Youthlink

What it reported doing in 2024

Drop-in / outreach / basic needs: for over 50 years, the youthlink drop-in center has been a low barrier, inclusive refuge and community of safety for all young people ages 16-24 experiencing or at risk of homelessness in the geographic area surrounding downtown minneapolis and hennepin county. Nearly 3,000 unduplicated youth are served annually; disproportionately 90% are bipoc youth (74% identify as african american and 6% as native). Young people coming to youthlink access a nonjudgmental, youth-centered community where healthy, trusting relationships are created in authentic, meaningful ways to support young people to transition to safety, stability, and wellbeing. (continued on schedule o)drop-in / outreach / basic needs (continued from part iii): young people are empowered to chart their journeys by believing in and using their own potential (not their current circumstances) to achieve stability, self-reliance, and well-being. Four components frame the services provided through the drop-in: street outreach, crisis/basic needs response, intervention services, and after care. Goals are to decrease length of time between homelessness, temporary shelter, and housing stabilization; increase access to basic needs followed by intervention designed to achieve stability, employment, and education; prevent precariously housed youth from becoming homeless for the first time; connect youth during outreach intervention to drop-in (crisis and basic need services), intervention (rapid rehousing, stability, intensive wrap-around case management), and aftercare (intentional after case services). The overarching goal is to make homelesnes rare, brief, and nonrecurring for youth in our community.as a barrier-free refuge and highly accessible service, often the first point of contact is street outreach. Youthlink uses a "peer" model of street outreach with lived experience youth assisting to establish trust and engagement with the most vulnerable young people (16-24) on the streets of minneapolis. At drop-in, crisis/basic needs response includes food, showers, clothes, washers/dryers, health care, respite space, computer lab, mail access, cell phones and charging stations, child advocacy assistance, bus passes and tokens. Intervention services include chemical/addiction interventions, mental health support, benefits and legal assistance, help to obtain vital documents (id's, birth certificates, social security card access, etc), education and employment resources, rapid rehousing, housing vouchers, housing and landlord advocacy, court advocacy, and access to the youth opportunity center network of more than a dozen other service partners all located under one roof. Youthlink voices of youth advisory council, comprised of lived experience youth, provides continuous input to leadership and programming, and mentoring to other youth in the drop-in.employment and education: youthlink operates as a responsive, adaptive, partnership-based organization. Our onsite career and education pathways program strengthens the services offered by engaging onsite partners with employment expertise, including goodwill easter seals and hired (career and employment agencys) to partner with youth to assess work readiness, determine career interests, build resumes, identify internships and job opportunities, and secure job placements for youth. Youthlink provides wraparound support services to youth while they are experiencing first jobs to support longterm success. Additionally, youthlink provides preparation for ged completion, guidance to stay in high school, transition assistance to enter post-secondary education, financial aid assistance, and other assistance for this process as well.youth opportunity center: this is a collaborative network of multiservice community partners located onsite to reduce accessibility barriers and serve the diverse needs of young people (16-24) at risk of or experiencing homelessness. Youth accessing services at the drop-in have a

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 71.6%; rating input score 72
• Program expense ratio: 76%; rating input score 76
• Fundraising efficiency: $13.53 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Pass
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 5.8%; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.12; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.58; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 9.6%; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 3.8% per year; rating input score 100; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 2.7% per year; rating input score 100; 25th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 5.6% per year; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings