Youth Outreach Services

What Youth Outreach Services does

Youth Outreach Services (YOS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1959 in Chicago, Illinois, that delivers community-based programs to at-risk youth (ages 10-24) and their families across 30 Chicago neighborhoods and suburban Cook County communities. Its service portfolio is organized into four core areas — Prevention (substance use and teen pregnancy prevention, afterschool programming, youth employment), Counseling (individual/family/group therapy, substance use treatment, 24/7 crisis intervention), Juvenile Justice (diversion, reentry, reporting centers, Youth Intervention Pathways), and Child Welfare (homeless youth programs, case management, family reunification) — delivered through seven physical offices, in-home visits, and embedded school- and detention-facility-based staff.

The organization's core technology consists of licensed, evidence-based therapeutic and prevention models rather than proprietary software. These include Multi-Systemic Therapy (MST) and its MST-PSB adaptation for problematic sexual behavior, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Problematic Sexual Behavior Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (PSB-CBT), and prevention curricula such as Project ALERT, Project TND, and Making Proud Choices!. YOS is the sole Chicagoland provider of MST-PSB and the sole provider of substance abuse services across all four Illinois Youth Center facilities.

YOS operates on a hybrid nonprofit revenue model: government grants and contracts form the primary funding base (DOJ OJJDP, Illinois DCFS, Illinois IDHS, Cook County Juvenile Probation, City of Chicago, Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice), supplemented by Medicaid/Managed Medicaid reimbursement as a certified Community Mental Health Center, corporate and foundation grants (United Way since 1980, Bank of America, Northern Trust, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Blowitz-Ridgeway), and individual donations. Services are free or sliding-scale for many programs (CCBYS, MST-PSB, Redeploy), and the organization does not turn clients away for inability to pay. It serves 2,500-3,000+ youth annually with measurable outcomes including 83% fewer arrests for sexual crimes eight years post-PSB-CBT treatment and a $4-to-$7 ROI on criminal justice cost savings per treatment dollar.

Name

Youth Outreach Services

Legal name

Youth Outreach Services

Website

https://yos.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Youth Outreach Services is a 65-year-old Chicago nonprofit delivering community-based prevention, counseling, juvenile justice, and child welfare programs to 2,500-3,000+ at-risk youth annually across 30 Chicago-area communities, funded primarily by government contracts and Medicaid reimbursement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community-Based Youth Social Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO)

Keywords

• Youth social services
• Juvenile justice programs
• Substance abuse treatment
• Child welfare services
• Family counseling therapy

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Contracts: YOS receives significant funding from government partners including DOJ OJJDP, Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Illinois Department of Human Services, Cook County Juvenile Probation, and various township mental health commissions. These government partnerships provide the primary funding for YOS programs.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: YOS accepts donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. The organization runs annual fundraisers, corporate engagement programs, and individual giving campaigns. Donations support program services and operational costs.
3. Insurance and Medicaid Reimbursement: YOS accepts multiple forms of insurance including Medicaid and Managed Medicaid networks. Services are provided regardless of ability to pay, with a sliding fee discount program available for uninsured clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Youth Outreach Services (YOS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that delivers community-based prevention, counseling, juvenile justice, and child welfare services to at-risk youth and families across the Chicago metropolitan area. It provides evidence-based therapeutic interventions (MST, TF-CBT, PSB-CBT), 24/7 crisis intervention, juvenile diversion and reentry programs, transitional housing for homeless youth, and youth employment support through offices, schools, and client residences.

