Robert's Story

Robert says that people often ask him why at age 17 he lived at the Inn Between. He explains to them that he did not get along with his parents and they fought all the time. Because of the on-going conflict, Robert's mother looked for resources for the family and called the City of Longmont Youth and Children Resources. The case manager told her about the Inn and the services that were available.

Robert lived independently in an SRO (Single Room Occupancy) unit at the Inn which is similar to living in a dorm room. The SROs are furnished with a bed, built in closet, small dorm size refrigerator and a microwave. Robert did not pay rent while living at the Inn because he was participating in the Inn's Student Incentive Program (SIP). Under the SIP program, emancipating teens that are in high school pay $60 per month for rent and pay nothing if they are involved in extra curricular activity in school. As a senior, Robert was involved in the LINK program at Skyline High School (LINK is a leadership program). He got involved because he wanted to help younger students avoid some of the problems that he had experienced as a freshman (i.e. getting involved with the wrong type of kids).

Robert had a hectic senior year; he took a full class load at Skyline (eight classes a day) and worked at Safeway and later King Soopers. After graduation Robert planned on taking a year off to work. He wants to go to college; however he is concerned that his grades might not be good enough to get him in. He thinks he will probably apply to a community college to improve his GPA. Currently, he is interested in automobiles and electronics.

Robert feels that the best part about living at the Inn was having his own place to go. Before the Inn, he did not like to go home. However, while living at the Inn, he felt as though he could come home and be alone without having to worry about anything. He made a lot of friends while living at the Inn Between and enjoyed the sense of community.

Robert believes that the Inn was good for him. In addition to benefiting from the programs at the Inn, he was able to access many other programs within the community where he received a lot of support. Robert says the he liked living at the Inn and would definitely recommend the Inn to other teens.