About YouthCare

Mission

YouthCare builds confidence and self-sufficiency for homeless youth by providing a continuum of care that includes outreach, basic services, emergency shelter, housing, counseling, education, and employment training. 

History

For nearly 40 years, YouthCare has been a leader in providing effective services to Seattle’s homeless youth. In 1974, a group of concerned citizens started a three-bed shelter for homeless and runaway youth, the first in the Western United States.  Since then, we have grown to become a community-based agency with six sites serving the greater Seattle area. During that time, we have led the way in creating effective, innovative programs for homeless young people:

• In 1989, YouthCare created one of the first transitional living programs in the Northwest. Straley House now houses Catalyst, one of the first low-barrier housing programs for homeless youth in the region.
• In 1998, YouthCare opened ISIS House, the first transitional living program in Washington State to focus on the unique needs of homeless LGBTQ youth.
• In 2003, YouthCare was one of the first agencies nationwide to contract with the Office of Refugee Resettlement to house a shelter/case management program serving the specialized needs of refugee youth.
• In May 2010, YouthCare partnered with the City of Seattle, the King County Prosecutor’s Office, and others to open the Bridge Program, the only residential recovery program in the Northwest for sexually exploited children.

Contact

• For general inquiries, including program information and donation options: info@youthcare.org or (206) 694-4500
• Volunteering: volunteer@youthcare.org or (206) 267-3076
• Media: media@youthcare.org or (206) 204-1407

YouthCare Administrative Offices
2500 NE 54^th Street
Seattle, WA 98105