What We Do
Our mission is to assist children, youth and families in achieving safe, self-sufficient, and stable lives.
Founded in 1974 by leaders of the local Black community, Southeast Youth and Family Services provides comprehensive early learning and mental health services that are based on the needs and strengths of the people who turn to us for help. We are a licensed mental health center and provide skilled, evidence-based, best-practice mental health treatment and prevention services.
Through extensive outreach, we go to schools, homes, community centers, hospitals, juvenile detention, and other locations to engage with youth and families and make our services accessible to those in greatest need. Our staff are advocates dedicated to helping youth and families overcome traumas caused by generational poverty, economic and educational inequality, disparities in foster care and the criminal justice system, and other forms of institutional racism.
More than half of our clients are people of color; 95% are low-income. We are based in in Southeast Seattle, one of the few areas of the city where non-white residents could rent or buy property during the era of real estate redlining. With gentrification and rising housing costs displacing many lower-income families, we are expanding our outreach and services to meet the needs of clients moving farther away from our historically diverse community.
How We Help
- Proactive community outreach to identify youth and families in need
- Early learning support for children, parents, and childcare providers
- Mental health services for youth, adults, couples, and families
- Counseling tailored to immigrants and refugees
- Social and life skill-building classes
