Homeless Youth Alliance

Homeless Youth Alliance is a low-threshold, high-impact, harm reduction program serving homeless young people ages 13-29 in San Francisco’s Haight Ashbury district. Our mission is to meet homeless youth where they’re at, and to help them to build healthier lives by empowering them to protect themselves, educate each other, reduce harm within the community, and transition off the streets. HYA provides onsite medical care and mental health services; onsite HIV and HCV testing; educational workshops on safer sex, disease and overdose prevention; a syringe exchange; street outreach; a drop-in center with a fully-stocked kitchen, bathroom, toiletries, and clothing; and an extensive network of up-to-date referrals. We serve up to 120 participants per day, and conduct more than 1,500 counseling sessions, track at least 5,000 referrals, broker 1,400 medical appointments, and connect approximately 380 young people to housing, drug detoxification, and residential treatment programs annually. In a formal assessment of our program, The San Francisco Department of Public Health AIDS Office commended HYA as an "outstanding and meritorious" program with the power to "contribute to a deeper understanding of the issues facing homeless youth."