In 1971, a group of concerned community organizers in Berwyn received state funding to launch a three-year initiative called the Youth In Crisis Project. This program provided crisis intervention for homeless youth, drug abuse counseling, and support services for underserved teens in the western suburbs. Operating out of a small office at MacNeal Hospital, the project quickly proved successful. By 1974, the organizers incorporated as an independent nonprofit, West Suburban Youth Outreach, Inc.
In 1975, the organization changed its name to Youth In Crisis, Inc., and by 1978, it had moved into its own facility in a residential Berwyn neighborhood. Over the next three decades, the agency continued to grow and expand its services, reaching more young people facing challenges such as involvement with police, street gangs, school truancy, and difficulties at home, in school, or within the community.
In 2007, the agency adopted the name Youth Crossroads, Inc. to better reflect its shift from primarily crisis response to a broader focus on prevention and early intervention. The following year, the Youth Leadership Program was launched to empower local teens, and in 2009, the Community School Initiative introduced after-school programs for middle school students.
Today, Youth Crossroads continues to build on its 50-year legacy. Our teen leadership and youth volunteer service projects, after-school enrichment programs, and school-based counseling services now complement the long-standing counseling and crisis intervention work that has been at the heart of our mission since the beginning.
Since its founding, Youth Crossroads has served tens of thousands of youth and families in Berwyn, Cicero, Stickney, and neighboring communities. We have partnered with more than 100 community organizations to create a strong network of referral sources, ensuring a comprehensive response to the complex challenges youth and families face.
Today, Youth Crossroads provides young people — generally ages 10 to 17 — with opportunities to heal, grow, lead, and thrive.
