LOST-N-FOUND YOUTH INC
Cause Area
- Advocacy & Human Rights
- Children & Youth
- Crisis Support
Location
2585 CHANTILLY DR NEATLANTA, GA 30324 United StatesOrganization Information
Mission Statement
Lost-n-Found Youth is an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to take homeless lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youths up to age 25 off the street and transition them into more permanent housing.
Description
Lost-n-Found Youth is the outgrowth of Saint Lost and Found, an LGBTQ homeless youth fund project of the Atlanta Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.
Founded by Rick Westbrook, Art Izzard, and Paul Swicord after each of them experienced being turned away when attempting to place queer youth into local shelters and youth aid programs, the three resolved that something needed to be done to address the immediate need.
They called a public town hall meeting and invited these local homeless youth support agencies to express outrage and determine what resources existed. The meeting made clear that no organization was specifically actively working to take LGBTQ homeless youth off the street. Rick, Art, Paul and others assembled in November 2011 with the support of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to establish a privately funded emergency shelter, and the Saint Lost and Found project (now Lost-n-Found Youth, Inc.) was born.