History

For more than 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, they have grown to become a community-based agency with 11 sites serving the greater Seattle area. During that time, they 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 at Ravenna House, the first transitional living program in Washington State to focus on the unique needs of homeless LGBTQ 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 first residential recovery program in the Northwest for sexually exploited children. Today, the program operates as a full continuum of services for sexually exploited youth and young adults, and includes dedicated beds in both emergency shelter and transitional living programs.

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.