Mission Statement
Homeless Youth Alliance is a low-threshold, high-impact, harm reduction program that makes 15,000 contacts with homeless young people annually in San Francisco's Haight Ashbury district, helping them to navigate systems of care and access life-saving health and human services. Our mission is to meet homeless youth where they're at, and to help them to build healthier lives by empowering them to protect themselves, educate each other, reduce harm within the community, and transition off the streets.
Description
HYA's needle exchange and its outreach program and drop-in center have deep roots in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, having evolved from long-standing grassroots programs dating back to 1992. Today HYA, under the fiscal sponsorship of Tides Center, provides onsite medical care, mental health services, and case management; onsite HIV and HCV testing; educational workshops on safer sex, disease and overdose prevention, and other harm reduction topics; a syringe exchange; street outreach; a drop-in center with a kitchen, bathroom, toiletries, and clothing; and an extensive network of referrals. On average, HYA makes 15,000 contacts with homeless youth per year, serves up to 120 participants per day, and conducts more than 1,500 counseling sessions, tracks at least 5,000 referrals, brokers 1,400 medical appointments, and connects approximately 380 young people to housing, drug detoxification, and residential treatment programs annually.
