HISTORY
In 1992, the City of San Francisco commissioned a study of homeless youth in the Haight Ashbury district. This study demonstrated that homeless young people have a high incidence of health and psychological problems as well as a lack of access to health and human services. In response, coordinated efforts to reach these youth began springing up in the Haight.
Founded as an all-volunteer organization in 1997 by a group of local harm reduction activists, San Francisco Needle Exchange (SFNE) merged with Haight Ashbury Youth Outreach Team in 2006 to form Homeless Youth Alliance (HYA): the city's only grassroots harm reduction coalition designed by and for the marginalized and underserved homeless youth of the Haight Ashbury district. Today, HYA is fiscally sponsored by Tides Center. We serve up to 120 participants per day, and conduct more than 1,500 counseling sessions, track at least 5,000 referrals, broker 1,400 medical appointments, and connect approximately 380 young people to housing, drug detoxification, and residential treatment programs annually.