Friends of Youth

Join Friends of Youth this Saturday from 10am to 3pm at the Move Redmond 2024 Open Streets Festival.

The intersection of 161st Ave NE and Cleveland St will be transformed into a vibrant space with live music, delicious food, and so much more!

People of all ages are welcome to come celebrate local businesses and community organizations together.

We appreciate the support of Imagine Housing for Iva Place Kirkland! The residential apartment community for 18-24 year olds, offering below market rate rent for income qualified young adults, is opening soon. Receive more information or learn how to apply by emailing [email protected].

Imagine Housing is proud to partner with Friends of Youth. Since 1951, they have provided hope, community, and opportunities for growth to young people in King County. In fact, 16 apartments are set aside for young adults served by Friends of Youth at Imagine Housing’s Francis Village community in Kirkland.

Friends of Youth will soon open Iva Place Kirkland, a residential community, with 14 units for young adults aged 18-24 earning 30 – 50% of Area Median Income. This community is unique in that it will offer below market-rate rent in East King County with a keen focus on housing young adults, while being rebuilt to be extremely energy efficient. More information is available at friendsofyouth.org/post/iva-place-kirkland-is-opening-soon.

Last month, Friends of Youth Safe Place Coordinators Jenny Buehler and Sara Clinton led a training session with the Shoreline Fire Department. Safe Place, a homelessness prevention initiative for youth aged 12-17, is thrilled to announce the addition of six new Safe Place sites in partnership with the Shoreline Fire Department. Fire departments are symbols of safety in our communities, and their role is especially vital for youth facing homelessness. The Shoreline Fire Department will play a key role in providing stability and support by offering safe refuge and connecting youth with our Safe Place coordinators.

Meet members of our Friends of Youth Youth and Family services team at tomorrow night's National Night Out event in North Bend, 4pm-8pm, at the Si View Metro Park.

National Night Out is a community-police awareness-raising event held in cities across the United States, and on Tuesday, August 6, the Snoqualmie Police Department is bringing our local event to Si View Park, from 4 to 8 p.m.

Please join us as we celebrate our local officers and learn about public safety in its many forms. In addition to educational opportunities, be sure to check out the dunk tank, bouncy houses, face painting, hot dogs, ice cream and more...
..And, please stop by your local City of North Bend booth, where we will helping participants start their own emergency GO! kits!

Learn more about the event by reading the full press release, at https://northbendwa.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=2146.

Iva Place Kirkland is opening soon, with applications being accepted this summer! Visit friendsofyouth.org/news to read more about the project and watch a video featuring our Iva Place Kirkland ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Come visit the Friends of Youth booth today from noon to 2 pm in front of the Issaquah Community Center at the City of Issaquah Human Services event.

The event is part of the Issaquah Chalk festival which runs until 4 pm.

We are grateful to our volunteers who host donation drives including one recently hosted by Hayden Lambert for his Eagle Scout project.

With the support of his fellow BSA troop members, Hayden and his troop raised hundreds of dollars and collected essential supplies and food donations, which will make a difference for our clients.

If you have a group that would like to host a donation drive this summer, connect with our volunteer and in-kind coordinator at [email protected].

Thank you 425 Business for your coverage of Iva Place Kirkland. We are now taking applications for this affordable apartment community offering below-market rate rent to low-income qualified 18-24 year olds. For more information or to apply, email [email protected].

Kirkland-based nonprofit Friends of Youth is preparing to open a small residential community in the Eastside city at below-market rents for young adults earning 30%-50% of the area median income. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/45SW9eR

We are grateful to our volunteers who host donation drives including one recently hosted by Kara Nishiguchi for her Eagle Scout project.

With the support from Troop 678, Kara worked to create 100+ menstrual/hygiene packs for homeless menstruating youth in the local community.

In her project, Kara highlights how “period poverty is a real issue and is unfortunately something that many menstruators face and is unfortunately often overlooked”, and she hopes that “in creating these packs, homeless youth will have resources accessible to them, and hopefully lessen the burden of the other stressors they face throughout their day”.

If you have a group that would like to host a donation drive this summer, connect with our volunteer and in-kind coordinator at [email protected].

Reserve your seat today! Friends of Youth will be hosting an informational Open House tomorrow (7/10) from 6:00-7:00PM, where we will talk about our organization and our foster care programs.

