Kent Youth and Family Services

Since the start of the pandemic, behavioral health needs have increased significantly among youth. More are experiencing higher levels of need at younger ages with symptoms including complex trauma, suicidal thoughts, grief/loss, anxiety, and depression.

Kent Youth and Family Services (KYFS) serves community members who are primarily low-income, youth and families of color, and/or immigrant/refugee families. Many of our youth and families have faced long-standing disparities in both physical and behavioral health, which have been exacerbated by the pandemic.

Their innovation focused on strengthening the “mental health safety net” of young people by providing comprehensive behavioral health supports to low-income families and youth in Kent’s King County Housing Authority housing communities, through KYFS and partner After School programming.