Our Story
In 2018, the Shelton Family Center was founded by three compassionate women in the community with the vision of creating a secure space for young individuals to connect and find support. Over the past five years, our organization has undergone name and focus changes, and we are now proudly known as "The Youth Connection" (TYC).
Our journey began with the initiation of an after-school program called "The Connection Point," held weekly in various schools in Mason County. During our engagement with the schools, we identified several pressing needs among the youth, including homelessness, hunger, family troubles, and exposure to domestic violence.
Recognizing the urgency of having a drop-in center to assist these young people, we secured grants from the Youth Homeless Demonstration Project, Mason County, and Washington Youth and Families Fund. This enabled us to establish partnerships within the community and inaugurate the Shelton Youth Connection (SYC) drop-in center in downtown Shelton—a 3000 square foot facility designed for youth to gather, connect, and find support.
Despite the challenges brought by Covid-19, SYC continued to operate the drop-in center, offering access to computers, Wi-Fi, daily lunches, table talk sessions fostering trust and communication, recreational activities, and a safe environment. Our services expanded to include a substantial clothing and hygiene closet, as well as support for employment, education, tutoring, and connections to referrals.
In 2020, recognizing the need to better serve young people in the North Mason Area, we opened a second drop-in center in Belfair at Belfair Landing, providing the same essential services. Additionally, we established two off-site emergency shelter houses, initiated a Rental Assistance Program, and persistently served youth in our centers.
The Youth Connection has been fortunate to receive supportive grants from the community and has been honored with various federal and local grants, enabling us to achieve the impactful work we've undertaken. TYC eagerly anticipates the continuation of our mission into the future.
Our primary objective is to furnish a secure space for youth and young adults to access vital services and discover their potential.
Our Mission
Making Connections and changing lives of youth 12 to 24 years old.
Youth develop and mature at different levels and times. Each youth is unique, what works for one will not always work for the next. The Youth Connection (TYC) believes in finding solutions which the youth can agree with and encouraging them to achieve their best outcome, with a focus on identifying and engaging youth who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness. Our goal is to provide a Safe Place for all youth 12 to 24, to hang out, learn Life Skills & connect with resources. All youth deserve a place to sleep at night.
It is our job at The Youth Connection to be there for youth, encourage youth, love youth, and interact with youth so that they can see hope. Youth are always our priority. Love and concern for them can be shown in such simple things as playing games, having conversations, or even one on one mentoring. We need to be using the tools around us to invest in the lives of youth and get a glimpse of what their lives are like, to make a difference. Through that, real transformation will come and then we will be able to help equip them for whatever challenges life brings them.
Our Vision
The Youth Connection seeks to have a thriving Mason County, where youth are healthy, safe, challenged, and empowered, as the community connects to help them succeed.