As a CASA Volunteer, it is possible that your case might move towards the adoption process. With these resources, you can learn more about the process and why it is so important.

• Adoption Resources
  • The Heart Gallery of Colorado is a project to help Colorado’s children find families; all of the children featured live in Colorado and are waiting for an adoptive family to call their own.
  • Raise the Future (formerly The Adoption Exchange) is a program in several states, including Colorado, which connects children who wait in foster care with families who adopt.
  • Adams County Adoption – Adams County Human Services Department (ACHSD) provides adoption assistance to support families in meeting the special needs of children adopted in Adams County who meet the established state and federal eligibility guidelines.

A “Crossover Youth” is a child that is dually involved in both the Child Welfare and Juvenile Delinquency systems. These cases may have unique needs, and advocating for the best interest of the child may require additional resources to address the needs of the juvenile delinquency case in addition to child welfare needs.

In 2018, the Colorado State Legislature passed a bill requiring local Juvenile Service Planning Committees to create plans to serve Crossover Youth. You can learn more about this bill by clicking here.

The 17th Judicial District (Adams & Broomfield Counties) has implemented a Crossover Youth Practice Model (CYPM) to prevent children from dually entering both systems, and provide effective interventions for crossover youth. In Adams County, this program is called ENGAGE, which is run through the Collaborative Management Program (CMP).

• Crossover Youth Community Resources
  • Fully Liberated Youth is an organization that seeks to restore dignity and foster secure attachments with incarcerated, formerly incarcerated, and high-risk young people through redemptive and restorative relationships that are focused on healing, mercy, mutuality, tenderness, and kinship.
  • Driven By Our Ambitions (DBOA) aims to establish intervention/preventative/mentoring/therapy services for clients and their families that will allow them to receive ample support, guidance, and critical information that will guide them on a path to surpass their goals/ambitions and always work to grow the client(s) towards being productive citizens.
  • Community Reach Center – Juvenile Justice Program offers jail-based and outpatient programs designed to effectively treat individuals with behavioral health challenges who are involved with the criminal justice system. Community Reach Center provides individuals with the resources necessary to develop stable, productive lifestyles, and break the pattern of cycling through the justice system
  • Savio House believes in the potential of every youth. Their programs eliminate a range of behaviors including substance use, problem sexual behavior, aggression, running away, and delinquency. Savio treats teens and their families together in the comfort of their own home. Their in-home therapy programs strengthen families and build hope for everyone.
• Educational Resources for Advocates
  • Never Too Early: Moving Upstream to Prevent Juvenile Justice, Child Welfare, and Dual System Involvement
  • Trauma Focused Practice Supplement for the Crossover Youth Practice Model
  • Caught in the Middle: The Plight of Crossover Youth
  • State of Colorado Juvenile Delinquency Handbook
  • 17th JDC Juvenile Delinquency Handbook

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1.800.799 SAFE (7233) TTY 1.800.787.3224

