True North Polaris House

True North Polaris House was founded in 2003 as Sage Community Partnership with a mission rooted in one enduring conviction: that safe, stable, affordable housing changes lives. Over more than two decades, the organization has evolved its focus and programs, and today operates Polaris House, a transitional housing program specifically designed for young adults aging out of the foster care system in Boulder County.

Who We Serve

Each year in Colorado, hundreds of young adults age out of foster care without a family to return to, a place to live, or a financial foundation to stand on. The data tells a stark story: 38% of former foster youth in Colorado experience homelessness by age 21, compared to just 4% of the general adolescent population. In a county where average rents exceed $2,400 per month, the gap between what these young adults have and what they need to survive independently is enormous.

Polaris House exists to close that gap.

We accept residents ages 16 to 24, who may be up to 26 years old upon completing their two-year program. Every resident arrives having navigated the foster care system, and many arrive having already experienced housing instability, interrupted education, and profound personal loss. For many, Polaris House is the first truly safe and stable home they have ever known.

The Backyard Garden at Polaris House

How We Help

Residents of Polaris House sign two-year leases at below-market rates between $400 and $650 per month. In exchange, they commit to maintaining full-time employment or enrollment in an educational or vocational program, participating in monthly life skills workshops, and contributing to a peer-supported residential community built on mutual accountability and shared growth.

Half of every resident's monthly rent is set aside in savings and returned to them when they transition to independent living, typically providing a meaningful financial cushion toward a first month's rent and security deposit in their own home. This savings model is not an afterthought. It is the foundation of our belief that financial independence is built, not given.

Our monthly life skills workshops cover budgeting, cooking, tax preparation, conflict management, and career readiness, facilitated by professional instructors and community partners. Our Program Director works with each resident one-on-one through regular case management sessions, developing individualized goal plans and providing emergency financial assistance when sudden barriers arise. And our peer-led Resident Advisory Board, elected by residents themselves, meets monthly to shape programming and hold the organization accountable to the people it serves.

Our network of more than 45 community partners contributes wraparound services including mental health counseling, chiropractic care, fitness coaching, and financial education, most at no cost to residents through in-kind partnerships built over decades of community relationships.

Our Track Record

Since 2012, Polaris House has served more than 210 young adults. Since 2021 alone, we have housed 25 young adults, with 92% successfully transitioning to stable, independent living. We maintain a consistent waitlist, a reflection of both the depth of community need and the reputation our program has built over more than 22 years.

One resident, known as "K," captures what this program means better than any statistic: "Polaris House gave me a consistently safe environment to live for the first time in my life. I finally had some peace of mind knowing I had a secure place to live for two years and my life wouldn't get upended overnight once again, as it had so many times growing up. This stability allowed me to graduate from CU Boulder early with honors, where I am now working on my Masters."

Polaris HouseOur Home

Polaris House is located at 1603 Orchard Avenue in a quiet North Boulder neighborhood. There is no exterior signage identifying it as a group home, which means residents experience the privacy and dignity of a normal residential block rather than the stigma that so often follows young people with histories in the child welfare system.

In 2019, we permanently secured this home by purchasing the property from Boulder Housing Partners for $401,425, well below its appraised value of $1.4 million. The property carries a special-use group home designation that the City of Boulder no longer grants to new applicants, making it an irreplaceable community asset that cannot be rebuilt or replaced.

Why Your Support Matters

True North Polaris House operates on an annual budget of approximately $89,000, and every dollar goes directly toward the programming, emergency assistance, and community partnerships that make this work possible.

Your gift is an investment in a young person who is ready, with the right support, to build something remarkable.