Youth Outreach Services

Since 1959, Youth Outreach Services' (YOS) mission has been to promote the strengths and abilities of youth and families by providing community-based services that empower and enrich each to face life's challenges with confidence, competence and dignity. YOS envisions a society that treasures the safety, well-being and self-worth of every child. Since 1971, YOS has been acknowledged as the primary adolescent substance abuse treatment, early intervention and prevention program throughout the community, and is one of the largest outpatient adolescent substance abuse agencies in the State. In the late 1970's the agency augmented its substance abuse services with a crisis intervention program designed to reunite runaway and delinquent youth with their families. Today, the program has evolved into a comprehensive intervention program that includes crisis intervention services, temporary shelter services, counseling, outreach, recreation and supportive services to youth and families. Since 2000, YOS began offering Multi-Systemic Therapy services to provide intensive in-home services to youth involved in the juvenile justice system. This was soon followed by the inception of our Family Integrated Transitions program, deployed in 2010 to work with youth while in the Department of Juvenile Justice facility and upon exiting, in an effort to reduce incarceration and recidivism. YOS' prevention curricula are offered in school to middle school and high school students, for pregnancy prevention and substance abuse prevention programming. YOS' also has experience in doing violence prevention and mediation in the communities. While our staff serves youth in the community at one of our three program office locations, we also visit families in their homes or schools. Our offices are located at: 5910 W. Division St., Chicago, Illinois 60651 6417 W. Irving Park Rd., Chicago, Illinois 60634 4419 W. North Ave., Melrose Park, Illinois 60160