• Domestic Violence Services & Shelters
  • SafeHouse Denver, Denver, 303-318-9989 (Crisis Line)
    • SafeHouse Denver offers bilingual, supportive services to women and children at a 30-bed emergency shelter, and a non-residential Counseling and Advocacy Center. They provide women and children with individual counseling, support groups, legal referrals, safety planning, and other support necessary to become safer, more confident and more self-sufficient.
  • Gateway Domestic Violence Services, Arapahoe County, 303-343-1851 (Crisis Line)
    • The mission of Gateway Domestic Violence Services is to prevent and eliminate intimate partner violence through counseling, residential care, and empowering people for social change. Gateway has two emergency shelter facilities, one short-term shelter and one long-term shelter, safety planning, court advocacy, nonresidential counseling, and community resources. Pets are welcome.
  • The Crisis Center, Douglas County, 303-688-8484
    • The Crisis Center exists to end domestic violence through advocacy, education, and prevention; while helping communities live free of violence. Services include emergency shelter, therapy, legal advocacy community based advocacy and education, outreach, and prevention.
  • Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence (SPAN), Boulder, 303-444-2424
    • SPAN offers support and services that provide healing, hope, and opportunity to adults, youth, and children. Services include crisis intervention, shelter, legal advocacy, and outreach counseling services.
  • Safe Shelter of St. Vrain Valley, Longmont, 303-772-4422
    • Safe Shelter is a comprehensive system of programs and services to address domestic violence for victims of any gender. Services include a 24 hour crisis line, emergency shelter, individual and group counseling, and legal advocacy.
  • Family Tree Women in Crisis, Jefferson County, 303-420-6752
    • The purpose of Family Tree Women In Crisis is to keep victims safe from domestic violence by providing a 24-hour crisis line, emergency residential facility, safety planning, advocacy, community resources, health care, and other supportive services.
  • Rose Andom Center, Denver, 720-337-4400
    • Services at the Rose Andom Center are available to all victims of domestic violence who are in need of information and help in finding resources, safety, and hope for themselves and their children. Through partner agencies, a wide range of services are available to help victims choose which services will best assist them in creating a path toward safety. Victims are not required to report their abuse to law enforcement in order to access services. All programs and staff participating at the Rose Andom Center are committed to providing culturally and linguistically responsive services, where victims are respected and empowered to make the best choices for themselves.
  • At Project Safeguard, legal Advocates provide confidential assistance in preparing to file for civil protection orders, divorce or custody filings, and court appearances. There is no charge for their services and all services are available in English and Spanish.
  • Find a Domestic Violence Program Near You
• Teen Dating Violence
  • National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline at 866.331.9474 or 866.331.8453 (TTY).
  • Teen dating violence (TDV), also called, “dating violence”, is an adverse childhood experience that affects millions of young people in the United States. Dating violence can take place in person, online, or through technology. It is a type of intimate partner violence that can include the following types of behavior:
    • Physical violence is when a person hurts or tries to hurt a partner by hitting, kicking, or using another type of physical force.
    • Sexual violence is forcing or attempting to force a partner to take part in a sex act and or sexual touching when the partner does not consent or is unable to consent or refuse. It also includes non-physical sexual behaviors like posting or sharing sexual pictures of a partner without their consent or sexting someone without their consent.
    • Psychological aggression is the use of verbal and non-verbal communication with the intent to harm a partner mentally or emotionally and exert control over a partner.
    • Stalking is a pattern of repeated, unwanted attention and contact by a current or former partner that causes fear or safety concern for an individual victim or someone close to the victim.
  • Teen dating violence profoundly impacts lifelong health, opportunity, and wellbeing. Unhealthy relationships can start early and last a lifetime. The good news is violence is preventable, and we can all help young people grow up violence-free.
  • Teens often think some behaviors, like teasing and name-calling, are a “normal” part of a relationship. However, these behaviors can become abusive and develop into serious forms of violence. Many teens do not report unhealthy behaviors because they are afraid to tell family and friends.
  • Teen dating violence is common. Data from CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey in 2019 indicate that among U.S. high school students who reported dating during the 12 months before the survey:
    • About 1 in 12 experienced physical dating violence.
    • About 1 in 12 experienced sexual dating violence.
  • Some teens are at greater risk than others. Female students experienced higher rates of physical and sexual dating violence than male students. Students who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ) or those who were unsure of their gender identity experienced higher rates of physical and sexual dating violence compared to students who identified as heterosexual.
    • https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/intimatepartnerviolence/datingmatters/index.html
    • https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-teen-dating-violence
    • https://assets.speakcdn.com/assets/2497/dating_abuse_and_teen_violence_ncadv.pdf
• Educational Resources for Advocates
  • https://assets.speakcdn.com/assets/2497/dv_and_children.pdf
  • https://assets.speakcdn.com/assets/2497/domestic_violence-2020080709350855.pdf?1596828650457

• K-12 Education Community Resources
  • Attendance Works As a non-profit initiative, Attendance Works collaborates with schools, districts, states, communities and organizations to ensure that everyone recognizes that chronic absence is a serious issue that can be addressed using a positive, problem-solving approach grounded in an understanding of educational inequities.
  • The Arc (Special Educational Advocacy) promotes and protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively supports their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes.

  • Colorado Department of Education (CDE) provides leadership, resources, support and accountability to the state’s *178 school districts, 1,927 schools, over 55,000 teachers and over 4,100 administrators to help them build capacity to meet the needs of the state’s approximately 883,264 public school students.

