TEEN FEED
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Mission Statement
Teen Feed works with the community to offer support to meet basic needs, build strong relationships, and ally with homeless youth as they meet their future off the streets. With the tremendous support of the community, Teen Feed responds to the most basic needs of homeless and at-risk youth in the following focus areas: healthy meals and lives, youth support coordination, street outreach, healthcare access, and engaging the community through service. Teen Feed responds to the most basic needs of homeless youth with four integrated programs: Teen Feed Meal Program, Street Talk Outreach Program (STOP), Service Links for Youth (SLY), and Youth Access to Care (YAC).
About This Cause
Teen Feed’s (3) programs operate on the principle that when youth are able to rely on consistent contact with safe and non-judgmental adults, they are better able to take on the challenges of finding safe shelter, a job, or attending to their mental or physical health. Teen Feed is a confidential program which respects the needs for safety and privacy of the young people we serve. We provide meal site schedules to youth in program, during outreach, and at the Teen Feed office - and so much more! The Meal Program serves a hot, nutritious meal at various University District meal sites (seven days a week). Over a healthy meal, young people connect with specially trained advocates and support coordination staff to access the resources and services they need. STOP (Street Talk Outreach Program) is aimed at high-risk youth who avoid traditional social service agencies. Armed with backpacks, warm water, granola and soups, STOP sends out teams of staff and peer outreach workers to meet youth in their own environment—the streets and alleys where they spend most of their time. In 2021, STOP made over 9,000 positive contacts with youth on the streets, offering socks, food, referrals to resources, and a relationship with a caring adult. Focusing on building a relationship with homeless youth in their environment breaks down the resistance many have to engaging and working with trusting adults. STOP takes it a step further. We provide support coordination services (case management) for homeless youth ages 18-25 who may not be eligible for our SLY program. In support of this work, STOP Peer Youth Internship Program provides youth transitioning out of homelessness with employment experience while supporting their peers. Youth Interns work for 10 hours per week at a rate of $23.00 per hour for six months of service, assisting on outreach and supporting the Teen Feed meal program. This program enables interns to save funds for rent, providing valuable experience and employment reference while building connections with their peers. SLY (Service Links to Youth) is a case management program—we call it “Support Coordination”—designed to help youth who are ready to begin the transition to life off the streets. SLY was developed in 1998 after Teen Feed became concerned that many homeless and street-involved youth were not comfortable accessing traditional, agency-based services. Unlike traditional “case management,” SLY was designed as a youth-centered support program that affirms the strengths of each participant as they meet self-identified goals. Formerly it’s own groundbreaking program, YAC (Youth Access to Care) is now an integrated component of both the STOP and SLY programs which provides outreach, enrollment, and navigation services for homeless, at-risk, and food insecure young people in need of healthcare. Through Washington State’s Medicaid expansion, nearly all of Teen Feed’s guests are newly eligible for both medical and dental insurance. Youth Access to Care networks with local mobile units and healthcare navigators to encourage young people to review their healthcare options, enroll in health insurance, and leverage new health benefits to obtain preventative care and address preexisting mental and physical health conditions. Teen Feed is a contracted In-Person Assister Organization working in partnership with the Washington Health Benefit Exchange and Washington Healthplanfinder.