What We Do

Youth Continuum makes sure our area’s most vulnerable young people have a safe bed, critical support services, and a path to independence.

We serve 500 youth annually who are experiencing homelessness, housing insecure, or exiting the state’s Child Welfare system and transitioning to adulthood and independent living.

Youth Continuum offers the most comprehensive array of services for youth experiencing homelessness in Connecticut. Our organization has long been a state-wide leader in working to end youth homelessness through strategic partnerships and integrated service delivery.

Who We Help

We help youth experiencing homelessness and at-risk youth ages 14 to 24 – two groups often described as disconnected and who face great challenges in transitioning to successful adulthood. We are committed to helping these vulnerable young people improve self-esteem through concrete academic and vocational success, develop long- term community supports, and reach their full potential. Youth Continuum’s efforts result in a more educated, employable, and healthy youth population.

How We Help

We are so much more than just shelter for youth – we offer resources for basic needs; personal, professional, and academic development; assistance with navigating state and healthcare systems; and many different housing options to meet any circumstance. When you contact Youth Continuum for help, we will work with you to understand your individual experience to determine which program and/or housing type is the best fit for you.

Whether you are in a living situation you might have to leave soon, or have been unhoused for some time – or anything in between – we can help. We are here for support!

Our Commitment to Anti-Racist Practices

As an agency committed to the health and wellness of our employees and communities, we are committed to examining and taking action against the multifaceted nature of racism in the United States. Racism is dehumanizing to everyone it touches.

We hold a longstanding value of upholding and working toward social justice for all people. We are a welcoming, caring community, respecting of diversity and differences. We must examine racism beyond the actions of individuals, for it is embedded in the systems of care and the very fabric of our society.

We acknowledge that racism can be unconscious or unintentional. Yet it influences behavior and we are committed to examining implicit biases and their impact.

We acknowledge that racism works in tandem with systems of sexism, patriarchy, heteronormativity, cissexism, classism, and ableism.

We vow to purposefully identify, discuss, and challenge issues of race and color and the impact(s) they have on our organization, its systems, and its people.

We challenge ourselves to understand and correct any inequities we may discover and gain a better understanding of ourselves during this purposeful process.

We affirm explicitly and publicly, our identity as an anti-racist organization.

Impact Report

Leadership

Tim Maguire, MS, MSW: Executive Director
Gordon Nelson, LCSW:
Senior Director of Therapeutic Services

Ann Baker:
Director of Quality Assurance and Compliance

Catherine DiTuri: Director of Development
Glori Bowman: Program Director, Community Programs
Jasene Downer:
Program Director, Housing Programs

Damaris Ortiz-Lewis: Program Director, Housing Programs
Amanda Toni, LCSW: Program Director, Helen House

Alice Forrester, PhD: Chief Executive Officer of Clifford Beers Community Health Partners



Board of Directors

Alison Cunningham: President
Tim Blevins: Vice President
Makana Ellis: Secretary
John Burditt: Treasurer
Carmen Baldwin: Director
Carmen Burgos: Director
Maria Cammarota: Director
Rochelle Cummings: Director
Pattie McKnight: Director
Neil Montovani: Director

Accreditation

Youth Continuum has worked with at-risk youth since its inception in 1966 and has been accredited by the Council On Accreditation (COA) since 2004, the nonprofit field’s highest recognition for delivering quality child and family services.