The YMCA of Greater Seattle bring new opportunities to youth and young adults. At the Y, we know the best way to help young people build safe, successful, and happy lives is to provide them with resources and support to help them reach their goals. But not every kid in our area has access to those essentials.

That’s where the Accelerator Y steps in – offering holistic trauma-informed services including housing, education, employment, violence prevention, and counseling to 7,000 young people and their families each year.

The number of youth and young adults experiencing homelessness continues to rise in our region. In 2017, to meet the growing need, the Accelerator Y provided housing to more youth than any other organization in King County through innovative programs that address the root causes of homelessness.

We know that one in three youth experiences homelessness within a year of aging out of foster care. In response, the Y partnered with Youth Villages (a national organization) to replicate an evidence-based program called YV LifeSet. This program offers intensive case management that supports youth aging out of foster care as they transition into adulthood. In 2017, 86% of young people served through YV LifeSet were stably housed one year post services.

The Y is growing and adapting to meet our community’s needs. We saw that there was a gap in access to mental health services in our communities, so Accelerator Y responded by placing its first full-time behavioral and mental health counselor at the new Sammamish branch. The success of this program has given the Y the momentum it needs to amplify and seamlessly embed mental health services at branches throughout the area in 2018.

Everything the Accelerator Y accomplishes reinforces a central tenet of the Y’s mission: to do whatever it takes to help all people reach their fullest potential.

Did you know? Last year the Y:

• Helped 280 young people obtain safe and stable housing, including 137 who secured or maintained long-term housing
• Helped 439 youth and young adults engage in school, graduate and find employment.
• Ensured 3,703 youth, young adults, and their families throughout our community stay safe and connected through counseling and mental health services.

Read more about our work in our annual report