Programs

Did you know that Urban Services serves 1,000 kids, families every day?

Welcome to Urban Services YMCA, the social services branch of the YMCA of San Francisco

Urban Services YMCA is the social services branch of the YMCA of San Francisco. Our mission is to provide life-changing programs that strengthen families, build successful communities, and promote educational excellence throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Our organization works to develop programs that build family resilience and stability. The communities we serve experience overwhelming risk factors (e.g., violence, substance abuse, poverty, etc.) that cause families to become splintered and routed into programs that do not address root causes behind actions. Urban Services YMCA fills this gap in delivered services and strives to alleviate the stress on San Francisco ’s overburdened system of care by providing a comprehensive “wrap around” approach to youth development, family support, and community empowerment.

A summary of our key initiatives include:

1) Academic Support and Truancy Abatement through 12 afterschool sites on public school campuses in high need neighborhoods, a citywide one stop drop off center called the Truancy Assessment and Referral Center (TARC) that works with a youth’s system of care (e.g., parents, teachers, law enforcement, etc.) to re-engage them with school, and a school-based Beacon Center in the OMI/Excelsior which promotes youth leadership, academics, and creative enrichment activities

2) One-to-One Mentoring services through our Federally Funded, nationwide Building Futures Mentoring Program which trains and matches adult volunteers from the community to assume paraprofessional therapist roles with high risk youth exhibiting signs of depression, withdrawal, and oppositional defiance; and 3.) Free of charge Mental Health and Family Support counseling programs which address untreated trauma and family stability (these services are delivered in the homes, on school campuses, and in three Family Resource Centers).

In total, the following programs and activities help Urban Services YMCA achieve its mission:

Strengthening Families – Urban Services YMCA helps families become self-reliant through:

1) Parent education and support groups

2) Housing and employment assistance

3) Mental health counseling for exposure to violence, untreated trauma, and substance abuse

4) Basic needs assistance including weekly food pantries, emergency financial support, and clothing giveaways

Building Successful Communities – Urban Services YMCA empowers residents to reclaim their neighborhoods through:

1) Gang intervention and prevention services

2) Youth workforce and life skills development workshops

3) Mentoring programs for high risk youth

4) Afterschool community events where residents can interact and socialize in safe and “turf free” environments;

5) Financial literacy work groups for students, transitional aged youth, and adults

Promoting Educational Excellence – Urban Services YMCA builds strong, creative, and engaged learners through:

1) College preparation services and campus tours

2) Individualize academic tutoring and homework assistance

3) Truancy intervention services to re-engage young people who have dropped out, or at risk of dropping out of school

4) Mentoring activities that target youth who are academically failing and unmotivated to learn.