Shaping young lives, providing a community safety net and transforming families so they can thrive since 1890

Description:
GATEWAYS for Youth and Families is a private, non-profit social service organization that serves youth and families in the South Puget Sound area through four main programs, wrap- around services that support our clients, and collaborations with other organizations in an effort to conserve resources while still getting the necessary services to the people who need them. GATEWAYS' social service delivery system is divided between two main divisions: Family Services and Youth Services.

Through Family Services, GATEWAYS' Foster Care and Adoption program successfully finds homes for children with severe needs through our Behavioral Rehabilitation Services as well as regular foster placements. GATEWAYS' parenting Education, Visitation and Safe Exchange Program serves families with a history of domestic violence, digging to the roots of abuse and working to eliminate it. The primary purpose of EVASE is to create a mechanism whereby children can maintain healthy relationships with both parents, even when the adults must comply with No Contact orders. By treating the perpetrator and the victim of past violence through the supervised visitation service, new behaviors are taught and practiced by all members of the family system, building skills within people that last beyond the treatment period at GATEWAYS. It may be idealistic, but GATEWAYS for Youth and Families is working to end domestic violence through respectful programming that really addresses its root causes.

Through Youth Services, GATEWAYS operates The Ranch, a fun, supervised place for teens to belong after school and on the weekends when their parents are at work. Activities include Cheerleading, Audio Recording, Web design, Floral Design, Jazz and Lyrical Dancing, Modern, Tap and Ballet Dancing, Improvisational theater, Scrapbooking, Drumming, Screen T-shirt making, 2-D Design, Guitar, Wood and Creative Painting and Holiday Workshop. Also offered are Babysitting Basics and College Essay and Application Prep. The annual membership fee is only $20 and additional class supply fees are low.
In January 2007, look for the GATEWAYS Early Childhood Learning Center grand opening. At the center, young children are guided through age-appropriate activities and socialization that helps them get ready for school success. It's more than just babysitting for children ages 2-1/2 to 9.
GATEWAYS Visitation and Safe Exchange program provides a mechanism for children to experience healthy relationships with both parents despite hostility that may exist between the adults. Families with a history of domestic violence or custody issues may participate in VASE, the only program of its kind in Pierce County that provides safe drop-off and pick-up for children whose parents may not have contact, or monitored visits in a home-like setting when court-ordered parenting plans require supervised visits.
Impact on Children seminars, held at GATEWAYS facilities and at locations all over Pierce County, meet the Court requirements for parents seeking a divorce in Pierce County or have other custody issues. They are four-hours long, are taught by clinicians with Masters degrees, and offer a warm and supportive climate for parents and other family members who want to make the transition as healthy as possible for their children.
Foster Care & Adoption, Counseling, and Family Preservation Services provide support for parents and children.
Originally incorporated in 1891 as the Ladies Lend-a-Hand League, GATEWAYS is a non-profit social service organization that has been shaping young lives, providing a community safety net and transforming families so they can thrive since 1890.
GATEWAYS is funded by the generous donations of the community through grants, in-kind gifts, private contributions, donations of used clothing, patrons of our BINGO hall. Make us your payroll deduction! Washington State employees use Combined Fund Drive number 315381; federal employees and members of the military service use Combined Federal Campaign number 9026. Without the support of our neighbors, we wouldn’t be able to provide vital services to youth and families.
For more information on our programs or events, please contact us at 253.383.4361 or continue to explore our Web site.

History:
GATEWAYS for Youth and Families was founded in 1890 by a group of concerned citizens known as the "Women's Lend-A-Hand League". Originally known as Children's Industrial Home, the first program was Tacoma's first orphanage for "destitute and ill treated children" who came to live in the Ball Mansion later to be come know as the `Home on the Hill'.

In 1926, Mrs. Jessie Dyslin donated 30 acres of property and $3,000 to Gateways in order to provide shelter to youth who were too old for `Home on the Hill'. Jessie Dyslin Boys Ranch was the result.

For over a hundred years the staff and volunteers of Gateways have been dedicated to serving the needs of youth and families in the Greater South Puget Sound region. Graduates and clients from our programs have turned themselves into positive citizens who are a priceless asset to our community.

Contact person: Terri Walster, Asst. To The President & Volunteer Coordinator, (phone), (email)
Office fax number: (253) 305-0112

Address:

3501 104th Street East Tacoma, WA 98446 (See a map)

Directions:

From I-5 take Hwy 512 east toward Puyallup. Take the Portland Ave exit and turn left. Turn right on 104th St. We are located on the left hand side one block after Waller Rd.   Nearest Bus Stop: Vickery & 112th St E, 10 minute walk