Social Advocates for Youth

What Social Advocates for Youth does

Social Advocates for Youth is a California-based nonprofit organization that provides housing, counseling, and career services to youth and families in need. The firmographic profile lists the organization as founded in 1971, operating as a private nonprofit with 51-100 employees, and headquartered in Santa Rosa; a related legal entity, Social Advocates for Youth, San Diego, Inc., is documented as operating in San Diego County per court filings. The organization serves a single customer segment — youth and families — and operates exclusively within the state of California, making it a regionally focused provider of social advocacy and human services rather than a scaled multi-state operator.

No products, technology stack, revenue model, pricing structure, partnerships, awards, or management team information is disclosed in the available data. Revenue, funding history, and financial performance are not reported; the only documented capital-related event is a 2023-08-28 engagement with Sonoma County Vintners as a partner. A class action lawsuit was filed against the San Diego legal entity in San Diego County Superior Court alleging multiple California Labor Code violations including unpaid minimum and overtime wages, missed meal and rest periods, inaccurate wage statements, unreimbursed expenses, unpaid sick wages, and off-the-clock work requirements. The organization's web presence is inconsistent: the domain saysc.org, which the firmographic record associates with Social Advocates for Youth, currently publishes unrelated content (a review of Non-GamStop online casinos for UK players) — suggesting possible domain repurposing, content compromise, or a mismatch between the firm's primary web identity and its operational identity.

Name

Social Advocates for Youth

Legal name

Social Advocates for Youth, San Diego, Inc.

Website

https://saysc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Social Advocates for Youth is a California-based nonprofit founded in 1971 that provides housing, counseling, and career services to youth and families in need, operating with 51-100 employees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth and Family Social Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

Keywords

• Youth social services
• Housing assistance
• Family counseling
• Career services
• Nonprofit advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Rosa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Core offering

Social Advocates for Youth is a nonprofit social services provider that delivers housing, counseling, and career services to youth and families in California. The organization's programs combine residential/housing support, mental health and family counseling, and workforce/career readiness services aimed at vulnerable youth and family populations. SAY operates as a direct-service nonprofit, funded through donations, grants, and community partnerships rather than commercial sales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Housing Services Housing and residential support services provided to youth and families experiencing housing instability, as part of the organization's nonprofit social services program in California.
• Counseling Services Counseling services delivered to youth and families, including mental health, family, and behavioral support, as part of the organization's nonprofit program offerings.
• Career Services Career readiness, employment, and workforce development services provided to youth to support their transition into the labor market.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National nonprofit providing youth development programs including housing-related supports, counseling, and career readiness. Directly comparable to SAY in serving at-risk youth with multi-service programming, though at far greater scale.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: Nonprofit focused on youth mentoring, counseling, and developmental support services for at-risk children and adolescents. Operates in the same youth-services nonprofit category as SAY with overlapping counseling and youth-development missions.
• Covenant House: Nonprofit providing housing, counseling, and career services to youth experiencing homelessness. The closest direct functional peer to SAY's housing-plus-counseling-plus-career model.
• Larkin Street Youth Services: San Francisco-based nonprofit delivering housing, counseling, and education/career services to at-risk and homeless youth. Operates a near-identical service bundle to SAY in the same California market.
• Fred Finch Youth & Family Services: California-based nonprofit providing mental health, housing, and wraparound services for youth and families. Direct regional peer with overlapping counseling and youth-housing capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• YMCA of the USA: Large national nonprofit offering youth housing-adjacent services, counseling, and career/educational programming. A broader incumbent with overlapping capabilities but a much wider portfolio beyond youth-only services.
• Catholic Charities USA: National nonprofit operating housing, counseling, and family services including dedicated youth programs. Comparable in mission scope but materially larger and more diversified than SAY.
• Volunteers of America: National nonprofit providing housing, behavioral health, and family/youth services across the U.S. Overlaps with SAY in housing and counseling but operates at significantly greater geographic and programmatic scale.
• United Way Worldwide: National nonprofit funding and operating community-support programs including youth and family services. A broad incumbent in the same funding/operating ecosystem as SAY rather than a direct program competitor.

Regional players

• HomeStart: California-based nonprofit providing housing-related support services, with overlap to SAY's housing programming for vulnerable youth and families. Comparable in mission but primarily serves different client subsets.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/saysc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/social-advocates-for-youth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Social Advocates for Youth