Rural Collaborative Basic Center Program 2021 Report

The Colorado Rural Collaborative for Homeless Youth was established in 2008 to collectively address the unique needs of rural runaway and homeless youth and the challenges geography poses for them to receive support and services. Namely, this means connecting Colorado’s network of Runaway/Homeless Youth and Child Welfare providers in order to serve youth in rural communities who have little or no connection to stable housing and family situations.

This report covers the services provided to RC youth who were tracked and enrolled using the Colorado Rural Collaborative’s Management Information System who enrolled in the Basic Center program from July 2019 through February 2021. In total, there were 100 youth screened for eligibility, and 81 youth enrolled in the project’s data management information system for whom outcomes could be tracked.

This report contains:

• Description of the youth served, including demographics and risk factors
• Who provided services to the youth and for how long
• Services received and in which of the outcome areas
• Outcomes from cohort longitudinal design using pre- and post-test surveys for each of the five focus areas (education, employment, housing, health and well-being, supportive connections)
• Lessons learned

Key outcomes from the intervention include:

• Unemployment decreased from 65 to 48 percent;
• Fewer youth reported homelessness or shelter stays, and 5 youth received housing vouchers to live on their own;
• Youth reported greater confidence in knowing how to access health and mental health resources; and
• Most youth maintained contact with their case managers to continue receiving support.