Youth On Their Own has aided more than 20,000 homeless and at-risk youths since it started 40 years ago. Photo by Collin Guarino, AZSN
Arizona has the second lowest worst high school graduation rate in the United States.
Complicating those number is the situation of homeless youths; in Pima County, there are more than 5,600 homeless youths.
That’s where the nonprofit Youth On Their Own comes in.
The organization works with homeless teens to eliminate barriers to education and empower housing insecure youths to stay in school.
Next year, the organization marks 40 years of helping homeless young people make it through high school. More than 20,000 have succeeded, according to Youth On Their Own officials.
“Our mission is to support the high school graduation and continuing success of youth experiencing homelessness,” said Bethany Neumann, the organization’s director of development and communications.
Youth On Their Own has created an inviting environment at its center with murals projecting positive images of young people. Photo by Collin Guarino, AZSN
Ann Young, a guidance counselor in the Amphitheater School District, started the organization in 1986 after she noticed that a lot of her talented students were dropping out of school due to homelessness and being forced to live on their own.
Young gathered community support and raised $80,000 in a single morning to establish a group residence for homeless teenage girls, known as the St. Andrew’s Friendly Environment (SAFE) House. This initiative laid the foundation for what would eventually become Youth On Their Own.
As of the 2024-25 fiscal year, Youth On Their Own served 1,668 youth, distributed over $2 million in direct financial assistance and maintained a 93% graduation rate.
A significant amount of funding for the organization comes from individual donors and local businesses including Tucson Subaru, which has contributed $100,000 through its “Subaru loves to help” initiative.
Additionally, Angel Charity for Children provided a $750,000 grant in 2022 to support the organization’s new headquarters.
Arizona residents can also contribute through the state’s Charitable Tax Credit program, allowing individuals to donate up to $495 and receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit.
“We want to help (teens) overcome any barriers that they might have,” said Neumann. “We want to give them the opportunity to get the assistance they need to get through high school and graduate.”
A wall of memorabilia from past members of YOTO. Photo by Collin Guarino, AZSN
The organization offers students a $350 monthly stipend for staying in school.They also have staff that work directly with young people to help them get legal identification and access to healthcare.
Its Mini Mall offers free food, toiletries, school supplies and new clothes and socks.
The Mini Mall offers free school supplies, food and clothing. Photo by Collin Guarino, AZSN
“The situation is more common than I think folks realize,” said Neumann when speaking on the problem of youth homelessness in Pima County. “It’s not folks who are on the corner, you know. It’s more of an invisible problem.”
Neumann said that Youth On Their Own also works with the Tucson Family Food Project and Cody’s Friends to help with providing meals and other resources to the students who come into the center on North Country Club Road.
“The Tucson Family Food Project helps us with fresh food for our Mini Mall, and Cody’s Friends helps us with dog and cat food,” said Neumann. “We also partner with businesses like Tucson Subaru; they’ve done an incredible amount of things to support us.
”One of the things that makes (Youth On Their Own) special is that it’s a Tucson thing,” said
Neumann. “It’s by Tucson people, serving Tucson people.”
Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.
