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.

Our services promote family strengthening, safe and healthy communities, and academic enrichment.

The mission of Urban Services YMCA is to develop meaningful programs for communities that experience overwhelming risk factors (e.g., violence, substance abuse, poverty, etc.). Our organization works to alleviate the stress on San Francisco’s overburdened system of care by supporting family resilience and stability. We promote academic excellence by delivering a diverse array of programs that foster learning, enhance educational performances, and improve reading, writing, and math skills.

Chartered by the YMCA of San Francisco in 1995, to ensure at-risk youth and their families had access to safe and meaningful programming, Urban Services YMCA grew out of the state’s Youth Service Bureaus (YSBs) operating at the time in San Mateo County. Urban Services YMCA began delivering community-based services with HOOPS – a twilight basketball league – and a public safety AmeriCorps grant, offering peer counseling, tutoring, and structured recreation.