If someone is going to do us, it's going to be us.'' Mitchell immediately got to work developing a homeless youth shelter for kids ages 12-18 and transitional living for those 16-22. In 2015, she opened her first shelter in Ogden. Since then, Youth Futures has opened shelters and transitional living centers in St. George and Cedar City. One of the most important guiding principles of the organization was never turning youth away. Youth Futures is open 24/7 and provides access to laundry, computer access, overnight shelter, support groups, art therapy, pregnancy prevention and a myriad of other courses. 'If you can think about it, we offer it. If we don't offer it, and a kid needs it, we will figure out how to help build it,' Mitchell said. Youth Futures is made possible by grants, fundraisers, donations and the annual Sleep Out event. The event has attendees sleep outside to raise money and ensure that youth will not have to be on the streets. Other sponsors include Havenwood Academy, a girls' trauma treatment facility that consistently donates and brings girls to help with yard work at the facility. With all the life-changing work that happens within Youth Futures, one of the biggest obstacles has been altering the public's perception of the youth. 'There is a lot of stigma that goes on with homeless kids,' Mitchell confessed. 'They get marked as runaways or difficult kids. That is really not what these kids are dealing with. These kids are homeless and unaccompanied for reasons that are not their own.' The stories of what led the youth to homelessness have been heartbreaking to Mitchell and only resolved her drive to help in whatever way she can. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel for the organization. 'Statistics show that kids are four times more likely to become homeless adults if they become homeless as a kid. If we can intervene early and help these kids build the life skills and resiliency that they need, they will be more likely to be successful and stay out of homelessness,' Mitchell explained. Over the past 10 years, 80% of the youth served by Youth Futures have not entered the adult homeless system, according to Mitchell. The staggering statistics prove to Mitchell and her army of volunteers and employees that they are making a difference. With many youth-facing programs constantly being rolled out, Youth Futures sets itself apart by consistently providing positive programs. 'Our motto is 'We serve kids no matter what.' We check our judgment at our door and meet the kids where they are at,' Mitchell explained. 'We are very youth-centered. When a kid sets their goals, it is their goals, not our suggestions of goals. We will help them down whatever path they choose. We run on positive youth development.' For more information or to volunteer with Youth Futures, visit its website.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Utah homeless advocates worry about loss of federal funding
Possible cuts in federal funding to Utah homeless shelters has the operators of at least two facilities worried about how to keep their agencies running and pursuing increased donations from the public as a way to keep afloat. 'Our fundraising and grant-writing efforts are going to have to ramp up pretty significantly,' said Lauren Navidomskis, executive director of Lantern House, a 330-bed homeless shelter in Ogden that serves individuals and families. Kristen Mitchell, founder and executive director of Youth Futures Utah, which operates shelters for homeless youth in Ogden, Cedar City and St. George, worries about the future of some $750,000 in funding that comes through the federal Runaway and Homeless Youth Act. Like Navidomskis, she also worries about the future of funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Emergency Food and Shelter Program, which amounts to $25,000 to $50,000 a year for Youth Futures. 'We have some pretty intense uncertainty about our federal funding,' Mitchell said. The funding hasn't been cut — not yet, anyway. The administration of President Donald Trump, though, has frozen distribution of the money as it reviews spending. This has spurred jitters and calls by Mitchell for the public to donate and to reach out to Utah's federal delegation to urge approval of Runaway and Homeless Youth Act funding. Runaway and Homeless Youth Act funding alone accounts for around 17% of Youth Futures' annual budget of $4.5 million, and the potential loss of the money, if not offset by other revenue, worries Mitchell. Services could be trimmed, meaning some homeless kids would potentially have to fend for themselves. Before Youth Futures opened its first facility in 2015, Mitchell said, homeless kids would seek shelter in caves, abandoned buildings, sheds, parks or homes of drug dealers. 