Larkin Street Youth Services

Larkin Street Youth Services, a San Francisco-based tax-exempt nonprofit, operates as a federal grant recipient providing emergency shelter, transitional housing, street outreach, and supportive services to homeless and at-risk youth aged 12-24, with particular focus on LGBTQ+ youth and youth of color. The organization does not hold federal contracts; all of its federal funding flows through direct grants and sub-grants from federal agencies.

Larkin Street's federal footprint concentrates heavily on youth homelessness interventions funded by three grantor agencies that account for 92% of recent awards. The Department of Housing and Urban Development's Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development leads with 28 awards under the Continuum of Care (CoC) Program (CFDA 14.267), which supports permanent supportive housing, rapid rehousing, transitional housing, and emergency shelter operations. The Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families issued 19 awards across multiple youth-focused programs: the Basic Center Program (CFDA 93.623) funds emergency shelter and crisis intervention for youth under 18; the Transitional Living Program (CFDA 93.550) supports the 1020 Haight Transitional Living Program, providing up to 18 months of residential shelter for ages 16-21; the Street Outreach Program provides street-based services to youth under 22 at risk of sexual exploitation; and the Runaway and Homeless Youth Prevention Demonstration Program supports community-based prevention initiatives. The Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs Victims of Crime program issued 7 awards focused on emergency shelter and supportive services for crime victims with specialized needs, including homeless youth. SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services funded a five-year Mental Health First Aid Training Project (through September 2026) designed to train 390 direct-service and peer staff across Larkin Street and partner agencies to recognize signs of mental illness and de-escalate crises among homeless youth in San Francisco and the Bay Area.

Larkin Street acts as a prime recipient on 50 of 60 recent awards (83%) and as a sub-recipient on 10 awards (17%), primarily through California state and local government pass-throughs. Recent sub-award work includes emergency shelter and case management sub-awards from the Office of Emergency Services and the City and County of San Francisco. Combined dollars obligated across all awards total $27.4 million, with four awards completing in the next twenty-four months. Activity has grown modestly year over year — three awards in 2021 to eight in 2024 — with seven awards in 2025. Representative recent grants include a $440,781 HUD CoC Project Grant (November 2025–October 2026) for housing and supportive services, a $350,000 Administration for Children and Families Basic Center Program award (September 2025–September 2028) for the Diamond Youth Shelter providing up to 21 days of temporary shelter and crisis counseling, and a $350,000 Transitional Living Program award (September 2025–September 2028) for the 1020 Haight program.