Seattle's Largest Youth Homelessness Provider Slashes Staff, Plans to Close Some Shelter and Housing Programs

Youthcare will close and "consolidate" two shelters and two transitional housing projects.

Image via Historylink.org.

By Erica C. Barnett

YouthCare, which provides shelter, housing, and services to youth and young adults, informed employees this week that the organization will be closing two of its shelters and two housing programs and cutting staff as the result of "a strategic realignment to ensure long-term financial stability and enhance the effectiveness of our services."

According to an FAQ document sent to staff, YouthCare will close down its Catalyst Transitional Living Program and Home of Hope Bridge Program on August 31, and the University District Youth Center and South Seattle Youth Center, which opened in 2020, will close at the end of this year.

Catalyst is a 12-bed transitional housing program that helps homeless young people from 18 to 21 move into employment and permanent housing; Home of Hope provides short-term transitional housing to young people in the University District. With the closure of the two shelters, the memo says, "Engagement & Shelter Services will be consolidated at the Orion Center," which is located on Denny Way between downtown and Capitol Hill.

YouthCare did not immediately respond to questions Tuesday morning about the reasons for the cuts and the impact they will have on services for homeless youth and young adults.

At least some Youthcare employees had already received layoff notices as of Tuesday.

"The current reductions are part of our plan to position YouthCare for a stronger financial future, stabilizing operations and creating a sustainable path forward," the memo said.

According to the memo, the organization plans to lay off 24 percent of its program staff and 31 percent of its administrative staff; as of 2021, the last year for which YouthCare published detailed staffing information, the organization had around 200 employees.

Under the question, "Is YouthCare shutting down some youth services?," the FAQ says, "No, we will continue to provide housing, case management, workforce training, and engagement opportunities. We are consolidating services to increase our impact and effectiveness."

Statewide, youth homelessness dropped around 40 percent between 2016 and 2021 but rose in 2022, according to a recently released study from Away Home Washington. The King County Regional Homelessness Authority's latest point-in-time count showed a drop in the number of homeless youth and young adults between 2022 and 2024.

YouthCare is still planning to open an "education and employment academy" for homeless youth as part of a Community Roots Housing project on Capitol Hill; the funding for that project is unrelated to the organization's operating budget and could not be used to save staff jobs or preserve other programs.