Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Each year, more than 4.2 million youth find themselves experiencing homelessness in cities, towns, and suburbs on America's streets. Our youth have been displaced from their homes due to conflict, and abuse. or neglect. Some displaced in the short term, while for others, it has been years. Some cannot return home, while others refuse to. Some stay in cheap hotels, outside in parks, or in abandoned buildings, and others couch-surf or stay in homeless shelters not designed to meet the needs of young adults. Every day, homeless youth faces obstacles that most of us cannot comprehend. Where will I have my next meal? When can I shower? Where will I sleep tonight? How do I obtain my GED? Do I have the skill needed to obtain a job? Within the first 48 hours, 22% are approached by someone soliciting drugs, and 1 out of 3 youth are lured into prostitution, often trading sex for food and/or a place to sleep. They are forced to make difficult choices just to survive.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
StandUp For Kids - Atlanta Program
Serves unaccompanied homeless and at-risk youth - and young parents with children of their own - up to their 25th birthday.
StandUp For Kids - Chicago
Serves unaccompanied homeless and at-risk youth - and young parents with children of their own - up to their 25th birthday.
StandUp For Kids - DC
Serves unaccompanied homeless and at-risk youth - and young parents with children of their own - up to their 25th birthday.
StandUp For Kids - State of Texas
Serves unaccompanied homeless and at-risk youth - and young parents with children of their own - up to their 25th birthday.
StandUp For Kids - Hampton Roads
Serves unaccompanied homeless and at-risk youth - and young parents with children of their own - up to their 25th birthday.
StandUp For Kids - State of Washington
Serves unaccompanied homeless and at-risk youth - and young parents with children of their own - up to their 25th birthday.
StandUp For Kids - Tucson
Serve unaccompanied homeless and at-risk youth - and young parents with children of their own - up to their 25th birthday.
StandUp For Kids - Worcester
Serves unaccompanied homeless and at-risk youth - and young parents with children of their own - up to their 25th birthday.
StandUp for Kids - CA: SV, SD, Orange County & Oceanside
Serve unaccompanied homeless and at-risk youth - and young parents with children of their own - up to their 25th birthday.
StandUp for Kids-Cleveland; StandUp for Kids-Denve
Serves unaccompanied homeless and at-risk youth - and young parents with children of their own - up to 25th birthday
Where we work
Awards
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Award 2011
Emory - Rollins School of Public Health
2012 Hamanitarian Award Nominee 2012
GA Alliance to End Homelessness, Inc.
The President's Volunteer Service Award 2013
Obama Administration
Affiliations & memberships
National Network for Youth 2018
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
At-risk youth, Homeless people
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Continued use of online tools & services to help recruit & manage volunteer and prospects. Word of mouth, seminars & open houses attributed to increase in volunteers to further our mission and vision,
Number of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
At-risk youth, Homeless people
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Increased mentoring and education support, street and outreach centers, youth receiving meals, ID/certificates, shelter, clothing, medical care, job training, jobs, newly created programs.
Number of new programs/program sites
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
At-risk youth, Homeless people, Students
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Increased # of High Schools with mentoring programs, additional Outreach/Drop In Centers across the nation; increased awareness of our "For Youth Program" & community awareness programs.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Our mission is ending the cycle of youth homelessness throughout the United States, one youth at a time. StandUp for Kids helps homeless youth tackle some of their everyday obstacles and work towards a life off the street as a successful and contributing member of their community.
In a country with the resources of the United States, no young person should ever experience homelessness. Our main responsibility is to our nation's youth faced with homelessness, whether temporary or longer term; no matter the circumstance that got them there; no matter the work that needs to be done to help them transition into safe, stable chapters of their lives. When our youth feel unwelcome, we stand taller to welcome them.
Categories of youth we assist:
- Early Runners: Displaced from their homes due to severe conflict, abuse, or neglect and experiencing short-term homelessness.
- Doubled-Up: Transition-age, cannot return home, and require housing with life-skills training.
- Older, Employed Homeless Youth: Highly mobile, with access to part or full-time employment, but no access to affordable housing opportunities.
- Street-Dependent Youth: Sleeping outside, in public spaces, or in abandoned buildings for six months or more in need of services to facilitate social inclusion.
- Homeless Youth with Long-Term Disabilities: Experiencing cognitive or emotional challenges and who will require support into their adult years.
Why have they left home:
- Family Instability, including child abuse and/or neglect, domestic violence, and conflict over sexual orientation or gender identiity
- System Involvement, including the child welfare and juvenile justice system. Aging out of foster care is accompanied by instant homelessness because housing is tied to government support
- Residential Instability with one's family and usually due to economic issues.
- Extreme Disconnection from education, employment, health care, and the positive communities, social and support networks that could help to change their lives
Our organization intervenes in the lives of these youth in hopes of assisting them in getting off the street and into stable and secure housing, school, and/or employment. We are here to empower homeless and at-risk youth toward lifelong personal growth, and to create in these youth a sincere belief in themselves through open, straightforward counseling, mentoring, and life-skills training - to be there for them at their most vulnerable and to help them see the possibilities ahead.
We strive to build communities where all youth know care, feel loved, and have a support system to move quickly from surviving to thriving. We aim to provide adequate resources and implement effective prevention strategies to end the cycle of youth homelessness. Opportunities to go to school, get jobs, and get access to health care.
Provide possibilities - - restore hope where there is trauma - not just change lives, save lives.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Through effective, qualified, and well-trained human resources, the organization will be able to establish and launch programs and resources to alleviate the problem of youth homelessness and prepare them for self-sufficiency - a promising future filled with opportunities.
