It hurts Brian to talk of the time his parents and little sister were so scared of him, they didn’t want him home anymore.

“I was just being a pain in the butt to my parents,” said Brian, 18. “I was a multiple runaway. I had attempted suicide and was really depressed.”

Only Brian’s first name is being used to protect his privacy.

After he got to the point he couldn’t return home, Brian was admitted to Urban Peak’s The Place — the first and only licensed youth shelter in El Paso County.

“They got me out of that mess,” Brian said.

With the help of counseling, educational services that helped him get his GED diploma, and now a program that helps him live independently and save money, Brian said Urban Peak reshaped his life.

“I’ve been sober two years now,” he said. “Urban Peak helped me stay on track, otherwise I never would have been able to.”

Urban Peak is one of the 14 area charities receiving grants from The Gazette-El Pomar Foundation Empty Stocking Fund. The agency’s services include life skills training, shelter, and assistance to homeless or misguided youth.

Brian earned his certificate to be a bicycle mechanic and now works at an area bicycle shop. He’s taking classes in business at Pikes Peak Community College.

“It’s my life,” he said of bicycles. “I want to own a shop, or manage one.”

He’s also in a program that allows him to pay subsidized rent for an apartment. That rent goes to a savings account which he can get to when he turns 21, or moves out.

Most important, Brian has patched things up with his parents and little sister. He sees them at least every weekend and often drops in to visit his sister.

“I’m glad people were there for me to help me,” he said. “Without Urban Peak, I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this.”

TO DONATE

Make a secure donation at www.fillanemptystocking.org. Call 476-1673 to make a credit card or stock donation over the phone. Checks can be made payable to the Empty Stocking Fund and mailed to P.O. Box 400, Colorado Springs, CO 80901.

Photo by Courtesy of the YMCA