Youth Homelessness in Crisis: Where to find help - a Turn To Tara guide
As part of the Turn to Tara investigative series on youth homelessness, this comprehensive resource guide provides immediate, verified contact information for emergency hotlines, youth shelters, mental health support and regional advocacy groups across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
Finding reliable, immediate help during a housing or mental health emergency can be a matter of life and death - yet navigating the safety net can often feel overwhelming for vulnerable youth and the families trying to protect them.
As part of the Turn to Tara investigative series examining the escalating youth homelessness crisis across our communities, this resource guide compiles verified, around-the-clock lifelines and regional support centers. Whether you or someone you know is facing imminent displacement, needing emergency shelter or seeking long-term transitional housing, legal assistance and mental health care, help is available.
Below are direct contacts for 24/7 national hotlines, as well as dedicated regional providers operating across New York City, Long Island, Westchester, New Jersey and Connecticut.
24/7 National & Multi-State Emergency Hotlines
These services are confidential, free, and available around the clock.
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 (Available 24/7, free, and confidential for anyone experiencing a mental health or housing crisis).
- The Trevor Project (LGBTQ+ Youth Support): Call 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678-678 for 24/7 crisis intervention and suicide prevention.
- National Safe Place: Text SAFE and your current location to 44357 to instantly connect with a local shelter or youth worker.
- National Network for Youth: Call 1-202-783-7949
- Youth in Crisis: Call 1-800-786-2929 (Available 24/7, confidential, and nonjudgemental.)
- Legal Assistance Obtaining Vital Documents: Call 1-888-870-3627 A free, dedicated, state-specific legal assistance hotline for youth experiencing homelessness.
New York Resources
New York City & Regional Centers
- Location: 460 West 41st Street, New York, NY 10036
- Crisis Hotline: 1-800-999-9999 or 212-613-0300 (Open 24/7)
- Services: The nation's largest private agency serving youth (ages 16–24). Offers a 24/7 crisis shelter, food, clothing, medical care, transitional housing (Rights of Passage), and educational/workforce development (CovWorks).
- Location: 555 Broome Street, New York, NY 10013
- Phone: 212-941-9090
- Services: Free, confidential, comprehensive programs for youth ages 12–21, including health clinics, mental health counseling, educational support, legal services, and nutritional programs.
NYC Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) Drop-In Centers:
- Call 1-800-246-4646 (Inside NYC) or 646-343-6800 (Outside NYC) to find safe daytime drop-in spaces, meals, and emergency placement.
- Location: One State Street Plaza, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10004
- General Contact Phone: 212-695-4758
- Email: info@winnyc.org
- Overview: Win is the largest provider of family shelter and supportive housing in New York City. While it primarily focuses on homeless families with children (where roughly 9 out of 10 families are headed by women, including young mothers and youth transitioning out of the foster care system), it plays a massive role in the New York regional safety net.
Key Services Provided by Win
- Transitional Family Shelters: Operates 16 shelter locations across Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens, housing thousands of children and family members nightly.
- Supportive & Permanent Housing: Manages over 450 units of permanent supportive housing with wrap-around services (such as mental health counseling, substance support, and childcare) for families transitioning out of the shelter system—including young mothers who aged out of foster care.
- Holistic Youth & Family Support: Offers children's services, after-school programming, early childhood education support, and comprehensive case management to help stabilize families and secure permanent income and housing.
Westchester & Long Island
- Location: 600 Albany Avenue, Suite 2, Amityville, NY 11701
- Hotline / Contact: 631-464-4314 (Ext. 122 for street outreach and after-hours assistance; Ext. 118 for the resource helpline)
- Services: Serves as the lead advocacy and coordinating entity addressing homelessness across Nassau and Suffolk counties. Provides housing-focused case management, coordinated entry to permanent housing programs, emergency resource navigation, and a clothing boutique.
The Children’s Village ("The Sanctuary"):
- Sanctuary Hotlines: 1-888-997-1583 or 1-877-540-7680 (Staffed 24/7)
- Services: Voluntary temporary emergency shelter, counseling, and housing pathways for youth in Westchester County and surrounding areas.
- Location: 201 Dixon Avenue, Amityville, NY 11701
- Phone: 631-691-5100 / Night Line: 631-389-1080
- Services: Provides services for children, youth and families, spanning a continuum of care from outpatient, clinical and preventive services to foster care, diagnostic and emergency residential services. The organization works with children as young as birth through 21 across the Long Island region.
- Location: 470 Mamaroneck Avenue, Suite 304, White Plains, NY 10605
- Phone: 914-946-7676 | Email: wca@wca4kids.org
- Overview: Westchester Children’s Association (WCA) identifies current needs of children and families by analyzing data, hearing directly from youth and families, and working closely with public and non-profit service providers. WCA is also the leading independent voice for Westchester’s youth by advocating for effective policies and programs for children.
New Jersey Resources
- Hotline: 1-888-222-2228 (Call or text 24/7, anonymous and confidential)
- Services: A statewide, 24/7 youth helpline providing a safe space for teens and young adults (ages 10–24) to talk through family conflicts, housing stressors, mental health, and emergency support resources.
- Phone: 1-877-652-7624 (Available 24/7)
- Services: Professional mobile response stabilization and crisis de-escalation services dispatched throughout New Jersey.
- Dial: 211 or text your zip code to 898-211
- Services: Connects families and youth experiencing or at risk of homelessness directly to local emergency shelters, rental assistance, and county social services.
Connecticut Resources
- Location: Cos Cob, CT
- 24/7 Hotline: 203-661-1911
- Services: Provides round-the-clock crisis counseling, emergency shelter beds, and comprehensive support for children, teens, and families across Connecticut.
- Location: New Haven, CT
- 24/7 Hotline: 203-838-4732
- Services: Emergency crisis beds, transitional living, and supportive housing pathways for unaccompanied minors and young adults.
GBAPP (Greater Bridgeport Adolescent Pregnancy Program / Youth Services):
- Location: Bridgeport, CT
- 24/7 Hotline: 475-400-0868
- Services: Basic center programs offering immediate refuge and case management for runaway and homeless youth.
- Dial: 211 (Available 24/7)
- Services: Immediate triage and connection to statewide Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) Basic Center beds and emergency services.
- Location: Hartford, CT
- Phone: 860-570-5327
- Services: The Youth Action Hub provides a critical youth voice in current research and policy advocacy around youth homelessness in Connecticut.
- Location: Hartford, CT
- Phone: (203) 535-3967
- Services: Our mission is to catalyze transformative change to solve homelessness in Connecticut by ensuring effective responses to emergency situations and fostering long-term solutions through collaboration with providers, state agencies, and communities.
Youth Action Hub at the Public Health Institute:
- Phone: (860) 578-6962
- Services: Our Mobile Legal Office breaks down barriers to legal services by traveling to meet youth in their home communities.
