ATC’s Clients

At The Crossroads works with underserved homeless youth and young adults in San Francisco’s Mission and Downtown/Tenderloin neighborhoods.

Why don’t our clients get consistent support

• Many homeless individuals who still identify as “youth” are too old to receive services at some of the youth agencies, but do not feel comfortable in the environment of “adult” programs

• Youth who do not have stable housing may not feel comfortable identifying as “homeless,” and are unlikely to approach programs that target homeless people

• Many of these youth do not fit the typical profile of homeless youth, because of their race, dress or survival activities, and are more likely to be targeted by law enforcement than by homeless service providers

• Some youth have negative associations with, and do not trust service, programs or institutions

• Some youth have needs that are outside the realm of existing services

• Many youth are not aware of services that could be of help to them

Demographics

ATC has reached 5,200 young people, and has worked one-on-one with 975 youth in intensive

counseling relationships.

• Almost all of our clients (98%) live in poverty
• 77% are unemployed
• 12% are immigrants, and 5% are monolingual Spanish speakers

Ethnic background:

• 51% African-American
• 21% white
• 18% Latino
• 10% other ethnic and racial categories

About 66% of our clients are male, 33% female, and 1% transgender

Underserved
Our clients are disconnected from people and organizations that can help them lead healthier lives. They do not have consistent contact with people or services which might help them think about their lives, create realistic plans to meet their goals, or connect them with the resources necessary to follow through on their plans.

Homeless
Our clients live on the streets, or in unstable (short-term hotels, motels, “couch-surfing”), non-traditional (vans, tents), or illegal (abandoned buildings) housing.

Youth and young adults
We work with people in their teens and twenties.