StandUp For Kids

Our mission is to end the cycle of youth homelessness by empowering homeless and at-risk youth to build brighter, more stable futures. Through preventive and crisis intervention services, we provide essential resources, mentorship, and consistent support. By meeting youth where they are, we help them move from crisis to stability and equip them with the tools needed for long-term independence.

Our ongoing mission is to end the cycle of youth homelessness. We serve unaccompanied homeless and at-risk youth – and young parents with children of their own – up to their 25th birthday. To do this, we have built four core programs: ​Street & Community Outreach​, Food Access​, ​Mentoring​, and ​Housing Support​.  Our service model follows national guidelines set by the US Interagency Council on Homelessness in providing stable housing, permanent connections, education and employment, and social and emotional well-being to the youth we serve. Our overall goal is to prepare youth to engage constructively in their communities and develop self-assurance by addressing both their basic needs and the four core elements of positive youth development: a sense of competence, a sense of usefulness, a sense of belonging, and a sense of power.  The objectives that allow us to meet this goal are to (a) provide intensive case management with a positive role model and mentor, (b) provide support in meeting basic needs of food, clothing and shelter; (c) meet medical and mental health needs, (d) provide supportive services as needed including group counseling, employment coaching, and life skills training; and (e) provide transitional support once the youth enter a permanent housing situation.

In 2025, our team logged over 7,700 instances of support, provided over 1,800 nights of shelter, supplied nearly 4,000 meals and served 1,416 un-duplicated youth.

In 2026, we plan to grow our impact with both the at-risk population (12-18 year olds through school systems) and the crisis population (18-24 year olds through community outreach) by providing 12,000 instances of support and serving more than 1,800 unduplicated youth. We want to increase our reach, and the number of youth served while maintaining a high rate of success.

StandUp For Kids greatest needs are continued financial support so that we can provide life changing programs and services. It costs on average $2,000 per year to support one youth aged 12-18 and $3,000 per year to support one TAY (transitional-aged youth) client. These costs help provide housing, food, clothing, and essential supplies, along with the staff and volunteer support needed to deliver consistent, one-on-one care for our youth. Additionally, we rely on dedicated volunteers to support our work. We are always looking for individuals to join our leadership team, mentor youth, and assist with events.

StandUp for Kids has programs that operate out of 15 cities throughout the United States. Please visit our website to locate a program near you or to start a program in your city.  Our Orange County Chapter serves all cities in Orange County.  

We live in a society where violence and abuse are increasingly common within families and communities. The hopelessness that kids express about their lives and futures reflects a lack of self-esteem and confidence in their own ability to cope and/or succeed. Imagine how overwhelming this would seem for youth that have no one in whom they can confide. StandUp for Kids is a special organization that has seized the opportunity to help homeless and at-risk children by establishing and launching programs and resources.