Homeless Youth Connection
SVPAZ Investment Committee outside Homeless Youth Connection
For over 20 years, SVP Arizona has been taking a venture capital approach to philanthropy – contributing more than $4.3 million dollars and 35,000 consultation hours for more than 100 nonprofits in our community. With the help of our Partnership of business and community leaders, social entrepreneurs, impact investors, and philanthropists, SVPAZ has always worked to build stronger nonprofits, and in turn, a stronger community. To do this, we focus on building the capacity of our Investees and strengthening their ability to reach their respective goals.
Our Investees typically receive 3-5 years of funding, capacity building tools, and expertise consulting from our Partnership in order to increase their organizational capacity and deliver their mission more effectively. We work with our chosen Investees as a partnership and create honest and open communication to ensure that the work we do is for the best of the entire organization. This, as a whole, results in better outcomes for our focus of making children successful in Arizona and our community as a whole.
After much deliberation, our committee, board, and staff are thrilled to announce that Homeless Youth Connection has been chosen as our newest Investee!
Founded in 2009, Homeless Youth Connection was formed to provide homeless youth ages 13-21 with their basic needs. A decade later, they now provide services and programs designed to help these teens eliminate the barriers that stand between them and an education and achieve a bright future.
The problem of homelessness in youth that HYC addresses is much more prevalent than many imagine.
In the 2016 AZ Homelessness Annual Report, the Department of Education Homeless Education Office reported 8,000 children were homeless in Maricopa County.
That’s 8,000 children in need of assistance.
One of HYC’s supply shelves that provides students with basic necessities.
HYC currently works with 100 Valley high schools, and directly with over 2,000 homeless teenagers. The reality of these students is harsh. Many are sleeping in their cars, “couch surfing,” or resorting to desperate measures just to survive.
In realizing this, HYC has set out to eliminate the constant concern that is worrying about where they would be going to sleep that night, or finding their next meal, so that the students can focus on completing their education.
HYC serves homeless youth attending local high schools by providing them with basic necessities (toiletries, school supplies, clothing, etc.), case management, housing if needed, life skills, and mentors to ensure they have the resources to stay in school. This programming has seen their growth develop from 47 teens in their first year, to 800 in 2019! To date, they have served more than 2,700 students.
SVPAZ is excited to partner with HYC following their last few years of remarkable growth in order to provide support, advice, and professional development to their organization. We feel confidently that HYC’s mission of eliminating barriers for homeless youth to create solutions for their successful future will fit perfectly with SVPAZ’s work in making children successful.
Click here to learn more about Homeless Youth Connection, and here to learn about SVPAZ’s Investment cycle!
Welcome to the SVPAZ family HYC!