Every night in the St. Louis region, approximately 1,500 young people face the harsh reality of having no safe, permanent place to sleep. Even more heartbreaking? Nearly half are turned away from shelters simply because there’s no room.

And for every youth experiencing homelessness, countless others teeter on the edge—caught in cycles of poverty, abuse or instability.

But there’s hope. With safe housing and compassionate support, we can rewrite these stories.

That’s why Youth In Need’s Associate Board is holding its seventh annual Step-Up and Sleep-Out—a powerful community movement to raise awareness, funds and essential supplies for youth experiencing homelessness. Every dollar raised goes directly to our Street Outreach Program, helping young people find safety, stability and a path forward.

The campaign kicks off October 1 and culminates in a community event on November 19 at Youth In Need (1815 Boone’s Lick Road in St. Charles). Join us. Be the reason a young person finds shelter, support and hope.

Questions? Reach out to Ashlee Berry, Annual Fund Director, at aberry@youthinneed.org or call 636-757-9346.

How to Participate

Together, we can end youth homelessness! Follow Youth In Need on Facebook and Instagram to learn more about youth homelessness and the programs we provide to this vulnerable population. (We’ve even created a toolkit with sample social media posts and graphics to help you spread the word through your own socials.)

Support our efforts to end youth homelessness by making a donation through the giving form below.

Donate the most-needed supplies from our Amazon wish list, or hold a donation drive at your workplace, church or school. For more information about holding a donation drive, contact Ashlee Berry by email or at 636-757-9346.

Join us for our community event on Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. at Youth In Need (1815 Boone’s Lick Road in St. Charles). Participants are invited to attend a panel discussion about Youth In Need’s programs that work directly with youth experiencing homelessness. Learn what the process looks like from making first contact on the street through securing stable housing in one of our residential programs. Participants are invited to stay and help assemble supply kits that will be used in outreach efforts.