  • Griffith Centers for Children believes that every child deserves positive experiences and opportunities that would prepare him or her to live a productive life. Griffith Centers’ program includes a wonderful Truancy Intervention Program where a truant child is given an advocate to help get kids on the right track, family preservation services, residential services, and transitional programs.
• GED Resources
  • The link below is a helpful guide to local resources for GED testing and preparation.
    • https://www.cde.state.co.us/postsecondary/hse
• College Education Resources
  • Access Center – Consistent with Colorado State University’s land grant mission to make education accessible to all persons and groups, the Access Center develops the talents of those who have been historically underrepresented in postsecondary education (first generation, low-income, ethnically and racially diverse, and non-traditionally aged). By utilizing effective practices, the Access Center provides quality services to communities, individuals and institutions resulting in student success and exemplary programs guided by an ethic of community and project accountability.
  • Forward Steps – Guardian Scholar Scholarships – By investing in their lives, Forward Steps empowers former foster youth so they can reach their full potential as active, independent, self-sufficient members of their communities by providing financial assistance, individualized mentoring sessions, personal and professional development opportunities, and college prep.

Food insecurity is defined by the USDA as “reports of reduced quality, variety, or desirability of diet. Little or no indication of reduced food intake” or “reports of multiple indications of disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake.”¹ Food insecurity can affect anyone, but particularly targets marginalized communities.

One of the factors that creates food insecurity are food deserts. Food deserts are areas where there are few or no grocery stores or other vendors that offer fresh, affordable fruits, vegetables, and lean protein. Food deserts are often located in heavily urbanized areas or sparsely populated rural areas.

There are two crises that arise from food insecurity in the United States: 1) 6.4 million children experience hunger² and 2) 12.7 million children are obese³. This may indicate that many children do not have access to food, and the food they can access may not be nutritional.

For those struggling with food insecurity, there are resources available to help.

• Find food assistance programs and food banks in Adams County.
• Find food assistance programs and food banks in Broomfield.

Learn more about food deserts here.

• Growing Home
  • Growing Home builds thriving, equitable communities by empowering families through resilience and leadership. By fostering connections among families and the broader community, they create a shared responsibility for solving challenges and achieving sustainable outcomes. Services include a food pantry, housing assistance, parenting education, collaborative coaching for long-term stability, and community connection.
• Colorado Immigration Rights Coalition
  • Everyone, regardless of immigration status, has rights. Knowing these rights helps protect yourself, your loved ones, and your community. Immigrants often face fear tactics and misinformation. Understanding the facts empowers individuals, fosters resilience, and strengthens communities.
    • Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN)
• Center for Immigrants
  • The Center for Immigrants helps participants resettle, integrate, heal, and reclaim their dignity in Colorado and the U.S. By partnering with licensed attorneys and caregivers, it provides legal aid, healthcare, mental health support, and social services to meet the basic needs of refugees and survivors. The organization takes a multidisciplinary, community-based approach to service delivery.
• Colorado Asylum Center
  • This organization is dedicated to protecting the rights of asylum seekers across the U.S. through legal representation and advocacy. Many asylum seekers are denied a fair hearing, facing expedited processing, restrictive policies like the “Remain in Mexico” program, and limited access to attorneys. By providing direct legal support and advocating for fair asylum laws, the organization fights to ensure due process and equal protection for those seeking safety.
• U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants
  
  • The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI), established in 1911, is a nongovernmental, not-for-profit international organization dedicated to addressing the needs and rights of refugees and immigrants. USCRI, working with its affiliates, provides legal services, social, and health services to refugees, unaccompanied migrating children, trafficking survivors, and other immigrants in all 50 states, El Salvador, Honduras, Kenya, and Mexico. USCRI advocates for the rights of refugees and immigrants both nationally and globally, helping to drive policies, practices and law. 
• Lutheran Family Services
  • Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains is a faith based, non-profit human services agency providing adoption, disaster relief, foster care, older adult guardianship, family support & education, and refugee & immigration services since 1948. We provide help and support to children and families during their most challenging times regardless of race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation or age. 
• Justice and Mercy Legal Aid Center
  • The Justice and Mercy Legal Aid Center (JAMLAC) is a faith-based nonprofit serving low-income community members in the greater Denver metro area since 2006. It has provided legal services to 20,000 individuals, offering full civil legal representation, consultations, advocacy, and workshops to support survivors, immigrants, and others seeking justice.
• Church World Services – Fort Collins
  • CWS Fort Collins welcomes refugees, immigrants, and asylum-seekers from around the globe into lives of freedom, hope, and opportunity through direct services, advocacy, leadership development, and relationship-building in our community.  
• Servicios de la Raza
  • For over 52 years, Servicios has supported Denver’s most vulnerable communities with health, advocacy, and emergency services. Serving over 90,000 people annually, it provides culturally responsive care in behavioral health, victim support, reentry assistance, workforce development, and more.
• Immigration Resources Information Services IRIS Project Colorado is a resource directory for Colorado immigrants, refugees, asylees, and their allies. 
• CASA De PAZ
  • Casa de Paz provides a safe, temporary space for immigrants released from detention in Aurora, CO. It helps guests connect with loved ones and arrange travel to their final destination, offering dignity, respect, and community support along the way.
• Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Denver
  • Catholic Charities offers immigration services in Northern Colorado, including legal advice and application assistance. Through the Colorado Afghan Legal Project, it supports Afghan refugees with legal services, asylum workshops, and referral pathways.
• Adams 12 Five Star Schools Immigration and Newcomer Resources
  • The Student and Family Outreach Program (SFOP) helps immigrant families access resources like food, housing, healthcare, and legal services. With multilingual staff specializing in various educational needs, SFOP connects families to community support.

