YouthCare Programs
Outreach
Our street outreach team engages youth on the streets, providing warm clothing, medical supplies, food and service referrals (over 14,000 times in 2010). As we gain their trust, youth come to the James W. Ray Orion Center, our drop-in location where they can receive meals five days a week, access showers, clean clothing, and hygiene supplies. Staff at the Orion Center are on-hand to discuss counseling, case management, housing options, and more—finding out “what’s next?” for that young person. In 2010, over 4,500 youth accessed services at the Orion Center.
Housing
Finding employment or attending school is hard when your first concern is where you’ll sleep tonight. Our housing options provide youth with a safe space to plan their next step while simultaneously receiving case management and counseling. We offer short-term emergency shelter for those on the streets, as well as transitional housing programs for youth 15-21. Finally, youth can “graduate” into our independent housing, learning how to budget and pay bills, while continuing with a case manager. All of our long-term housing requires that youth work towards education and employment goals.
Education and Employment Training
Many homeless youth arrive at our door with gaps in knowledge, or little work experience. Some arrive simply without the confidence in themselves to believe they can succeed. Our employment counselors work with youth to develop resumes and conduct mock interviews, while our employment training programs teach youth customer service skills, computer repair, or construction work. Meanwhile, youth can work towards their GED or high school diploma at our on-site Interagency Academy, a partnership with Seattle Public Schools.
Recent Successes and Current Challenges
YouthCare was chosen by the City of Seattle to run The Bridge, a new residential recovery program for sexually exploited youth. This partnership launched in May 2010, headed by Seattle’s Human Services Department, in coordination with other agencies and with support from community donors. YouthCare's Bridge Program is the only program in the Pacific Northwest providing residential services, including emergency shelter and long term housing, to girls and boys under 18 who have experienced sexual exploitation.
YouthCare serves breakfast, lunch and dinner weekdays at the James W. Ray Orion Center. With the number of youth served up almost 50%, volunteer support for meeting this basic need is more important than ever. When a group of 5–8 purchases for, prepares and serves meals, the youth benefit from a good, hot meal, and the volunteers benefit from the experience. This is a great opportunity for corporate groups, book clubs and other community groups to connect while performing a valuable service.