Shoreline’s Youth and Teen Development Program awarded $543,355 grant

King County has awarded Shoreline’s Youth and Teen Development Program (YTDP), in partnership with the Center for Human Services, a $543,355 grant.

It was the largest of 32 grants totaling $12.2 million awarded by the County as part of the six-year Best Starts for Kids levy.

YTDP will use the grant to reach underserved youth through a youth employment program. The new positions will provide outreach, leadership training, and peer–to-peer mentorship skills.

The grant will also enable the Center for Human Services to provide much needed mental health services informally and unscheduled to teens on-site at two youth centered locations, the City of Shoreline Teen Center being the biggest.

As Shoreline grows and changes, so do the needs of its youth. Some of these changes have translated into more youth struggling to find a place to feel safe, take ownership, connect with caring adults, and challenge themselves.

The Shoreline community is seeing marked increases in homelessness and substance abuse, and in the number of youth who need mental health services, many for depression and anxiety.

Shoreline has a strong record of supporting youth through programs offered by YTDP, which hosts activities at seven different locations, spanning six days per week with programs operating from one to five days per week. The nexus of programming has been at YTDP’s Teen Center, which offers teens a place outside of school to be engaged in activities and leadership at no cost.

In addition to services offered at the Teen Center, the City also collaborates with the Center for Human Services and King County Housing Authority to support youth at Ballinger Homes. Ballinger Homes is a King County Housing Authority apartment complex with large immigrant and refugee populations.

Grant funding will allow the City to expand services levels considerably to address the growing needs of youth in the Shoreline community.

About Best Starts for Kids

Voters in 2015 approved a six-year levy proposed by King County Executive Dow Constantine to fund Best Starts for Kids, an initiative to help put every baby born and every child raised in King County on a path toward lifelong success.

It invests in promotion, prevention, and early intervention strategies that promote healthier, more resilient children, youth, families and communities. It is considered the most comprehensive approach to early childhood development in the United States, starting with prenatal support, sustaining the gain through teenage years, and investing in safe, healthy communities that reinforce progress.