'It's tragic the things that these kids have to turn to to survive,' she said. Lantern House and Youth Futures, both privately operated nonprofit agencies, aren't alone in their unease about future funding under Trump, whose administration is focused on slashing government spending. In conversations with leaders from other Utah organizations that aid the homeless, Mitchell also senses uncertainty. 'They're calling me, going, 'Have you heard anything? What have you heard? What are you seeing?'' she said. Likewise, the funding freeze is causing concern among organizations around the country that aid the homeless and others in need. Nearly 50 U.S. House Democrats signed a letter sent Monday to FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, calling on them to restore FEMA's Emergency Food and Shelter Program funding. 'EFSP plays a critical role in combatting hunger and homelessness in our country, working to lift children and families out of desperate circumstances. We demand that you take immediate action to ensure that full funding for EFSP, as appropriated by Congress, resumes without further disruption,' reads the letter, sent by Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio. The FEMA program 'provides critical support to local organizations, filling gaps to respond to urgent needs or where other sources of funding fall short,' the letter continues. Navidomskis said about half of Lantern House's annual $3 million budget comes from federal and state funds. If federal funding is cut, though, that could reduce money coming from the state, as well, as state leaders reallocate funds to recipient agencies to help them contend with the loss of support from Washington, D.C. Lantern House, the largest shelter in Utah in terms of bed count, provided 3,300 people with 97,000 shelter nights between them in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2024. It served around 120,000 free meals to 4,200 people. Mitchell describes Youth Futures as 'sitting in a sort of limbo position' as federal authorities review spending. The agency has 53 beds for homeless youth at its three locations and serves around 700 people per year. 'We just don't have answers. We don't know,' she said. That uncertainty is prompting the turn to the public for donations to help offset any federal funding cuts. 'I'm trying to get ahead of possible concerns. I'm trying to diversify my funding, receive more just unrestricted funding to help us cover any possible delays or cuts or freezes,' Mitchell said. Meantime, Navidomskis said the number of people Lantern House serves and the severity of issues many of them face continue to rise. 'I don't think the homeless issue is getting better. I think there's more awareness and there seems to be a little bit more investment from our higher-level philanthropic giving that can drive some evidence-based change,' she said. 'But from the day-to-day perspective, it still feels like a very, very heavy task and load to lift.'
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Utah homeless advocates worry about loss of federal funding
Possible cuts in federal funding to Utah homeless shelters has the operators of at least two facilities worried about how to keep their agencies running and pursuing increased donations from the public as a way to keep afloat. 'Our fundraising and grant-writing efforts are going to have to ramp up pretty significantly,' said Lauren Navidomskis, executive director of Lantern House, a 330-bed homeless shelter in Ogden that serves individuals and families. Kristen Mitchell, founder and executive director of Youth Futures Utah, which operates shelters for homeless youth in Ogden, Cedar City and St. George, worries about the future of some $750,000 in funding that comes through the federal Runaway and Homeless Youth Act. Like Navidomskis, she also worries about the future of funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Emergency Food and Shelter Program, which amounts to $25,000 to $50,000 a year for Youth Futures. 'We have some pretty intense uncertainty about our federal funding,' Mitchell said. The funding hasn't been cut — not yet, anyway. The administration of President Donald Trump, though, has frozen distribution of the money as it reviews spending. This has spurred jitters and calls by Mitchell for the public to donate and to reach out to Utah's federal delegation to urge approval of Runaway and Homeless Youth Act funding. Runaway and Homeless Youth Act funding alone accounts for around 17% of Youth Futures' annual budget of $4.5 million, and the potential loss of the money, if not offset by other revenue, worries Mitchell. Services could be trimmed, meaning some homeless kids would potentially have to fend for themselves. Before Youth Futures opened its first facility in 2015, Mitchell said, homeless kids would seek shelter in caves, abandoned buildings, sheds, parks or homes of drug dealers. 