Home for 'Lost Boys'

A wealthy man in the area purchased the residence and donated it to the nonprofits for the purpose of creating a sanctuary for the Lost Boys.

The home will mostly serve boys who otherwise have few services available to them.

Even the Utah attorney general's much-touted "Safety Net" is geared toward women leaving abusive or neglectful situations within polygamy.

"The girls still have other resources," Benward said. "They still have the Dove Center. They still have the Safety Net. The boys don't have that access."

After taking some of the Lost Boys to lobby Utah lawmakers, the nonprofits secured some government funding for "homeless youth." The rest hinges on volunteer labor and community generosity.

"We don't have enough money for food. We don't have money for clothes," Benward said. "We don't have the full amount that we need for utilities. We need furniture. We need a fridge."

Warren Jeffs

The home is nice, but it needs some work. Where a staff member will live, they need to put in a bathroom. The lime green paint has to go.

But if there's one thing these boys know how to do, it is work. Working hard has been a staple of life, both inside and outside of "the Creek," or Short Creek.

"We've got to first paint it," said Ben.

He had been planning to leave, tired of life in the Creek. He saved $2,000 and had bought a car.

"I went over to my brother's house that day," said Ben, who is now 24 years old. "They said, 'No you can't stay with me. Dad will disown you, and you won't have nothing to do with the family no more.'"

Under FLDS leader Warren Jeffs, men have been banished from the polygamous sect and told to "repent from a distance." Ex-members claim their wives and children have been assigned to other men.

Jeffs, 51, is facing a September trial in 5th District Court. He is charged with first-degree felony rape as an accomplice, accused of performing a marriage between a 14-year-old girl and her 19-year-old cousin.

The stories of the Lost Boys are heartbreaking.

Some committed a "sin" such as wearing a short-sleeved shirt, kissing a girl or refusing to marry. Some grew tired of the rigid structures of the FLDS faith and ran away.

"Some, they intentionally get kicked out by misbehaving," said Jami Christensen, a volunteer at the shelter. "If they get kicked out, their families aren't necessarily dealing with the repercussions."

Some of their parents have turned their backs out of fear for the rest of the family and their eternal salvation in the church. The teens miss their parents and worry about their brothers and sisters.