Sisu Youth Services

What Sisu Youth Services does

Sisu Youth Services is a nonprofit organization founded in 2010 in Oklahoma City that delivers shelter, housing, and support services to unhoused transition-age youth ages 15-24. The organization operates a coordinated suite of eight core programs: an Emergency Overnight Shelter (a 20-bed facility open seven nights a week for ages 15-22), a Drop-In Resource Center (open daily for ages 15-24, providing meals, clothing, showers, laundry, toiletries, and case management), the Quest Transitional Living Program (Sisu-leased apartments for ages 17-24), a Rapid Rehousing Program providing monthly rental subsidies to landlords, a Host Homes Program pairing youth with volunteer community mentors, Case Management, Education support (GED/high-school completion), and Life Skills & Enrichment programming. All services are explicitly low-barrier and identity-affirming, accepting youth regardless of identity documents, justice involvement, substance use, or mental health status, with no hard cap on shelter length of stay.

The organization is run by an Executive Director (Rachel Bradley) supported by Directors across Development, Community Engagement, Program and Clinical services, Finance, and Operations, with two additional Program/Client Navigation Managers. Headcount sits in the 11-50 range. The underlying technology footprint is minimal — the website is hosted on Squarespace, outreach is conducted via Facebook, Instagram, and email newsletter, and a Meal Train page coordinates nightly dinner volunteers. There is no proprietary software platform; service delivery is fundamentally in-person at the single Oklahoma City facility.

Sisu's revenue model is a typical nonprofit mix: private individual donations, corporate giving, city and federal government funding (notably through OKC's Coordinated Entry System managed by Key To Home for Rapid Rehousing dollars), and annual fundraising events. No revenue is generated from clients — all services are provided free of charge. Annual revenue is not publicly disclosed. The organization has published both 2024 and 2025 Annual Reports, indicating institutional transparency. Operating geography is restricted to Oklahoma City, USA.

Name

Sisu Youth Services

Legal name

Sisu Youth Services

Website

https://sisuyouth.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sisu Youth Services is a nonprofit in Oklahoma City providing low-barrier shelter, housing, and case-management programs to unhoused transition-age youth ages 15-24, funded by donations, government grants, and events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Homeless Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Homeless, Foster Care & Highly Mobile Youth Education Services (EDAJAEAG), Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN)

Keywords

• Youth shelter services
• Homeless youth support
• Transitional housing programs
• Case management services
• Emergency shelter programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Oklahoma City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Private Donations: Primary funding source from individual donors and private giving
2. Corporate Giving: Corporate donations and sponsorship from businesses
3. Government Funding: City and federal dollars through programs like Rapid Rehousing
4. Fundraising Events: Annual events and fundraisers to grow reach and fill coffers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sisu Youth Services operates a low-barrier, identity-affirming shelter and drop-in resource center in Oklahoma City serving unhoused transition-age youth ages 15-24. Core offerings include a 20-bed emergency overnight shelter, a drop-in resource center with meals, hygiene, and clothing, transitional living apartments (Quest), rapid rehousing rental assistance, and a Host Homes volunteer mentorship program. All programs are supported by case management, education coordination, and life skills enrichment, and are provided free of charge to eligible youth.

Product overview

Sisu Youth Services operates as a coordinated suite of programs addressing youth homelessness in Oklahoma City. The core offerings include an Emergency Overnight Shelter (20-bed facility for ages 15-22), a Drop-In Resource Center (for ages 15-24), the Quest Transitional Living Program (apartments for ages 17-24), Rapid Rehousing assistance, and the Host Homes Program (mentorship-based living with volunteer families). These are supported by Case Management services, Education support, and Life Skills & Enrichment programming. All services are low-barrier and identity-affirming, serving approximately 300 unique shelter clients annually and over 100 young people through case management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Quest Transitional Living Program (TLP): A program allowing youth ages 17-24 to live in apartments leased by Sisu, covering rent and utilities while youth work toward independence.

