Ellis, Li & McKinstry is proud to announce the beginning of a year-long partnership with New Horizons, a non-profit organization that serves homeless youth in Seattle and King County. Founded in 1978—a year after ELM began—and located in the same Belltown neighborhood, New Horizons is an ideal partner for ELM in its commitment to serve its local community.
New Horizons provides basic services such as breakfast, hot showers, and laundry to youth who are experiencing homelessness. It also offers a variety of day programs that teach youth new skills, like music or writing. In February, it worked with Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission to open a Young Adult Emergency Shelter (YAES). The new shelter, along with New Horizons’ existing transition shelter, directly meets the urgent needs of homeless youth. The needs are many; according to an official estimate in 2015, there are 800 youth in King County who are affected by homelessness on any given day.
The relationships that New Horizons staff and volunteers form with the youth they serve are essential to their broader goal of ending youth homelessness. One way they build relationships is through a youth apprenticeship program at Street Bean Coffee Roasters. Located on 3rd Ave between Clay and Cedar, Street Bean serves quality espresso prepared by street-involved youth. These youth apprentices are professionally trained and learn a combination of “hard” and “soft” career skills — from operating a La Marzocco espresso machine to effectively communicating with coworkers and supervisors.
Whether they are walking Seattle’s streets to invite homeless youth in for a meal or training an apprentice at Street Bean Coffee, the care and love that New Horizons staff and volunteers show make it an inspiring organization to come alongside. ELM applauds New Horizons for its commitment to building strong relationships with youth and eagerly looks forward to the lives that will be changed along the way.