Founded on the belief that adolescence is a dynamic and challenging time of life, Huckleberry Youth Programs' mission is to educate, inspire, and support underserved youth to develop healthy life choices, to maximize their potential, and to realize their dreams. Since 1967, we have accomplished this by providing San Francisco and Marin youth and their families with a network of services and opportunities offered by caring peers and adults.

Description:
Do you know...In 1967 Huckleberry House was the first shelter in the U.S. for runaway youth? Last year, we housed more than 300 young people in crisis and 87% of young people were reunited with their families.

Do you know...Huckleberry has become much more than a shelter? Over the past 40 years, Huckleberry House has become Huckleberry Youth Programs, a major social services organization that has served over 150,000 youth in San Francisco and Marin Counties.

Do you know...Huckleberry operates one of the most extensive alternative programs in the U.S. for non-violent juvenile offenders? For ten years, Huckleberry's Community Assessment and Referral Center(CARC) has provided services for approximately 25% of all youth arrested in San Francisco. This year, Huckleberry is forming a new and exciting partnership with UC Hastings Law School and we we will relocate CARC to a new UC Hastings building in 2009.

Do you know...Huckleberry is one of the leading providers of adolescent healthcare and health education in San Francisco and Marin? In collaboration with our Public Health partners, Huckleberry's Cole Street Clinic is one of San Francisco's only full-time health centers dedicated exclusively to teens and our Teen Tuesday clinic is the largest clinic of its kind in Marin. Huckleberry staff, including our Peer Health Educators, partnered with 28 schools in San Francisco and Marin and presented to 3,500 students last year.

Do you know...Huckleberry has Wellness Academies? Huckleberry is recruiting and training young people in San Francisco and Marin to work as health educators and to pursue careers in health.

History:
Huckleberry House, the first residential crisis program for runaway and homeless youth in the country, was founded in 1967 and has since provided a model for hundreds of runaway shelters across the country. In 1974 HYP advocated for the passage of the National Runaway Act which continues to support safe shelter and family re-unification services for abused and neglected youth who run away from home nationwide. Program services at Huckleberry House include crisis shelter, food, clothing, medical care, telephone information and referral, behavior management, and individual and family counseling provided by the counseling staff. Because HYP manages the Community Assessment and Referral Center (see below), as well as Huckleberry House, the agency is responsible for one of the most extensive community-based juvenile justice diversion programs in the United States. HYP was cited by New York's Vera Institute of Justice as a model in providing respite care as an alternative response for youth at risk of court-ordered placement. New York is in the process of replicating the "Huckleberry Model" of crisis/respite care and family reunification for "incorrigible youth" throughout the state.

HYP's other programs include Cole Street Clinic in the Haight Ashbury District of San Francisco, as well as the San Francisco Community Assessment and Referral Center (CARC) and Huckleberry Teen Health Program in Marin. New programs include our Huckleberry Wellness Academies in San Francisco and Marin.

Contact people:

Kelly Shea, Executive Assistant, (phone), (email) Bruce Fisher, Executive Director

Main office number: (415) 668-2622
Office fax number: (415) 668-0631

Address:

3310 Geary Street San Francisco, CA 94118 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.huckleberryyouth.org

Miscellaneous Information

Besides English, which languages are spoken at your agency?
	American Sign Language, Cantonese, Korean, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog
What is the minimum age for volunteers at your agency?
	21
Is your agency wheelchair accessible?
	Yes
Does your agency have the capacity to host groups of more than 10?
	No
Does your agency have the capacity to host groups of more than 20?
	No