The Landing, Destiny’s home for five months before she graduated from Thompson Valley High School in Loveland, had a warm shower, a bed and food. But it also offered one thing that the other shelters didn’t: reassurance.

Destiny is an 18-year-old woman with a lot of life to experience. A few days out of the house is not enough time to develop the hardened street smarts she thought she needed to feel safe. The adult shelters where she stayed a couple days after her mother kicked her out for arguing with her boyfriend were not a good fit.

“They were very scary,” said Destiny, who only wanted to use her first name, fearing the stigma of being identified as homeless at a time she’s trying to find a job and get established.

The shelter also made her wonder if this was what she could expect f

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