San Diego Youth Services

Celebrating liberation, resilience and Black excellence!

Our Ground Up Coffee Shop is more than a coffee shop. It’s a place where young people can gain hands-on work experience and develop skills that support their future goals.

We’re grateful to Times of San Diego for highlighting how Ground Up Coffee helps create opportunities for youth while bringing the community together over a great cup of coffee.

Take a look at the story and learn more about the impact of this work at the link in our bio or at http://timesofsandiego.com/.../la-mesa-pop-up-helps.../

Our Ground Up Coffee Shop is more than a coffee shop. It’s a place where young people can gain hands-on work experience and develop skills that support their future goals.
We’re grateful to Times of San Diego for highlighting how Ground Up Coffee helps create opportunities for youth while bringing the community together over a great cup of coffee.
Take a look at the story and learn more about the impact of this work: timesofsandiego.com/community/2026/05/18/la-mesa-pop-up-helps-young-people-find-their-footing/

Brewing more than coffee: La Mesa pop-up helps young people find their footing A youth job training program from San Diego Youth Services helps youth through its pop-up coffee shop in La Mesa.

The Office of Youth and Community Restoration recently highlighted our SDYS Elevate Program!

“Grounded in youth voice and healing-centered engagement, Elevate reflects OYCR’s broader commitment to investing in community-based pathways that safely reduce incarceration and support long-term stability.”

OCYR aims to shift San Diego away from systems that isolate and punish, toward systems that restore, support, and empower. We’re honored to receive their generous support and to be a part of their efforts to end girls’ incarceration.

Read more about our support for justice-involved youth: https://sdyouthservices.org/services/juvenile-delinquency-diversion-and-intervention

Leading up to our appreciation event, we celebrated the dedication and impact of our staff and volunteers, whose incredible work helps support youth through housing and other essential services. To build excitement before the event, our team participated in a fun Spirit Week filled with creativity, enthusiasm, and connection. Take a look at some of these photos capturing our team spirit!

LGBTQ+ youth and their families are welcome at Our Safe Place! The program provides support in all areas of a young person's life, like help meeting basic needs, peer and family support, mental health support, and assistance with academic and employment challenges.

Our Safe Place has one mental health clinic serving those with Medi-Cal, and 5 drop-in centers with no insurance requirements located in the North, South, Central and East regions of San Diego County.

Learn more: https://sdyouthservices.org/services/our-safe-place

The people closest to the challenges are often closest to the solutions.

Today, we joined nonprofit leaders from across San Diego for a conversation with NBC 7 San Diego and Telemundo San Diego about what our communities need most right now and how we can do a better job informing the public about both the challenges and the progress being made.

We appreciated the opportunity to share what we’re seeing on the ground and explore how media and community organizations can work together to elevate stories that matter.

Thank you NBC 7 San Diego and Telemundo San Diego for bringing providers together and listening.

Alongside Monica Dean, Jackie Crea NBC 7, Shandel Menezes, Walden Family Services, The San Diego LGBT Community Center , San Diego Pride

Yesterday, we took a break from our usual work and came together for our annual Staff Appreciation Event. This year's theme was The Renaissance of Appreciation!

We got a chance to spend time with colleagues, enjoy some fun, and recognize the people who show up every day for youth and families across San Diego.

Thank you to our incredible team for all you do for San Diego's youth and families. We are so grateful for you! ❤

Act Now: Help Protect Shelter Capacity in San Diego

At San Diego Youth Services, we work every day to prevent and end homelessness across our community. Safe, stable shelter is the first critical step toward helping individuals move from crisis to long-term housing and stability.

Young people who experience homelessness in childhood or as teenagers often go on to experience homelessness as adults. But we can break that cycle.

Today in San Diego, 9 out of 10 requests for shelter go unmet. Despite this overwhelming need, and despite our community partner the Lucky Duck Foundation offering support to help maintain capacity, the City of San Diego is considering reducing shelter beds at the Bridge Shelter. The Bridge Shelter is owned by the Lucky Duck Foundation.

Reducing shelter capacity at a time when so many people are already unable to access shelter would move our community in the wrong direction. Every available shelter bed matters, especially for vulnerable youth, young adults, families, and individuals experiencing homelessness.

We're asking you to take just 30 seconds to make your voice heard.

By using the link below, you can send a pre-drafted letter to the Mayor and City Council urging them not to reduce shelter capacity. As outlined in the letter, the Lucky Duck Foundation is prepared to use its own philanthropic resources to help ensure these beds remain available.

Thank you for standing with our community and supporting solutions that help people move from homelessness to housing.

Take action here: action.luckyduckfoundation.org