A Chance for A Brighter Future: Providing Access to Housing and Food for Young People and Families

Providing services to young people and families dealing with homelessness and food insecurity is a moral imperative that speaks to the heart of our collective humanity. Imagine the despair of the over 1.5 million public school students who, during the 2017-2018 school year, had no place to call home. Picture the uncertainty faced by more than 10 million children who go to bed each night wondering if there will be enough food the next day.

By ensuring access to stable housing and nutritious food, VOA Colorado is here to offer these vulnerable individuals hope, dignity, and a chance for a brighter future.

Our Bannock Youth Center, just one of several initiatives VOA Colorado has in place to support families and children, provides access to stable housing and nutritious food and supports the immediate needs of as many as 160 families and children every year. But, more than that, it also lays the foundation for their future success and stability. 

The Center is located at 455 Bannock and takes a comprehensive approach to supporting children and families. Focusing case management services that address employment, education, independent living, parenting skills and more, the team at the Center offers six unique programs to help youth and families reach self-sufficiency: the Family Housing Program (which works with the Denver Housing Authority); the Housing Stabilization program; the Green Willow program (supporting survivors of domestic violence); Shelter into Rapid Rehousing program (which takes referrals from the VOA Family Motel and provides a pathway toward self-sufficiency); the Youth Transition Project (focusing on youth 18 – 24); and, the Permanent Supportive Housing program.

According to the Center’s associate director, Eduardo Feliz, what makes the Bannock Center unique is its housing-first model and the fact that “our clients are at the center. They are the captains of their own ships. We are here to support, empower, and enlighten, but they are the ones doing the work, and that makes all the difference (in terms of) long-term success.”