Youth Futures

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Ogden, UT
Youth Futures

We provide safe shelter and resources to homeless, unaccompanied, runaway and at-risk youth in Utah. Located in Ogden, Utah, St.

George Utah, and Cedar City, Utah. Youth Futures provides a home-like setting for youth ages 12-18 needing emergency and temporary shelter. Our bedrooms are complete with bunk-beds, linens, and wardrobe lockers where youth are assigned by gender. The facility also includes a kitchen where meals are cooked and served three times a day, a dining room, living room and family room, computer lab, and o

utside fenced courtyard. The front and back doors have controlled entry by staff members to ensure safety. Our programs connect each youth, on an individual basis, with resources to build the skills needed to support a healthy future. Intensive case management is offered to help youth become reunited with their family or self-sufficiently contributing to the community. Life skills classes and off-site activities are planned weekly and all youth are encouraged to attend. Transportation is provided for youth to attend school, employment, and extracurricular activities; bus tokens, bus passes, and van transport are available. Doors are open 24 hours/day for youth needing safe shelter. Daytime services, or “drop-in” hours are 6:30am-8pm when youth may access all of the resources provided at the shelter, including food, clothing, hygiene and school supplies, and programming. Meals are served and available for all youth at 6:30 am, 12 pm, and 5pm.

09/02/2026

Our September Shelter Needs List went up—and our community responded. 💚

We are incredibly grateful to Breathe Care Resource Center for this generous food donation to our St. George shelter.

Just look at this table.

Eggs, bread, milk, pantry staples, easy meals, snacks, and more—all things our staff can turn into meals or make available when a young person needs something to eat.

There is something especially meaningful about one community organization showing up for another. None of us has to meet every need alone. When organizations share resources, make referrals, collaborate, and help fill one another's gaps, the entire community becomes stronger.

We also want to say a heartfelt thank you to the individuals who have made financial donations in response to our September needs.

Those gifts help support something less visible in this photograph, but every bit as important: the people and operations that make shelter possible.

Youth Futures needs caring, skilled staff there to welcome young people, prepare meals, provide support, manage a crisis, celebrate a success, and simply be present. Our shelters also need lights, water, transportation, maintenance, supplies, and all the ordinary infrastructure required to keep the doors open.

That's why monetary gifts are so valuable. They give us the flexibility to put resources where they're needed most.

Yesterday, there was a need on a whiteboard.

Today, there is food on the table—and additional resources to help keep our St. George shelter doing what it does every day.

Thank you, BREATHE Care Resource Center. Thank you to our donors. And thank you, Southern Utah, for continuing to show up for young people. 💚

Beds. Belonging. Better Futures.

09/01/2026

There are days when sitting down to a full meal feels easy. 💚

And there are days when you're tired, overwhelmed, running late for school or work, worried about something else, or simply not very hungry.

That's why the food available at Youth Futures between meals matters, too.

A banana on the way out the door.
An apple tucked into a backpack.
Toast on a weary stomach.
Something with peanut butter for a little more staying power.
A cinnamon roll because sometimes comfort counts, too.

Look around our shelter kitchen, and you'll find food meant to be within reach: fresh fruit and simple snacks that don't require a plan, an explanation, or even much of an appetite.

We especially love fruit for that reason. A banana comes in its own wrapper. An apple can travel in a backpack. An orange waits patiently until you're ready for it. Pair them with cheese, yogurt, nuts or nut butter, whole-grain toast, or another source of protein, and a small snack can carry a young person a little farther through the day.

And maybe that's not so different from shelter.

We don't expect everything to change in one night, or in one bite.

We build.

One safe night on top of another.
One conversation on top of another.
One school day. One appointment. One small success.
One banana. One apple. One comforting cinnamon roll.
One bite at a time.

That's also why small recurring gifts matter so much.

$5 a month may not feel like a major donation. But $5 can buy a bunch of bananas and several apples, or enough fresh fruit for several grab-and-go snacks.

Then another person gives $5.

And another.

Pretty soon, the fruit basket is full.

If you've ever wondered whether a small monthly gift is enough to make a difference, we hope you'll remember this kitchen.

Small things, offered consistently, become stability. 💚

Beds. Belonging. Better Futures.

08/31/2026

New month. New shelter needs. Same incredible community. 💚

Our September Shelter Needs List is up, and as we move from summer toward fall, there are plenty of practical ways to help young people staying at Youth Futures.

We're looking for toiletries and cleaning supplies, twin bedding and laundry products, school and office supplies, snacks and kitchen basics, pajamas and clothing, athletic shoes, winter gear, storage bins, phone chargers, towels, and more.

Look closely at that list, though, and you'll see something bigger than supplies.

A fitted sheet means there's a bed waiting.

A backpack means someone is thinking about tomorrow's school day.

Laundry soap means clean clothes.

A phone charger means staying connected.

Pajamas, shampoo, a towel, snacks, notebooks, and warm clothes are all small pieces of something every young person deserves to experience: the feeling of being cared for.

If you're shopping this week, consider adding an item or two for Youth Futures. You can also make a monetary donation to help with shelter operations or simply share this post so our September list reaches someone who can help.

Little things add up to something pretty big around here: safety, stability, and belonging. 💚

Beds. Belonging. Better Futures.

08/28/2026

There are some very serious reasons for throwing water balloons at your therapist. 💚💦

For the past four years, Angel, our Ogden House Manager, has quietly disguised a pretty thoughtful piece of youth engagement as an end-of-summer water party.

Officially, it's a chance to celebrate the end of summer, eat pizza and ice cream, play outside, and—perhaps most importantly—throw water balloons at Youth Futures staff and therapists.

Unofficially?

Angel is doing something much bigger.

She intentionally plans the party around our therapists' schedules because she knows some young people arrive at Youth Futures intimidated by therapy, distrustful of therapists, or carrying difficult experiences with mental health care.

But it's harder to be intimidated by someone after you've watched them get absolutely soaked in a water-balloon fight.

For an afternoon, titles disappear.

Therapists aren't sitting across the room asking questions. Staff aren't enforcing schedules. They're regular people getting drenched, laughing, eating pizza, playing games, and being part of the group.

And maybe the next time a young person needs help, walking through that therapist's door feels just a little easier.

That's belonging, too.

This year's party came together the way so many wonderful things at Youth Futures do: as a community effort. Angel donated supplies, staff brought balloons and sodas, Chance donated pizza, and regular donors provided snacks, ice cream, drinks, and other treats.

We love the creativity our staff brings to this work. Sometimes building trust looks like counseling, case management, and carefully designed programs.

And sometimes it looks like handing a teenager a water balloon and saying, "Chance is right over there." 😂💦

Thank you, Angel, for four years of making summer a little more fun—and our people a lot more approachable. 💚

08/26/2026

Some people show up because they're scheduled to. And some people just...show up. 💚

As Nate's final week at Youth Futures winds down, we're thinking about all the ways he has shown up for the young people and his fellow staff at our St. George shelter since joining the team in July 2022.

Nate has always made building genuine relationships with youth one of his highest priorities. He listens. He participates. He joins the group. He helps wherever he's needed.

And sometimes, he comes in when he isn't needed at all.

Nate has been known to spend a day off at the shelter simply because there's a family dinner happening and he wants to be there with the kids.

That tells you a lot about him.

No matter what else Nate has going on—with another job, in his personal life, or outside the shelter—when he's here, he's here. Ready to help. Ready to join in. Ready to make sure a young person knows there is an adult who cares enough to keep showing up.

That's how rapport becomes trust.

And trust is where so much of the work at Youth Futures begins.

Nate, thank you for four years of dinners, conversations, groups, extra time, ordinary moments, and all the times you showed up when you didn't have to.

We know you're a pretty devoted USC fan, but we're especially grateful that for the past four years, you've been such a devoted member of our team. 😉

You've been a vital part of our St. George family, and you've left something of yourself here that won't disappear when your last shift ends.

We will miss you tremendously, Nate. Thank you for showing up. Again and again and again. 💚

08/25/2026

A better future can feel enormous. A goal for this week feels possible.

That’s the idea behind the Commitment Reset board at Youth Futures.

Each week, young people are invited to choose one thing they want to focus on, put it in writing, and add it to the board.

Some commitments are about rest. Some are about relationships. Some are practical next steps. Some point toward much bigger dreams.

What matters is that the goal belongs to the young person.

Writing it down gives an intention shape. Sharing it where others can see it creates a little accountability and encouragement. And passing the board again and again offers a visual reminder that progress doesn’t have to happen all at once.

It can be colorful. It can be joyful. It can be imperfect.

It can happen one step, one choice, and one week at a time.

We especially love the handwritten reminder at the bottom:

“The shelter gives you an opportunity. What you do or build with that opportunity is up to YOU!”

We provide the safety, support, and belonging.

Young people keep writing the story. 💚

Beds. Belonging. Better Futures.

08/24/2026

A shelter can provide a bed. A guitar in the living room can help it begin to feel like home. 🎸

Youth Futures keeps an acoustic guitar and piano available for young people in our shelters, and we are continually surprised by what happens when the instruments are simply there, waiting to be played.

A young person may sit down at the piano and reveal a talent no one knew they had. Someone else might pick up the guitar to practice, learn a few chords, play alongside a staff member, or simply have somewhere to put feelings that are difficult to explain.

