In 1970, Hildegard Messenbaugh, MD—a psychiatrist at the University of Colorado Medical Center in Denver—was approached by concerned community members about the growing number of adolescents living on the streets. Many of these young people fled turbulent and traumatic family situations, had trouble with the law, or had recently left other institutional settings. With her guidance and the support of the Denver community, an alternative to homelessness and incarceration for troubled youth was formed. Third Way Center grew from one shelter for at-risk teens to eight houses across the metro area, providing a continuum of services and offering a path to healing and wholeness through:
