Central City Hospitality House
290 Turk StreetSan FranciscoCA94102
415-749-2139415-749-2136

Program: Youth Program Year Started: 1967 Focus: Visual Arts Youth Served: 550 Ages: 15-21 Budget: N/A "Central City Hospitality House is a place to hear a "yes" when so often in their lives these kids hear 'no,'" says Executive Director Kate Durham. "Many of our youth have been sexually abused or have been thrown out of their homes because they are not heterosexual. They come to San Francisco seeking refuge and hoping to find support and acceptance for who they are." Hospitality House is a drop-in center and an off-site home for 12 runaways. Both drop-in and resident youth can take advantage of a number of programs, including employment or substance abuse counseling and literary or fine arts instruction. Many who participate in the Youth Program attend 6-week art courses that meet once a week for 3 hours. The courses are strictly instructional, but because they are nestled among a variety of other support services, there is a relationship between studying the arts and addressing runaway and homeless issues. Artists teach ceramics, painting, silk-screen process and other arts, according to the participants' interests. A hands-on computer workshop for skills training includes a creative-writing component. On average, 75 percent of the youth who participate in these and other Hospitality House Youth Programs leave the street. The program gains the runaway youths' trust and, in turn, creates a stabilizing element in their lives.