Products and services

• Emergency Overnight Shelter A 20-bed emergency overnight shelter facility serving unhoused youth ages 15-22 in Oklahoma City, providing breakfast, sack lunch, and hot dinner daily, plus showers, a clothing closet, laundry, and food pantry. There is no hard limit on length of stay.
• Drop-In Resource Center A low-barrier drop-in resource center for youth ages 15-24, open daily 10 AM-7 PM, providing a clothing closet, hot meals, food pantry, toiletries, laundry, showers, and case management services.
• Quest Transitional Living Program Transitional living program for youth ages 17-24 in which Sisu leases apartments, covers rent and utilities, and provides weekly case management support as they work toward independence.
• Rapid Rehousing Program Short-term rental assistance program providing monthly rental subsidies paid directly to landlords, helping participants obtain housing quickly, increase self-sufficiency, and stay housed.
• Host Homes Program Program for youth ages 15-24 to live with volunteer community members who offer mentorship and a spare room; hosts receive monthly stipends and youth receive weekly case management support.
• Case Management Case management services helping clients navigate education, employment, housing, life skills, resource connection, mental and physical health support, identity documents, the justice system, and family relationships.
• Education Support Education coordination helping homeless youth finish high school or complete a GED, delivered by an Education Coordinator and Case Management team.
• Life Skills & Enrichment Life skills programming including partnerships with Poetry and Chill, art therapy, health corps groups, mental health nights (with OU medical students), tarot card workshops, comic book creation, crafts, and Dungeons and Dragons activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300 unique clients served per year at 20-bed shelter
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Key To Home / OKC Coordinated Entry SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral partner for housing programs. Rapid Rehousing program is funded through city and federal dollars with referrals going through OKC's Coordinated Entry system managed by Key To Home. Youth must complete an OKCSE Assessment with a case manager at Sisu or partner agency.
• Poetry and ChillcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLife skills programming partnership empowering youth to develop and practice communication skills through rap and poetry.
• OU Medical StudentssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMental Health Nights programming led by OU medical students at the drop-in center.
• Health CorpssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerWeekly groups and health-related programming offered at the drop-in center.
• Community PartnerssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partners regularly available for outreach during drop-in hours to help facilitate resource connections for youth.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Night Ministry: Chicago nonprofit operating overnight shelter, drop-in centers, and housing programs for young adults experiencing homelessness; shares Sisu's emergency-overnight, drop-in, and case management model.
• SafePlace: Austin nonprofit providing shelter, housing, and support services for youth and adults affected by homelessness and domestic violence; comparable in offering low-barrier access plus transitional and rapid rehousing programming.
• Larkin Street Youth Services: San Francisco nonprofit delivering shelter, housing, education, and health services to transition-age youth experiencing homelessness; highly comparable service mix and low-barrier access philosophy.
• Huckleberry House: Columbus, Ohio nonprofit running emergency shelter, drop-in, and case management for homeless and at-risk youth; matches Sisu's age range (adolescents to young adults) and shelter-plus-support structure.
• YouthCare: Seattle-based nonprofit providing emergency shelter, drop-in services, housing, education, and employment programs for unhoused youth ages 12–24; closest functional analogue to Sisu's integrated program suite.
• Covenant House: Largest privately funded youth homelessness network in the Americas, operating emergency shelters, transitional living, and outreach programs for transition-age youth — directly comparable to Sisu's shelter-plus-support model.

Broad incumbents

• A Way Home America: National initiative to end homelessness among youth and young adults, focused on coordinated community responses; broader sector peer working at the federal/systems level where Sisu operates locally.
• National Network for Youth (NN4Y): National advocacy and capacity-building organization for youth-serving agencies and runaway/homeless youth programs; broader incumbent that Sisu could partner with for federal funding and policy alignment.

Emerging players

• Point Source Youth: National nonprofit advancing host home models for LGBTQ+ youth experiencing housing instability; a thematic peer to Sisu's Host Homes program and identity-affirming positioning.

Regional players

• Hope's Door New Beginning Center: Texas-based emergency shelter and support services organization serving survivors of domestic violence and homelessness; regionally adjacent peer with similar low-barrier shelter and case management model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SisuYouthOKC
• Instagraminstagram.com/sisuyouthokc
• Xx.com/sisuyouth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sisuyouth

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 Sisu Youth Services