The Human Resource Development Council (HRDC) Blueprint Continuum program highlights a range of services from transitional housing to life skills and independence amid a rising number of young people experiencing homelessness.
Kevin Ulloa Garcia moved to Bozeman from Honduras. He says he wanted a better life and to make a path for himself. He held a steady job but was laid off in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.
“I was really struggling when COVID first hit,” Ulloa Garcia said. “I was struggling to keep up with the bills, and I ended up losing my apartment.”
Ulloa Garcia noted it was a scary time when his living situation was uncertain, leaving him unsure of what to do.
“But I’m that kind of person; I never give up,” he said.
Ulloa Garcia was 19 when he lost his job. His mentor referred him to the Blueprint Continuum program. There he learned how to be financially responsible, acquire stable housing, and is now making his own payments—a continuum of services.
“Crisis Trauma of some sort, so sometimes pretty darn awful situation that we can try to support and get them toward the right situation,” Julie Kelly, youth systems navigator at HRDC said.
Crisis trauma could be an array of things, such as losing a job, family abuse, or discrimination. Any number of these could lead someone to sleeping on a friend’s couch, or in their car.
Blueprint, and other services, assist those that may not realize they are facing homelessness.
