‘Mothership’ helps Colorado youth exit homelessness three times faster
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Urban Peak’s new integrated campus known as the "Mothership" is helping Colorado youths experiencing homelessness find a pathway to housing and stability three times faster than historic averages, according to a new independent analysis.
CEO Christina Carlson said extended periods of homelessness can set back youth brain development and education, and increase the risk of human trafficking and substance misuse. She said reducing the amount of time spent between entering services and exiting homelessness is critical.
"By shortening that time frame, we reduce overall harms," she said. "That will also limit future returns to homelessness."
The cost per client at the Mothership during the most recent fiscal year was more than $7,800. By comparison, it costs $100,000 a year for each youth in the state’s juvenile detention system. Last year, the Mothership provided nearly 330,000 services to youths – including meals, beds, employment and other counseling – at a cost of just $17 per service."
The Mothership’s trauma-informed design, created by Shopworks Architecture, offers a full continuum of services under one roof. The first floor is a 24/7 emergency intake center addressing immediate needs such as food, shelter and hygiene. The second and third floors provide shared living, dining, community spaces and transitional dormitory housing. There are also medical services, education and employment resources, and other forms of support on site.
Carlson said the building itself acts as a first responder.
"When someone walks through the door, it’s light and bright, and there’s space and there’s line of sight," she said. "And so you come in, and you take a deep breath rather than being scared about what you’re walking into."
The median number of days between when youths enter and exit the Mothership is just 33 days, which Carlson noted is extraordinary compared with the decades many adults spend in shelters. She said dedicated staff pour their hearts into the work, but it’s inspired by the youths who decide to come inside.
"That is a brave young person," she said, "and we get to be partners with them and really see what happens next in their life. And it’s such a privilege."