'It's tragic the things that these kids have to turn to to survive,' she said. Lantern House and Youth Futures, both privately operated nonprofit agencies, aren't alone in their unease about future funding under Trump, whose administration is focused on slashing government spending. In conversations with leaders from other Utah organizations that aid the homeless, Mitchell also senses uncertainty. 'They're calling me, going, 'Have you heard anything? What have you heard? What are you seeing?'' she said. Likewise, the funding freeze is causing concern among organizations around the country that aid the homeless and others in need. Nearly 50 U.S. House Democrats signed a letter sent Monday to FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, calling on them to restore FEMA's Emergency Food and Shelter Program funding. 'EFSP plays a critical role in combatting hunger and homelessness in our country, working to lift children and families out of desperate circumstances. We demand that you take immediate action to ensure that full funding for EFSP, as appropriated by Congress, resumes without further disruption,' reads the letter, sent by Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio. The FEMA program 'provides critical support to local organizations, filling gaps to respond to urgent needs or where other sources of funding fall short,' the letter continues. Navidomskis said about half of Lantern House's annual $3 million budget comes from federal and state funds. If federal funding is cut, though, that could reduce money coming from the state, as well, as state leaders reallocate funds to recipient agencies to help them contend with the loss of support from Washington, D.C. Lantern House, the largest shelter in Utah in terms of bed count, provided 3,300 people with 97,000 shelter nights between them in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2024. It served around 120,000 free meals to 4,200 people. Mitchell describes Youth Futures as 'sitting in a sort of limbo position' as federal authorities review spending. The agency has 53 beds for homeless youth at its three locations and serves around 700 people per year. 'We just don't have answers. We don't know,' she said. That uncertainty is prompting the turn to the public for donations to help offset any federal funding cuts. 'I'm trying to get ahead of possible concerns. I'm trying to diversify my funding, receive more just unrestricted funding to help us cover any possible delays or cuts or freezes,' Mitchell said. Meantime, Navidomskis said the number of people Lantern House serves and the severity of issues many of them face continue to rise. 'I don't think the homeless issue is getting better. I think there's more awareness and there seems to be a little bit more investment from our higher-level philanthropic giving that can drive some evidence-based change,' she said. 'But from the day-to-day perspective, it still feels like a very, very heavy task and load to lift.'
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
12 counties across Utah issue Code Blue alert
SALT LAKE CITY () — As winter continues to make its last push before spring begins in Utah, 12 counties have issued a Code Blue alert. Code Blue alerts are issued when temperatures, including wind chill, are expected to drop to 18 degrees or colder. The alert allows shelters to relax and expand to help those experiencing homelessness from the cold. The 12 counties that issued a Cold Blue alert for Tuesday, March 18, are: Carbon Duchesne Iron Juab Millard Morgan Salt Lake San Juan Sanpete Sevier Summit Wasatch End Utah Homelessness has several resources to help those in need find shelter on cold nights. To find community resources directly in your area, dial 911. Additionally, several emergency shelters can be found throughout Salt Lake Lake City, Ogden, Cedar City, St. George, and Park City. A list of the emergency shelters can be found below: Canyon Creek Services – 297 North Cove Drive Iron County Care and Share – 244 West 900 North Youth Futures – 100 West 133 South Safe Harbor Crisis Center – 233 Larson Lane Connie Crosby Family Resource Center – The Road Home – 529 West 9th Ave. Lantern House – 269 West 33rd Street Youth Futures – 2760 Adams Ave. Christian Center Park City – 1283 Deer Park Drive Gail Miller Resource Center – The Road Home – 242 W Paramount Ave. Geraldine E. King Women's Resource Center – 131 East 700 South St. Vincent De Paul Shelter and Dinning Hall – 437 West 200 South Youth Resource Center – 888 South 400 West Pamela Atkinson Men's Resource Center – 3380 South 1000 West Switchpoint Community Resource Center – 948 North 1300 West Youth Future – 340 East Tabernacle Switchpoint – 3060 South Lester Street Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
