Youth In Need

Founded in 1974, Youth In Need serves more than 8,000 at-risk children and youth, between the ages of birth and 21, and their families in St. Louis City and St. Louis, St. Charles, Lincoln, Warren, and Montgomery Counties each year in eastern Missouri.

Youth In Need is one of few organizations in the nation with a continuum of care for ages birth to young adulthood. Youth In Need utilizes a three-pronged approach: crisis intervention, therapeutic recovery, and prevention services. Crisis intervention programs include street-based outreach services to runaway and homeless youth, and temporary youth emergency shelter for neglected and abused children and youth. Longer-term therapeutic recovery programs include transitional living programming for homeless youth and youth who have aged out of the foster care system, school-based and community-based counseling services, teen parent counseling, and foster care case management. Prevention and early intervention programs include Head Start and Early Head Start early childhood education and positive youth and family development services. A belief in the resiliency and potential of every child and family is incorporated into all Youth In Need programs.