Programs
For more than 67 years Youth Service, Inc. (YSI) has provided services to children, youth, and families through an emergency shelter, a crisis nursery, outreach, and prevention services.
Each of these programs maintains a degree of autonomy, a function of the nature of the services offered, the population served, and the particular combination of administrative and service personnel at the location. At the same time, these programs share a common framework of standards and values.
The agency has eight goals, reflecting an institutional obligation to the children and families served, regardless of program. In each, YSI strives to enable clients to meet the following goals:
- A stable living arrangement with the children’s own family, whenever possible
- Empowerment of families so that they can overcome barriers and improve the quality of their lives
- Competence in essential life skills
- Literacy and an appropriate educational plan for all young people
- Work experience and vocational exploration
- An understanding of responsible sexuality
- The opportunity for children and their families to strengthen their identification with their racial/cultural heritage
- The ability and motivation to give to others and to participate in the community
All YSI services are LGBTQIA+ affirmative.
Youth Emergency Service
Youth Emergency Service (YES) offers immediate housing and respite to youth facing housing insecurity or are unable to safely live with family. YES provides a safe, supportive environment, on-site medical care, education support, youth centered activities, links to resources and support to continue in school or get reconnected.
Youth Emergency Service (YES) is a LGBTQIA+ affirming program that can provide connections to The Attic Youth Center for further LGBTQIA+ services.
- Basic Center Program
- Safe Place
Crisis Nursery
The Crisis Nursery program offers parents, grandparents and other caregivers safe, emergency, short term care for pre-school children at risk of harm or neglect. The Crisis Nursery has a long term impact and exists to provide additional support to adult caregivers so that they can comfortably take care of activities related to their own and their children’s well being.
- Baring House
Community Navigator
YSI is one of five agencies that joined together to establish the Safetynetwork to provide programming and resources to address the older youth homelessness crisis in Philadelphia.
Teen Success
Teen Success is a group intervention program that encourages pregnant and parenting teens to maintain their family size, while completing their education or vocational goals and set goals for their future. The focus is developing assets, skills, and resiliency among members through education, support, and linkage to services.