On Tuesday, Urban Peak staff stood at attention in the Great Room, eagerly awaiting the first busload of youth being dropped off at their new home. As our first few clients stepped off the bus and through the entranceway, the whole room burst into applause and cheers.

A long-awaited project to reduce youth homelessness came to fruition on Wednesday as Denver nonprofit Urban Peak opened its $38 million, 136-bed homeless shelter.

Urban Peak CEO Christina Carlson says the opening of the four-story building in Overland marks a new chapter in the 30-year history of the Denver-based nonprofit, which provides housing for youth experiencing homelessness.