William Rodriguez,19, and Sarah Dunhan, 20, are young and in love but when religious differences forced them to cut their families from their lives, the two were alone and broke.

“Our families wanted us to be adults, and we are adults, but at the same time they want us to do it their way,” Rodriguez said.

Engaged, Rodriguez and Dunhan got their own apartment while he looked for work as an X-ray technician and she finished school. But when the couple needed to break their lease, the landlord took $1,000 from their limited funds.

The pair learned about Urban Peak from a former client while they were staying at a local shelter calculating their next move. The non-profit focused on giving homeless teens and young adults education, job skills and a warm place to stay took Rodriguez and Dunhan in Nov. 1.

“They are making our way of getting back on our feet easier as well as giving us a place to stay,” Rodriguez said. “As long as you’re trying to better yourself, Urban Peak will take you in and help you get to where you’re trying to go.”

At any given time, 20 at-risk teens and young adults live at Urban Peak, where they receive education and employment assistance, GED classes, health and wellness education and referrals, on site medical and dental care, counseling, life skill classes and three meals a day.

Urban Peak is one of 15 area charities received grants from The Gazette-El Pomar Empty Stocking Fund.

Guidance counselors at Urban Peak are helping Dunhan with her decision on whether to study to become a medical assistant or an EMT. Rodriguez continues his job hunt while making plans to return to school to study psychology.

“They’re helping us by giving us job training and job skills and giving us transportation so we can go look at these different schools,” Rodriguez said. “It’s a close knit group. The staff is like family, like that guardian for you, and all of the clients are siblings.”

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