Nelson: How Boulder businesses can help end youth homelessness

Whether you’re getting your morning coffee, grabbing a bite for lunch, shopping for the newest outdoor apparel or simply enjoying a stroll down the Pearl Street Mall, the employee you’re interacting with is someone just like you — the only difference is this person may have previously experienced homelessness. Every single day in businesses across Boulder County, countless formerly unhoused people are thriving as valued, contributing members of the community.

Homelessness increased for the third straight year in Boulder County, and many individuals in this vulnerable group with no permanent place to stay are young people between the ages of 16 and 24. While that is the prime age range to begin pursuing employment opportunities or working in some capacity, homelessness, unfortunately, makes it next to impossible for young people to find and keep a good job. TGTHR, a nonprofit business in Boulder County dedicated to ending youth homelessness, sees these challenges young people without a stable place to live face each and every day.

I have worked with young people who are currently homeless or are at risk of becoming homeless for more than two decades, and it is amazing to see the lengths they often go in order to find and maintain employment. Imagine not having a steady address to put on your resume, a phone number for jobs to call you back, or even a computer to perform job searches and fill out online applications. Preparing for an interview is stressful enough without having to worry about not having a safe place to sleep, shower, clean your clothes and get dressed, and get mentally prepared. Not to mention additional challenges such as limited access to transportation and vital documents to obtain employment. Standing alone or often in conjunction with others, there are entirely too many barriers to employment for youth experiencing homelessness when many of these young people are simply trying to survive the day or night.

The causes of youth homelessness are numerous: fleeing an abusive foster situation, leaving a parent who’s in and out of jail or who has a mental illness, escaping a home of addiction, being kicked out after coming out to an unsupportive family — the list goes on. And while, of course, each story is unique to the individual, there are some proven ways to develop solutions that support the fight to end youth homelessness.

Bottom line: Housing instability creates instability in every area of life. Consequently, ending youth homelessness involves providing young people with — beyond a safe place to live — employment opportunities and pathways to success.

Self-sustaining employment is key for young people to achieve long-term self-sufficiency and permanently break the cycle of homelessness. By empowering young people with the employment and support they need to ultimately become healthy, productive members of our community, businesses throughout Boulder County can help bring an end to youth homelessness through partnership with companies like TGTHR and other community stakeholders.

Even better, by investing in young individuals who are, or were recently, experiencing homelessness and providing them with the opportunity to work, business owners and leaders are benefitting our community as a whole.

How many coffee shops, restaurants, retail stores and establishments in the hospitality industry have you recently seen struggling to hire and retain a full staff? With businesses seemingly closing left and right, hiring hardworking young people can not only be more cost-effective but might be necessary for business sustainability. Eliminating potential employees simply due to inexperience in working with the homeless or feeling ill-equipped to adequately address their needs does not benefit a business or the community. My experience working with individuals across this population has illustrated to me that — given the opportunity — they can be as hardworking and eager to develop their work history as any other young person. As an employer of more than 70 individuals, I have seen firsthand the benefits to my business of employing and supporting young people experiencing homelessness. Just like others starting their careers, they are looking forward to parlaying their early job experience into a career.

At the end of the day, ending youth homelessness is good for business — and providing employment opportunities is just one way local businesses can help make homelessness rare, brief and nonrecurring.

Chris Nelson leverages 20-plus years of experience working with youth, including 14 years at TGTHR, a nonprofit business dedicated to ending youth homelessness. 

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