San Diego Youth Services

What San Diego Youth Services does

San Diego Youth Services (SDYS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1970 in San Diego, California, providing a comprehensive continuum of social services to vulnerable youth from infancy through age 25. The organization operates the first emergency shelter for runaway and homeless youth in San Diego (one of only three in the nation at the time of founding) and has since grown to serve approximately 16,000 youth annually across 100+ community and school-based locations in San Diego County. Service lines include emergency shelter, transitional and permanent supportive housing (with multiple owned multi-unit facilities across Point Loma, Normal Heights, North Park, El Cajon, and Spring Valley), mental and behavioral health services, foster family agency placement and adoption support, anti-bullying programs, suicide prevention (HERE Now curriculum), human trafficking recovery, LGBTQ+ youth services (Safe Place), juvenile delinquency diversion, workforce development (TAY WORKS!, Ground Up Coffee Shop), Camp Mariposa for youth affected by family substance abuse, and equine-assisted leadership workshops offered as fee-for-service programming to corporate clients.

SDYS is governed by a board of directors and the affiliated San Diego Youth Foundation (EIN 27-4529565), which serves as the philanthropic arm. It is CARF-accredited, GuideStar Platinum-certified, and holds 501(c)(3) federal and state tax-exempt status (EIN 95-2648050). The organization reports 89% of all funds going directly to serve youth, with revenue sourced from individual donations, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, county contracts (notably San Diego County HHSA), state and federal funding, and event-based fundraising (annual Walk & Rally, benefit auction, San Diego Open partnership). Strategic partnerships include San Diego Unified School District, San Diego Regional Task Force on the Homeless, California Coalition for Youth, and the NFL Youth Education Town (legacy), enabling influence on policy such as the Homeless Youth Act of 2018.

As of 2025, SDYS employs 51-100 staff under new leadership: CEO Jonathan Castillo (appointed April 2025, formerly Chief Regional Officer at PATH) and COO Hanan Scrapper (appointed November 2025, formerly Regional Director at PATH San Diego), succeeding long-tenured CEO Walter Philips who retired after 25 years. Strategic emphasis is on scaling homeless and LGBTQ+ youth capacity (new downtown shelter April 2025; $1.5M LGBTQ+ shelter 2023) and embedding service delivery in the K-12 system via the San Diego Unified School District partnership (January 2026).

Name

San Diego Youth Services

Legal name

San Diego Youth Services

Website

https://sdyouthservices.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

San Diego Youth Services is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1970 that delivers a continuum of social services — emergency shelter, mental health, foster care, human trafficking recovery, LGBTQ+ support, and workforce development — to nearly 16,000 vulnerable youth annually across 100+ locations in San Diego County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Social Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Temporary Shelters (624221), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM), Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Behavioral Health for Children & Adolescents (Youth Services) (HLAFACAL), Court/Community School Programs (Diversion, Probation-Linked, Community Day Schools) (EDAJAEAI), Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth) (EDAAAOAD)

Keywords

• Youth social services
• Emergency youth shelter
• Foster care services
• Youth mental health
• Youth homelessness support

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

San Diego Youth Services is a nonprofit organization that delivers a comprehensive continuum of social services for youth from infancy through age 25 across San Diego County. Its offerings include emergency shelter and transitional housing for homeless youth, foster care and adoption support, mental health and suicide prevention services, human trafficking recovery, domestic violence prevention, LGBTQ+ services, juvenile justice diversion, workforce development, and equine-assisted leadership workshops.

Product overview

San Diego Youth Services is a nonprofit organization offering a comprehensive continuum of social services for youth from infancy to age 25. Rather than a single product, SDYS operates a portfolio of interconnected programs including shelter and housing services (Youth Emergency Shelter, Transitional Housing, Homeless Housing and Support), mental health services (Mental Health, Counseling Cove, Suicide Prevention Pathways), youth development programs (Foster Care, Adoption Support, Independent Living Skills, TAY Academy, TAY WORKS!), specialized support services (Human Trafficking Awareness and Recovery, Domestic Violence Prevention, LGBTQ+ Services, Anti-Bullying), and community programs (Workforce Development, Leadership & Team Building, Camp Mariposa). The organization serves nearly 16,000 youth annually at 100+ community and school locations across San Diego County.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ground Up Coffee Shop: Coffee shop offering job training opportunities to young people in programs, part of workforce development initiatives

