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Boise unveils Youth Road Map, urging a citywide —youth lens— on mental health, recreation and transport
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Summary
City staff presented the Youth Road Map at a Boise City Council work session, reporting surveys and focus groups that flagged mental health, transportation and uneven access to arts and recreation. Council will consider a resolution to adopt the Road Map and authorize staff to begin implementation.
City of Boise staff presented the Youth Road Map during a council work session, summarizing surveys, focus groups and interviews that identified mental health, transportation and unequal access to activities as top barriers for young residents.
Garrett Lam, who led the presentation, said the research included "we surveyed 269 youth aged 12 to 20, as well as 717 parents and guardians" and a mix of focus groups and interviews to capture neighborhood variation. Lam told the council the findings point to three priority areas: youth well‑being, activities and opportunities, and infrastructure to improve movement and third spaces across neighborhoods.
The report found mental health needs are pronounced: Lam said "only a third reporting feeling mentally healthy each day," and staff pointed to provider shortages, cost and long wait times as obstacles to early intervention and treatment. The presentation cited 16 youth suicide deaths in Ada County in 2023 as part of the context for expanding prevention and recovery services.
To respond, staff recommended a mix of upstream prevention and downstream treatment measures: school‑based counselors and peer supports, calming spaces, parent education initiatives, improved care navigation and expanded crisis response capacity. The Road Map also calls for sliding‑scale fees, more free or low‑cost arts and recreation offerings, adaptive programming for youth with disabilities and expanded internship and apprenticeship pathways.
Transportation emerged as a central access barrier. Staff recommended expanding programs that provide free or reduced‑cost youth transit passes, improving safe biking and walking routes to schools and destinations, and exploring resource‑sharing models to coordinate transportation for events.
Lam said the report includes an inventory of city youth programs across departments and laid out phased implementation steps: if the council adopts the resolution, city staff and partners will coordinate in 2026 and pursue a five‑year build‑out of recommended network projects. Lam announced a community partnership — the City of Boise, Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation, Communities for Youth and Valley Regional Transit — that will allow "all youth 18 and under [to] ride the bus for free all summer long, May through August, for the next two summers." The presentation noted the Boise School District—s year‑round arrangement with BRT for high‑school fares complements the summer program.
Council members responded with broad praise and urged the city to use a "youth lens" across decisions, calling for neighborhood‑level third spaces and stronger school‑based wellness supports. Multiple council members thanked nonprofit partners and city staff for their research and outreach, and the mayor and council signaled support for the next steps.
The report will be the subject of a resolution on the council—s reading calendar; the work session did not include a final vote. If the council approves the resolution at the 6 p.m. meeting, staff will begin the implementation phases described in the Road Map.
