"This is one of the places I belong. Since preschool I've been bullied and ridiculed by other children because I was different, and around middle school I just kind of stopped talking to people. After talking to staff at SYS, I've been able to open up more.”
Lauren, age 17, has known Sunset Youth Services since she was three, when her mom began to access the weekly food pantry and later take parenting classes through our Family Support program. She is employed in our Workforce Development Program as a Playland skatepark custodian.
“I come here almost every day to get away from drama at home or school, when I need to vent. It's my safe haven, with people I can talk to and trust. SYS staff have helped me through anxiety, depression, and coached me through these things. I feel loved and cared for here.”
Providing stable relationships and a sanctuary where young people are known and belong is at the core of SYS’s attachment community and a primary way we help young people to overcome trauma and heal.