Products and services

• Homeless Housing and Support

Quantifiable outcome

• Helped more than 834,000 youth since founding in 1970
• +2 more outcomes

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• San Diego Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 January 2026Partnership to create coordinated approach for helping students access support services, report concerns, and connect with resources focused on safety and wellness. Includes human trafficking prevention program in schools.
• San Diego OpenminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 10 May 2025Racquet sports event combining tennis, pickleball, and padel to raise funds and awareness for SDYS services.
• San Diego County HHSAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024County Health and Human Services Agency partnership for providing services to youth and families.
• San Diego Convention CenterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnered to provide shelter and services for unaccompanied minors and youth at the Convention Center during COVID-19 pandemic.
• PATH (People Assisting The Homeless)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Former CEO Jonathan Castillo and COO Hanan Scrapper came from PATH, maintaining professional partnerships in the homelessness sector.
• San Diego Regional Task Force on the HomelesscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Lead partner in comprehensive program for homeless youth in San Diego County. SDYS was instrumental in developing new state legislation addressing youth homelessness.
• California Coalition for YouthminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Key partner in passing Homeless Youth Act of 2018 and subsequent legislation expanding youth homelessness services.
• National Football League (NFL)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998San Diego NFL Youth Education Town partnership bringing after-school programs to youth in danger of dropping out of school. NFL implemented this national model in all Super Bowl cities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves16 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• PATH (People Assisting The Homeless): San Diego-based homelessness services nonprofit that operates housing, behavioral health, and outreach programs. SDYS's new CEO and COO both came from PATH, and the two organizations share direct service populations (homeless and at-risk youth and families) and referral pipelines with the County HHSA.
• Larkin Street Youth Services: San Francisco-based nonprofit providing housing, education, employment, and health services to youth experiencing homelessness and instability. Operates a comparable continuum-of-care model (shelter, transitional housing, mental health, workforce) targeting a similar youth demographic.
• Covenant House California: Regional affiliate of Covenant House providing emergency shelter, transitional housing, and supportive services to youth experiencing homelessness and trafficking in California. Directly comparable emergency-shelter and housing-plus-care model for the same youth populations.
• Boys & Girls Club of San Diego County: Local affiliate of a national youth-development nonprofit providing after-school programming, mentoring, education, and workforce development to youth in San Diego County. Operates in the same geographic market with overlapping youth development and workforce programming.
• Home Start, Inc. San Diego-based nonprofit providing child abuse prevention, family strengthening, and youth homelessness services. Operates a comparable set of child welfare, family support, and youth services in the same county.
• Just in Time for Youth: San Diego-based nonprofit serving transition-age foster and homeless youth (ages 18-25) with housing, education, employment, and well-being services. Directly comparable TAY-focused housing and workforce programs with shared target population and geographic market.

Broad incumbents

• San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA): Public-sector funder and contract partner that administers many of the same youth, family, and homelessness programs in San Diego County. Acts as both a core funder of SDYS and a broader-scale provider/commissioner of overlapping services.
• YMCA of San Diego County: Large regional operator offering youth development, child care, housing, and wellness programs across San Diego County. Competes for similar donor and county funding while operating a broader portfolio that overlaps with several SDYS service lines including housing, foster support, and youth development.
• National Network for Youth (NN4Y): National membership and advocacy organization for youth services and runaway/homeless youth providers. Operates in the same federal policy and funding ecosystem and represents peer organizations serving comparable at-risk youth populations nationwide.

Emerging players

• Casa Cornelia Law Center: San Diego-based legal services nonprofit serving victims of human trafficking, domestic violence, and unaccompanied minors. Shares a youth-trafficking and vulnerable-population focus with SDYS's human trafficking recovery program and shares board-level connections.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sdyouthservices
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SDYCS
• Facebookfacebook.com/SanDiegoYouthServices
• Instagraminstagram.com/sdyouthservices

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about San Diego Youth Services