To engage in our mission of ending the cycle of youth homelessness and helping homeless and at-risk youth see the possibilities ahead, we implemented four core programs: Street Outreach, Outreach Centers, Housing Support, and Mentoring.
(1) Street Outreach (Reaching Youth Where They Are)
Counselors go directly to the streets to reach homeless kids. They walk the streets in known “hotspots” and other areas where youth congregate, in order to distribute food, clothing, hygiene products, resource information, and referrals. Our volunteers/staff make it a point to be accessible at
consistent times each week in order to build relationships with homeless youth. We ensure the youth get connected to the other services we provide, as well as to trusted community resources.
(2) Outreach Centers (Enpowering Youth to Find Their Way
The intent and purpose of StandUp For Kids Outreach Centers are to provide safe and protective environments for homeless and at-risk youth. Our centers help provide the support network of
basic human needs and development through educational programs, one-on-one counseling, and an ongoing atmosphere of hope and concern.
(3) Housing Support (Finding a Place to Call Home)
Once we’re successful in helping kids get off the streets, the real test begins. If it takes several months to get someone into housing, it may take twice that long working with them in a housing environment before they feel fully capable and comfortable with taking care of themselves. Housing Support teams monitor each individual situations and help young renters build a life centered around their community. with support including:
- Assistance in locating and taking care of an apartment
- Life skills training: fundamentals of living alone and supporting oneself
- Follow-up plan after being placed in an independent living situation
- Clothes and Furniture
- Counseling and moral support
- Referrals for medical and dental support
- Weekly food baskets, housing stipends
(4) Mentoring (Inspiring Youth to Believe in Themselves)
During mentoring sessions, youth develop a goal plan and mentors help them prioritize and execute their plan. Mentors act as guides, role models, and accountability partners. The goals of school-based mentoring are to increase high school graduation rates and foster a love for learning. Through academic support, we develop participants into high school graduates. We provide life and career counseling, computer access, and homework help. By planning for self-sufficiency, we promote the exploration of vocational training, college, entrepreneurship, and gainful employment opportunities.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Every year since 1990, we have had the privilege of working with hundreds if not thousands of young people under the age of 25. We are operating our mission in 17 cities in 12 states and the nation’s capital.
StandUp for Kids is almost entirely run by volunteers who are fully trained and passionate about supporting this underserved population. Over the past 32 years, StandUp for Kids volunteers have performed over a million hours of community services, conducted more than 100,000 hours of counseling services, and provided more than 1,000,000 meals to homeless and street kids. Our dedicated volunteers and staff never lose sight of the potential of our youth.
We continue to build our street outreach programs so our volunteers can find and connect with more youth as well as outreach centers to welcome our young people and provide a safer space to land. Our school-based mentoring program help at-risk students graduate from high school.
Because our central responsibility is to our youth, approximately eighty-one cents from each dollar goes directly into programs that serve our youth facing and experiencing homelessness.
1n 2022, our Programs continued to expand their geographic reach and grew the types and levels of services they provided. These efforts resulted in more positive contact with young people and connect them with life-sustaining resources.
At the board level, we brought in financial, marketing, and legal expertise to augment the talent already at hand - positioning ourselves to drive the organization forward.
We all allocate our talents, judgments, and prospects for the best outcomes for our youth: a rewarding, though difficult task.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
StandUp for Kids is reaching and providing life-saving services to an increasingly large percentage of homeless and at-risk youth.
Even though the world came to a halt as human interactions became confusing, scary, and even prohibited due to COVID-19, our team of executive directors/staff/volunteers who for so long have poured generous hearts into their work, stepped up once again. Some drop-in centers began to hand out food from their doorsteps while others kept their doors open by deeply cleaning facilities and strictly enacting health and safety protocols. A significant emphasis was placed on virtual mentorship by other chapters.
We expanded our housing support program. When our youth find housing or otherwise reach the goals they have identified as meaningful, we continue to provide support by helping them adjust to the real demands of maintaining an apartment, a source of income, their health, and other important markers of well-being.
In 2021, more than 6,900 youths found safety and connection in our Outreach Centers.
We were recognized and honored by Congress in the passing of a Resolution naming November as National Homeless Youth Awareness Month while mentioning StandUp for Kids within its resolution. StandUp for Kids Programs across America participates in events to help raise awareness throughout the month of November. In past years, the White House has also recognized us on three separate occasions for our work within communities all across the United States. We continuously focus on youth homeless awareness by educating the public.
Homelessness among youth is an epidemic throughout the United States and will take the efforts of everyone. It is a continuous work in process.
Our goals:
1. Building new street outreach programs
2. Continue to expand our school-based mentoring programs
3. Multipying the placement of 18 - 24-year-olds into stable housing
4. Scaling the number of outreach centers nationwide that welcome our young people and provide a safe space to
land
5. Launch a Youth Entrepreneurship Program
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
StandUp for Kids
Board of directorsas of 10/16/2022
Maria Verastegui
Acorda Therapeutics
Term: 2020 - 2023
CATHERINE Ballowe
Amiad USA
Term: 2020 - 2023
Kedric Sledge
Frank McClarin
Catherine Ballowe
Amiad USA
Kelly Fields
Executive Director - Atlanta
Maggie McWhorter
Executive Director- Oceanside
Kim Sisson
Executive Direcor - Tucson
Maria Verastegui
Acorda Therapeutics
Mark Stevens
Executive Director - Hampton Roads
Bonnie O'Hara
Amplify
Fernando Lamas
Lafayette Square
Tim McCormick
Self-Employed
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 10/14/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.