• The Center on Colfax
  • The LGBTQ+ community center offers inclusive programming, social events, support groups, art classes, and educational opportunities. It provides transgender support programs, legal services, and networking sessions, along with job programs and age-specific services like SAGE (50+), SAGA (18-24), and Rainbow Alley (10-17).
• Transgender Center of the Rockies
  • A program of Mile High Behavioral Healthcare for holistic mental health services for members of Colorado’s transgender and gender expansive community. 
• Northern Colorado Equality
  • The Northern Colorado Eqality support groups and other social activities in the Fort Collins area. It is an eclectic transgender support and social group with education, support, and social activities for the Northern Colorado transgender/genderqueer/intersex community.
• One Colorado
  • A statewide advocacy organization dedicated to securing and protecting equality and opportunity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Coloradans and their families.  
• The Open and Affirming Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity (OASOS) Program
  • Free, confidential services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and questioning youth, including peer support groups in Boulder and Longmont, advocacy, and a variety of support and counseling services, referrals to health and community services, and free testing for HIV and sexually transmitted infections. 
• PFLAG Denver
  • Denver-based support groups for parents, family members, friends, partners, and active allies. 
• Queer Asterisk
  • Provides various therapeutic services for LGBTQPIA folx who identify as lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer/questioning, pan, intersex, agender/asexual or non-conforming, and their allies. 
• CDPHE Resources for the Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer, Questioning and Asexual + (2SLGBTQIA+) Community
  • Colorado Departement of Health’s list of general and health-specific resources.

• Mental Health Community Resources
  • Colorado Crisis Services – call 1-844-493-8255 or text “Talk” to 38255; Colorado Crisis Services is the statewide behavioral health crisis response system offering residents mental health, substance use; or emotional crisis help, information, and referrals. Its mission is to strengthen Colorado’s mental health system by providing Coloradans with greater access to crisis services wherever they are at 24/7/365 regardless of ability to pay.
  • Aurora Mental Health & Recovery is a SAMHSA Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic offering services to address a wide range of mental health conditions. They help individuals and families cope with a variety of challenges. Their staff of physicians, nurses, psychologists, therapists, and peers works with all age groups, from children to seniors.
  • Community Reach Center provides private, confidential, evidence-based counseling for children, teens, and their families at any of the Center’s five outpatient offices, in most Adams County public schools and in other community-based settings. Their goal is to help youth overcome their difficulties and become more resilient.
  • Mental Health Partners serves Broomfield and Boulder Counties. Services include individual, group therapy, family therapy, children, family, and home based services, addiction recovery services, medication assisted treatment, care coordination and management, psychiatric services, psychoeducation, and life skills training.
  • Denver Children’s Advocacy Center (DCAC) is a leader in the response to reports of child abuse and neglect in the City of Denver. They provide counseling services to child victims and their non-offending family members and collaborate with the community to protect kids through prevention-focused initiatives.
  • Reaching HOPE offers a wide range of trauma-informed services aimed at creating a healthy, happy, and well-resourced community. These programs include Wellness & Prevention, Trauma Recovery, Evaluations, and Training & Supervision.
• Educational Resources for Advocates
  • Healthy Living Toolkits
  • Mental Illness and the Family: Recognizing Signs and How to Cope
  • Supporting a Friend or Family Member with Mental Health Problems
  • National Alliance on Mental Illness: Mental Health Conditions
• Suicide and Mental Health Hotlines
  • For Emergencies, Dial 911
  • 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – call or text 988
  • Treatment Advocacy Center – 1-800-273-8255
  • The Trevor Project – call 1-866-488-7386 or text 678-678

Human Trafficking is a severe form of exploitation of another person involving force, fraud, or coercion for labor or commercial sexual purposes. Trafficking does not require transportation of a person(s) across state or country borders, and may involve U.S. citizens and/or foreign nationals.

