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Auburn Youth Resources 

Description

AYR serves the children & families of South King County by providing counseling, substance abuse treatment & prevention, homeless housing & support services, and childcare & Head Start services through ACAP Child & Family. In Addition, AYR provides counseling and youth substance abuse services in Enumclaw as Enumclaw Youth & Family Services.   AYR works predominately with infants, toddlers, children, youth & families that are living in poverty. Our services are designed to help these families overcome barriers in life & succeed. Our goal is to build healthy, strong, loving families where every child can grow & progress to their fullest potential.

Mission Statement
With the belief that every young person should be given the opportunity to grow and progress to their fullest potential our professional and compassionate staff provide a continuum of programs and services to our evolving and diverse regional community.
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Auburn Youth Resources
816 F Street SE 
Auburn 
WA
98002 
253-939-2202 

James Blanchard 
Executive Director 

Programs

Auburn Youth Resources Programs

AYR operates 3 major community-based programs providing counseling services, adolescent substance abuse services & housing & support services programs for homeless children, youth & families.    

Our outpatient counseling programs offers a variety of mental health prevention & intervention services for children, youth & families that experience emotional & behavioral problems. Our services include individual, group & family counseling utilizing recognized evidenced based proven practice models and are offered in our agency, schools, and client’s homes. Many of these services are offered for bilingual Spanish speaking families.      

More specialized services include: Parent Child Interaction Training; Birth to Five Services; Art & Play Therapy; Anger Management & Social Skills Groups; Stay in School Program and Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy; Co-Occurring Services & Psychiatric Medication Management.       

AYR operates diverse programs dedicated to providing housing & supportive services for homeless children, youth & families. The South King County Youth Shelter (SKYS) is a nine-bed interim care facility serving children 10-17 years old. The Severson Program is a seven-unit, transitional, scattered site housing program designed to help homeless young adults’ ages 18-24. make the transition from homelessness to permanent housing. AYR also works in collaborates in the Coming Up Program. Another scattered site housing program for homeless young adults (18-24). In addition, we provide mobile outreach services to serve the homeless on the streets of South King County.     

AYR is also a state certified drug treatment facility and offers services that range from prevention, intervention and treatment. AYR is the largest provider of publically funded youth treatment in King County.

Recent Successes and Current Challenges

A 17-year old girl named Andrea came to stay at the South King County Youth Shelter (SKYS). At the time, Andrea’s mother was addicted to drugs & her father was in prison. Her mother had introduced her into prostitution at a young age to pay for her own drug addiction.  Andrea had also fallen into addictions because of the environment she lived. Andrea stated that she had finally had enough & decided she wanted to get away from the life style, so she ran from her mother’s home.     

Andrea was picked up off the streets & brought to SKYS as an emergency placement. She was exceptionally successful during her first month – happy to be off the streets & have a safe place to live. She remained on the highest level at SKYS & quickly became a role model for other residents. The state soon put her into foster care & she was discharged from SKYS.     

On Thanksgiving Day, after only a month in her new placement, Andrea came back to SKYS. She was sexually assaulted while in her foster home. Andrea felt that life was never going to get better for her. She blamed herself for what had happened. She was discouraged & would go in cycles of trying to stay sober to totally giving up & drinking until she ended up in the hospital.     

AYR introduced her to a female mentor, an adult she could relate to. After working very closely with her for months, things started to change in her life once again. In her renewed hope, Andrea began to believe in herself & her ability to overcome. Andrea agreed to inpatient treatment. She stayed in treatment for approximately two months while still utilizing services with AYR. She has now started a new job & is attending Green River Community College. Most successfully, Andrea has been clean and sober since April, 2010     

AYR is in dire need of funding support for our SKYS Program.

Evaluation


Auburn Youth Resources provides counseling, prevention, and support services for youth and families in South King County. Most of AYRs clients are low or very low income and would not otherwise have access to mental health care. AYR works closely with schools and other agencies to ensure that vulnerable youth, from birth to teens, receive the support they need to reach their fullest potential.

Use of Best Practices
The Birth to Five Program is an example of how AYR utilizes best practices. Masters level therapists, rather than paraprofessionals, provide infant-parent psychotherapy as well as family therapy. They are the only program of their kind in the Auburn Valley. Therapists work with families to develop skills, build strong bonds, addresses basic needs and access resources. Therapists use the Ages & Stages Questionnaire on a monthly basis to assess developmental milestones in infants and young children. Results are compared and contrasted with quarterly goals set by the therapeutic team.

Sustainability
AYR has been working diligently to increase and diversify sources of revenue over the past twelve months. Agency leadership has also been focused on long term sustainability by discontinuing select contracts and programs as needed to ensure the overall health of the organization. The board of directors is highly engaged in fundraising, marketing, and strategic planning around building a more robust donor base. AYR is working with Lion Fish fundraising consultants to increase major donor giving and donor cultivation. In February of 2012, AYR hosted the largest fundraiser in its history, with over 750 people in attendance.

Accessibility and Cultural Competency
Dramatic shifts in the demographics of South King County have forced the organization to adapt and develop the capacity for serving culturally diverse populations. The Outreach Program is an example of how AYR is adapting to the changing needs of youth in South King County. A mobile unit canvases the area four nights per week and provides outreach, case management, and referrals for housing. This program ensures that services are accessible, provided when and where homeless and vulnerable youth are. 44% of families participating in the Birth to Five Program are Latino or African American, and AYR works to ensure that these traditionally underserved families receive high quality, culturally relevant services. In many cases, these families would not otherwise have access to services.

Grant History with The Seattle Foundation:

Grants Awarded through The Seattle Foundation Grantmaking Program:

DateAmountPurpose
12/10/2012 $15,000.00provide general operating support.
12/10/2011 $15,000.00support general operating expenses.
10/5/2006 $20,000.00purchase computer equipment and software.
9/16/2004 $35,000.00support renovation of the South Campus building.

Financials

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