NEXUS YOUTH AND FAMILIES
We are a nonprofit with a dogged commitment to youth and their better future in the greater South King County area.
TRUSTED GUIDES
Our expertise allows us to help youth overcome life’s hurdles by addressing their behavioral health, housing and other needs.
COLLABORATIVE PARTNERS
We are a hub of services and connections providing tools that best fit the individual circumstances of youth and their families, regardless of their background.
ESTABLISHED 1973
OUR VISION
Every youth and family is healthy, housed and connected in their community.
OUR MISSION
Restoring hope, building futures, and strengthening our communities through programs with youth, young adults and families.
HOW WE GET THERE
We support the behavioral health of at-risk and in-crisis youth across the greater South King County area. We take an integrated, holistic approach to assisting youth and their families, connecting them with a wider network of services to best fit their needs.
Key areas of focus
Behavioral Health
- Mental health counseling for individuals, groups and families
- Chemical dependency prevention, treatment and aftercare
Homeless Services
- We operate an emergency shelter, intercept homeless youth through a street outreach program and provide supportive housing.
Continuum of Care for youth and families
5,000+ Youth and Families
AT 36 SITES.
Currently Nexus offers a continuum of care for nearly 5,000 vulnerable youth, young adults and their family members annually, and reaches out to another 5,000 each year with services at 36 sites (including 28 schools, five sites in Auburn, and three in Enumclaw).
OUR HISTORY
In 1973 a concerned group of parents, educators and local civic leaders joined together to address the growing problem of drug abuse among South King County youth; this was the beginning of Auburn Youth Resources.
In 1976 Dick Brugger was named the agency’s new executive director. A self-proclaimed ex-hippie priest, Dick brought dynamism as the agency soon became responsive to the needs of at-risk children and families throughout the region. Dick was a visionary, highly driven, proactive and a very good listener. He was profoundly able to anticipate community needs and driven to provide effective services.
In 1980 Dick met with community leaders in Enumclaw to develop a drop-in center for youth, which became Enumclaw Youth and Family Services (EYFS). In the mid 1980’s, as the Green River Killer threatened our youth, Dick developed the first emergency shelter in South King County. In the 1990s, Dick was there again to establish the first street outreach services for homeless youth.
What began as a four-person organization with a budget of $35,000 blossomed to become a regional provider of mental health counseling, homeless and emergency shelter, residential, youth outreach and substance abuse services with over 90 employees and an annual budget of nearly $6 million.
The need for these services has grown tremendously in the region and to unite the work going on in almost 20 cities in South King County, Auburn Youth Resources changed their name to Nexus Youth and Families in 2017. Today we continue the great work started 43 years ago, utilizing cutting-edge, proven-practice services to serve the children, youth and families of South King and Northern Pierce Counties.