Product overview

Youth Outreach Services (YOS) is a non-profit social services organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of community-based programs organized into four core service areas: Prevention Services (substance use prevention, teen pregnancy prevention, afterschool programming, youth employment, community outreach), Counseling Services (individual/family/group therapy, substance use treatment, outreach/mentoring, crisis intervention), Juvenile Justice Services (diversion/reentry, reporting centers, Youth Intervention Pathways), and Child Welfare Services (homeless youth programs, case management, family reunification). The organization also delivers specialized evidence-based programs including Multisystemic Family Therapy (MST) and its adaptations for problem sexual behavior, Comprehensive Community-Based Youth Services (CCBYS), and the Youth Investment Program for employment support. Services are provided across multiple Chicago locations and suburban communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Prevention Services Programs designed to prevent substance abuse, teen pregnancy, and other challenges through evidence-based education, after-school activities, youth employment, and community outreach for at-risk youth.
• Counseling Services Comprehensive counseling including individual, family, and group therapy, substance use treatment, outreach and mentoring, and 24/7 crisis intervention for youth and families.
• Juvenile Justice Services Alternatives to detention and court services including diversion programs, reentry support, reporting centers, and the Youth Intervention Pathways (YIP) program for justice-involved youth.
• Child Welfare Services Services helping youth prepare for independence including homeless youth programs, case management, family reunification, and support services.
• Substance Use Prevention Curriculum Evidence-based substance use prevention education including Project ALERT for middle school students, Project TND for high school students, and My Generation Rx prescription drug misuse prevention.
• Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) Comprehensive sex education program using the Making Proud Choices evidence-based curriculum for middle and high school students covering abstinence, contraception, and HIV/STI prevention.
• Comprehensive Community-Based Youth Services (CCBYS) 24-hour crisis intervention system designed to divert youth from juvenile justice and child welfare systems, serving runaway, homeless, and at-risk youth ages 11-17.
• Multisystemic Family Therapy (MST)

Quantifiable outcome

• 83% fewer arrests for sexual crimes after 8 years for PSB-CBT clients
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lurie Children's Youth Substance Use Prevention CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partnership led by Lurie Children's Hospital focusing on youth substance use prevention with YOS as a key member.
• Juvenile Justice CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition working on juvenile justice reform and coordination of services across Chicago.
• Alliance to End Homelessness in Suburban Cook CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partnership providing funding via U.S. HUD for homeless youth services and housing coordination.
• Chicago Prevention AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition coordinating prevention efforts across Chicago communities.
• ClozTalkminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnered with ClozTalk to sell YOS-branded apparel at affordable prices through their online store.
• Feed the ChildrenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Feed the Children to provide over 140 backpacks filled with school supplies and hygiene items for YOS clients.
• Endeavor HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partner that partnered with Feed the Children to support YOS with backpack donations.
• Chicago Youth Works / One Summer ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Chicago initiative providing summer employment for youth; YOS serves as both a worksite and referral partner.
• Children's Advocacy CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing trauma-focused therapy for victims of problem sexual behavior; YOS works closely with them for MST-PSB services.
• Northwest Chicago Community AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal coalition supporting community-based prevention and intervention services.
• Illinois Collaboration on YouthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide coalition coordinating youth services and policy advocacy.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Metropolitan Family Services: Chicago-area human services nonprofit providing counseling, youth programs, and family support — overlapping service lines with YOS across behavioral health and youth development.
• UCAN (Uhlich Children's Advantage Network): Chicago-based nonprofit serving youth through counseling, foster care, and juvenile justice services — directly overlapping with YOS's child welfare, behavioral health, and youth intervention portfolio.
• Children's Home & Aid: Illinois nonprofit providing child welfare, foster care, counseling, and youth services — comparable across the same continuum of youth and family supports.
• Chicago Youth Centers: Long-standing Chicago nonprofit offering youth development, prevention, and afterschool programs across the city's underserved neighborhoods — directly comparable to YOS's prevention and community-based services.
• Boys & Girls Club of Chicago: Major Chicago youth development nonprofit providing afterschool programs, mentoring, and prevention services to at-risk youth — competing for the same youth population and prevention funding pool.
• Trilogy Behavioral Healthcare: Chicago-area nonprofit offering behavioral health, substance abuse treatment, and youth/family counseling — directly comparable to YOS's counseling, MST, and substance use treatment services.
• Safer Foundation: Chicago nonprofit focused on reentry and alternatives to incarceration for justice-involved individuals including youth — highly comparable to YOS's juvenile justice diversion and reentry programming.

Broad incumbents

• Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago: Large multi-service social services organization operating across the Chicago region with overlapping youth, family, housing, and counseling programs — broader portfolio but competing for similar public and foundation funding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/YOSChicago
• Facebookfacebook.com/youthoutreachservices
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/youth-outreach-services
• Instagraminstagram.com/yoschicago

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Youth Outreach Services