Music fills an unfamiliar room with something warm and recognizable. It can soothe frayed nerves, create joy, offer a creative outlet, and bring people together without requiring much conversation at all.

This is Kyle, one of our Youth Engagement Specialists, doing exactly that.

And if guitar or piano isn’t your thing, our living room has options.

The giant stuffed octopus is an excellent audience member, gives very generous hugs, and can be mastered immediately by musicians and nonmusicians alike. 🐙💚

Sometimes belonging begins with very ordinary things: a couch, a song, someone nearby, and a place where you are welcome to stay awhile.

Beds. Belonging. Better Futures.

08/17/2026

What if accepting someone exactly as they are is one of the most powerful ways to invite who they might become?

At Youth Futures, young people are welcomed in before they have everything figured out.

They do not have to arrive with the right plan, the right attitude, or a perfectly articulated vision for their future. They arrive as they are: intrinsically valuable and deserving of safety, care, and belonging.

That matters because transformation is difficult when all of your energy is going toward survival.

A safe bed offers shelter from the storms outside. Caring, steady adults can provide refuge from some of the storms a young person may be carrying within. And little by little, the weather can change.

The story gets to keep moving.

A young person has room to wonder: What do I want? What do I deserve? Who might I become?

The women in this photograph, Chance, Angel, and Tiffany, represent that work beautifully. Their presence does not demand transformation. It welcomes possibility into the room and stays nearby while a young person considers it, examines it, and eventually may choose to embrace it.

Acceptance does not mean believing nothing should change.

Sometimes acceptance is precisely what makes change possible. 💚

Bed. Belonging. Better Futures.

08/14/2026

When Netgain Property Management celebrated its 10th anniversary, there was one guest who had been there for a particularly meaningful chapter of the story.

His name is Bill Knight. And yes, he is an actual suit of armor. ⚔️

In 2021, Youth Futures board member and Netgain founder Derek Morton was helping Youth Futures search for a Cedar City property that could serve as shelter and transitional housing for young people experiencing homelessness.

A former bed-and-breakfast on 100 West turned out to be the right place. Derek helped facilitate the transaction directly, and when it was complete, the building’s owner allowed him to take home the suit of armor that had been standing inside.

A former employee later christened him Bill Knight.

Normally, Bill sports scarves from soccer matches Derek has attended, but for Netgain’s recent 10-year anniversary celebration, he got a different assignment. Wearing Netgain and Youth Futures colors, Bill shared the story of that 2021 transaction and invited guests to learn more about our mission.

We think that says something wonderful about how Derek measures success.

Over the past decade, Netgain has grown from a Cedar City business into a company serving communities statewide and providing more than 300 units of affordable housing. But when it came time to celebrate what had been built, Derek also made room for the ways his experience, relationships, and expertise have helped his community.

That includes Youth Futures.

And we were glad to have some familiar Youth Futures faces there to help celebrate: Chad Whitehead, Cedar City House Manager; Heidi Rugg, State Programs Director; Naomi Ewen, Executive Assistant; and Kathryn Koahou, Therapist, all pictured here with the now-famous Bill Knight. 💚

Congratulations to Derek and the entire Netgain team on 10 years in business — and thank you for reminding us that one of the best measures of success is what we’re able to make possible for others along the way. 💚

Bed. Belonging. Better Futures.

08/12/2026

Meet Angel. Yes, that’s really her name. 💚

Angel is the House Manager at our Ogden shelter, which means she carries an extraordinary amount of responsibility: supporting staff, keeping the house running, evaluating new youth as they arrive, and helping make thoughtful decisions about what each young person needs.

We noticed something else about Angel when we took this photograph: she wears two pairs of glasses.

One pair for seeing young people exactly where they are today.

The other is for looking into the future and helping them get where they’re headed.

That extra lens feels a lot like the way Angel describes her work.

Her office door stays open throughout the day, and the kids know it. They come in when they need advice. They come in when something is wrong. And sometimes they just ask, “Can I come sit with you?” while she works.

Angel understands that behavior rarely tells the whole story. A young person who seems angry, difficult, or resistant may simply need a different environment, a little respect, or someone willing to ask why before deciding what should happen next.

She loves watching the small wins accumulate: school enrollment, a job, learning to care for themselves, standing up for themselves, and eventually discovering the person they want to become.

There isn’t one path that works for every young person. Sometimes what they need is someone with the vision to see each youth's intrinsic value and help remove future obstacles.

We’re awfully glad Angel has the glasses for it. 💚

Bed. Belonging. Better Futures.

Address

2760 Adams Avenue
Ogden, UT
84403

Telephone

+18015281214

Website

http://www.youthfuturesutah.org/

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