Those most at risk of human trafficking are individuals experiencing homelessness, those struggling with substance dependency, individuals who identify as LGBTQIA+, sex workers, minors who are not residing with their legal guardian, undocumented individuals, asylees and refugees.

• Human Trafficking Community Resources
  • Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking HOTLINE Call: 866-455-5075 Text: 720-999-9724
  • iEmpathize works to eradicate child exploitation and engage culture in creative solutions. They empower the kids, sectors, and regions most affected by the issue through Empathy, Prevention, and Empowerment.
  • Voluntad (formerly Street’s House) provides survivor informed, evidence based services to support and empower survivors of all forms of human trafficking. Voluntad works to bring awareness and education to our community in the fight against exploitation and human trafficking.
• Sexual Abuse Community Resources
  • Blue Bench (formerly RAAP) is a comprehensive sexual assault support and prevention center. Every day they work tirelessly to eliminate sexual assault and diminish the impact it has on individuals, their loved ones, and our community. Through their efforts in issue advocacy, prevention, and care, Blue Bench strives to elevate topic awareness and lead the charge to end sexual assault.
  • Ralston House, a not-for-profit agency, provides a friendly and safe place for children and teens who have been sexually abused to tell their stories and begin to heal. Ralston House receives referrals from law enforcement, social services, and the district attorney’s office and works in conjunction with these entities to provide specialized forensic interviews and medical examinations.
• Educational Resources for Advocates
  • Understanding Human Trafficking
  • Recognizing Human Trafficking
  • Human Trafficking Myths, Facts and Statistics

Poverty and homelessness are both risk factors for a family entering into Dependency and Neglect proceedings. Many of our cases at CASA of Adams & Broomfield Counties involve families experiencing poverty and/or homelessness. Because of this, it is important to understand the barriers and risk factors that unhoused populations face, as well as having knowledge of community resources to support our youth and families.

According to a 2018 report published by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, approximately 30% of people experiencing homelessness are under the age of 24. Experiencing homelessness can be traumatic, specifically for children. Youth who have experienced homelessness have higher rates of emotional, behavioral, and long-term physical health problems. Experiencing homelessness is also correlated with higher rates of substance use and suicide. Youth who are part of marginalized communities, such as youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, etc. (LGBTQIA+), youth of color, and parenting teens, are at higher risk of being unhoused.

• Housing Community Resources
  • Adams County Housing Resources and Assistance – compiled list of community resources in Adams County.
  • The mission of Maiker Housing Partners is to disrupt generational poverty through socially conscious community development in Adams County.
  • Almost Home, Inc. promotes self-sufficiency and provides assistance to those individuals and families experiencing housing instability. They prevent and confront homelessness in Adams and Weld County through Emergency Assistance Programs.
  • Urban Peak ignites the potential in youth to exit homelessness and create self-determined, fulfilled lives. Their vision is for all Colorado youth to have safe housing, supportive relationships, and the opportunity for self-sufficiency and success.
  • Family Tree Housing and Family Stabilization Services works with individuals and families experiencing homelessness, or those at-risk of homelessness. They offer an information help line, homeless prevention services, case management, education and employment services, and various other supportive services in order to help people achieve economic independence.
  • Samaritan House has been a Denver staple since 1986. Since that time, thousands of people have been served and found safe shelter, nutritious meals, and support services at Samaritan House. Today, the focus is primarily on serving women, families and veterans who are experiencing homelessness and food insecurity.
  • Comitis Crisis Center is located on the edge of the Fitzsimmons campus, and offers a variety of programs supporting individuals in recovery from trauma, mental health and substance use challenges, and homelessness.
• McKinney-Vento
  • The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is federal legislation related to the education of children experiencing homelessness. Under this legislation, youth experiencing homelessness can qualify for school provided transportation to their school of enrollment when entering homelessness, free meals, resources, etc.
    • Find local contacts for school districts:
      • Westminster Public Schools
      • Adams 12 Five Star Schools
      • Adams 14 Schools
      • Aurora Public Schools
      • 27J Schools
      • Mapleton Public Schools
• Educational Resources for Advocates
  • SAMHSA Homelessness Resources: Youth
  • Youth Homelessness: The Sum of our Parts
  • National Network for Youth
  • Faces of Homeless Youth: The Silent Epidemic (Video)

• Adams County
  • Resource Guide
  • Resource Guide in Spanish
• Broomfield County
  • Resource Guide
  • Resource Guide in Spanish