For over 50 years, YouthCare has stood as a beacon of hope for young people in crisis, grounded in the belief that every youth deserves safety, respect, and opportunity. Our legacy is defined not only by the services we provide, including shelter, meals, housing, and personal care, but also by enduring relationships and guidance that empower youth to envision and pursue brighter futures.

YouthCare stands at a pivotal moment. A comprehensive review of our operating model has made clear the need for decisive action to ensure we can continue delivering on our mission. This begins with bringing sharper focus to the heart of our work: providing direct service and critical support for youth experiencing homelessness. In doing so, YouthCare will remain for our community and most importantly for the hundreds of young people that find support each year.

Starting today, our commitment to deliver on our mission while taking bold steps to ensure our long-term operating sustainability includes:

• Preserving Safe Shelter
Ensuring youth have a safe place to rest is a top priority. We are maintaining the current number of shelter beds YouthCare offers. The locations for this life-saving service may change as we begin divesting from underutilized and non-mission-aligned real estate assets. The Orion Center will remain operational as a beloved hub for YouthCare’s community. YouthCare will offer regular updates on how our real estate footprint will change as we make those decisions on our website and in communications with stakeholders.

• Strengthening High-Impact Services
We are committed to our promise to help young people by providing life-affirming services such as safety and shelter, housing, personal care, meals, and relationships with skilled staff who offer critical support as youth navigate their path forward. This includes deploying place based, on-demand case management, centralizing case management into a unified system, and reimagining our engagement to deliver services young adults have identified as most needed.

• Empowering Youth Through Partnerships
We are prioritizing building partnerships to deliver youth-focused expertise in workforce development and continuing education, while also expanding access to housing and strengthening resource and referral services through community partners. This ensures we can walk alongside youth as they travel their path to economic opportunities.

• Optimizing Operations for Stability.
Streamlining our operations impacts our staff structure and we made the difficult decision to reduce our overall headcount. We are doing everything we can to offer dignity and resources to those transitioning out of YouthCare and are deeply grateful for the contribution of every team member. During this time, we will maintain our re-organized services to ensure youth are not impacted.

• Acting with Accountability
We will align programmatic, operational, and financial decisions with our mission, ensure responsible use of resources, and prioritize what delivers meaningful impact. We’ll be clear and intentional about where we invest, centered on the critical needs identified by the young people we serve.

These changes are difficult but essential. Throughout this process, we have actively listened to the voices of youth and staff, whose insights have been instrumental in shaping our path forward. This inclusive approach has strengthened our resolve and reaffirmed our unwavering commitment to the young people we serve. YouthCare will become stronger and better equipped to serve those who need us most. 

We are deeply grateful to our staff, partners, and community for standing with us.

Together, we will keep showing up for young people and ensure YouthCare remains a vital source of stability, care, and connection.

If you would like to get involved, here are some ways you can help:

• Join us for the Together We Rise Open House December 3^rd
• Make a charitable donation today to ensure youth experiencing homelessness have a safe place to rest
• Host a donation drive or fundraiser to show our youth they are not alone, that they are cared for, and that the wider community supports them.

Throughout this process, our vision remains unchanged: a future where no young person experiences homelessness, all young people have the opportunity to thrive, and the systems that oppress them are dismantled.

With gratitude,

YouthCare Board of Directors and Marty Hartman, Interim CEO