Known for the past decade for working tirelessly in advocating for teens and young adults who are homeless, Shawna Kemppainen has resigned as CEO of The Place, formerly Urban Peak of Colorado Springs.

Kemppainen began a temporary leave of absence on Sept. 12 and vacated the leadership position as of Nov. 1, according to Becky Treece, interim CEO, who has been the organization’s chief development officer.

“With the Launchpad apartments breaking ground and a strong team in place, I chose to depart the organization so that new leadership can move the agency forward,” Kemppainen said Monday. “I am taking a little time to restore and refresh before opening to the possibilities of what great work comes next.”

Kemppainen’s departure is “an amicable agreement situation,” said Mimi Brown, president of the organization’s board, though she and Kemppainen declined to provide details.

Because of Kemppainen, “We are poised to find lasting solutions to ending homelessness in Colorado Springs,” Treece said.

The organization runs a 20-bed homeless shelter for youths — the only state-licensed facility of its kind in El Paso County — and also provides transitional housing units, helps clients with education and employment, does street outreach and other services.

Its newest project, The Launchpad Apartments, the city’s first supportive housing complex for homeless young adults, will be built on the west side of Colorado Springs, north of West Uintah and North 19th streets.

But the proposed apartment building faced strong neighborhood opposition a few months ago in seeking approval for development.

Despite some residents’ objections over height and density plans, the project received the go-ahead in August from Colorado Springs City Council.

Since then, two lawsuits over the contentious landuse approvals have been filed.

Kemppainen spent the past two years creating the development, working with the neighborhood and securing funding for the apartment complex, which is scheduled to open late next year.

“The community support for this project was and is outstanding, and I am proud to have helped make it happen,” Kemppainen said.

“I think that over a decade, we changed the conversation so more of our whole community understands that young people are not the problem.

“Rather, housing, healthcare, education fulfillment, job readiness and other support services work together to solve youth homelessness.”

The Place’s board is searching for the organization’s next CEO, which could take several months, said President Mimi Brown.

“We’re doing it with diligence and a commitment to making certain we are identifying the best possible leader to ensure our organization continues to go forward in a strong fashion,” she said.

On any given night in Colorado Springs, 150 youths are homeless and sleeping on the streets, under bridges, in cars, in camps and other temporary, uninhabitable places, Brown said.

But for more than 20 years, The Place has been reaching out to offer such youths shelter, food and hope, she said.

“People have shown belief in the work we do and our importance in the community,” Brown said.

Over the past 10 years, Kemppainen “has really underpinned our organization’s ability to ignite the potential in our youth as they work on exiting homelessness and building their self-determined lives,” she said.

Several initiatives instituted under Kemppainen’s tenure continue today, including the Off the Street Breakfast fundraiser that benefits the shelter programs.

It began in 2013 with an audience of 250 people and has grown to more than 800 people in attendance this year, serving breakfast under the Colorado Avenue bridge, where teens who are homeless often stay.

Another popular event for The Place has been the Night Out to End Youth Homelessness, in which donors sleep outside overnight to experience what it’s like and raise money for the organization’s services.

In the past decade: • Kemppainen led the creation of a permanent, dropin day center for youths to hang out, rest, use computers, get snacks, speak with case managers, locate needed services and regroup.

• The organization’s housing program helped 15 youths in 2013, and this year its housing, family reunification and community collaboration programs assisted more than 150 youths in exiting homelessness.

In total over the past 10 years, assistance from The Place led to nearly 1,000 young people returning to stable housing.

• The organization has grown from an annual budget of $800,000 with approximately 17 employees in 2013 to a $4.5 million organization with approximately 40 employees this year.

“The Place, its donors, staff and volunteers make real change for youths’ futures, and I’m grateful to be one of the folks who cleared a path to housing and health stability for young people,” Keppanainen said.

Before heading The Place, Kemppainen served for nearly three years as executive director of Inside Out Youth Services, an organization that supports adolescents and young adults who identify as LGBTQ+.

In both positions, Kemppainen believes the deepest impact made has “happened through leading as an openly queer person.”

“Equality has advanced, but it is also a reality that hundreds of laws are being put forward that negatively impact LGBTQ+ young people, who are still two to three times more likely to end up in homelessness due to discrimination and family rejection,” Kemppainen said.

“We can imagine when that will no longer be the truth, but to get there we must live daily as ourselves, knowing that it is always relevant, no matter what conversation we’re in.”