Join us tomorrow evening for an informational session to learn more about the vulnerable youths we serve, as well as ask our foster care licensor and recruiter questions about how to become a foster parent or volunteer with our organization!

Our Open House will be held at our headquarters, which is located at 13116 NE 132nd St, Kirkland, WA 98034. Parking spaces are limited but interested guests can park in front or behind our headquarters; if spaces are full, guests can also park across the street at 132nd Square Park, 13159 132nd Ave, Kirkland WA, 98034.

Pizza and refreshments will be available, please RSVP at [email protected] to reserve a seat and let us know you will be attending.

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Friends of Youth appreciates the support of the Rotary Club of Snoqualmie Valley.

Your purchase of a ticket to their upcoming SipFest supports local nonprofit organizations including Friends of Youth.

Purchase tickets here - https://bit.ly/3zGWntc

Friends of Youth was honored to be included in a recent 425 Magazine article by John Stearns featuring the ribbon-cutting celebration for Iva Place Kirkland, our soon-to-be-open affordable housing project. Read more at 425magazine.com/home-garden/friends-of-youth-affordable-housing-kirkland/article_845c3b1e-5869-5374-8bbd-1db6f97de3f6.html

July is Disability Pride Month, a time to honor the diverse abilities within our community.

The Disability Pride Flag is a powerful symbol of unity and strength—representing physical, mental, neurodivergent, invisible and undiagnosed disabilities.

Remember our language matters. Some people prefer terms like “disabilities”, "diverse abilities” or “differently abled” to refer to the community.

Being intentional in finding how someone prefers to be addressed is an important step in showing respect and understanding. At Friends of Youth, we use “diverse abilities” to acknowledge and celebrate everyone’s unique experiences.

Black Haircare Drive Aims To Address Disparities And Support Homeless Youth To honor the legacy of Black hair and support homeless youth, six organizations, including YouthCare, The Sophia Way, Treehouse, Friends of Youth, Porchlight, and Mary’s Place, have launched a Black Haircare Drive for the month of June.

Friends of Youth cordially invites you to our Foster Care Open House on July 10th from 6:00-7:00PM, where we will talk about our organization and our foster care programs.

Join us for an informational session to learn more about the vulnerable youths we serve, as well as ask questions about how to become a foster parent or volunteer with our organization!

Our Open House will be held at our headquarters, which is at 13116 NE 132nd St, Kirkland, WA 98034. Parking spaces are limited but interested guests can park in front or behind our headquarters; if spaces are full, guests can also park across the street at 132nd Square Park, 13159 132nd Ave, Kirkland WA, 98034.

Pizza and refreshments will be available, please RSVP at [email protected] to reserve a seat and let us know you will be attending.

We are looking forward to meeting with you!

Friends of Youth is offering summer group programs beginning later this month at three locations, including our Duvall office at 26420 NE Virginia Street.

Each group session is pay what you can with a suggested donation of $20 per session. For more information, email [email protected] or call 425 392-6367.

The summer group program offered at the Duvall office is for Middle school age youth.

Middle School Survival will be offered on Tuesday, 7-9-8/20, 11 am-1pm. Middle school can be a challenging time of transition and growth. In this group, we'll navigate the ups and downs of adolescence while building essential skills for success in school and beyond.

On Saturday, June 22, 2024, Friends of Youth hosted a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Iva Place Kirkland with honored guests and speakers King County Executive Dow Constantine, Friends of Youth President and CEO, Paul Lwali, Friends of Youth Board President, Alex Lee, and representing A Regional Coalition for Housing (ARCH), Carol Helland, Director, Planning and Community Development, City of Redmond.

Iva Place Kirkland is opening soon and will be an energy-efficient, affordable housing development, with 15 single occupancy leased units with shared living space, providing below-market rental rates to income-qualified 18–24-year-old young adults.

Iva Place Kirkland is funded by King County, A Regional Coalition for Housing (ARCH), and the Washington Department of Commerce.

Potential tenants who are interested in more information may email [email protected].

Join Friends of Youth this Saturday from 10am to 3pm at the Move Redmond 2024 Open Streets Festival. The intersection of NE Shen St and Calder Ave NE, by Esterra Park, will be transformed into a vibrant space with live music, delicious food, a bounce house, and so much more! People of all ages are welcome to come celebrate local businesses and community organizations together.