November 18, 2025
Youth For Christ’s City Life provides crucial help and hope to teens facing homelessness
Traveon McNeil, YFC National Ministry Specialist: ‘We aim to be a steady voice and presence in the lives of these young people and their communities’
DENVER — Each year, an estimated 4.2 million young people in the U.S. — including 700,000 children and teens without parents or guardians — experience homelessness. The impact is both profound and far-reaching: Research suggests that children who experience homelessness for longer than six months face higher risks of developmental delays, poor health outcomes and hospitalization compared with children who were never homeless.
Youth For Christ (YFC, www.yfc.net) is committed to being the hands and feet of Christ to these young people, providing tangible, holistic care through a variety of proven ministry models.
One such initiative is City Life, a relational, community-based ministry aimed at serving under-resourced neighborhoods. City Life connects struggling young people with positive, caring adults who strive to help them reach their full potential in Christ. In short, teens are empowered to thrive, not just survive.
According to Traveon McNeil, YFC National Ministry Specialist, “City Life mobilizes teams of caring adults in pursuing meaningful relationships with young people. These connection points are developed through meeting basic needs, such as a meal and a safe place to unwind after a busy school day. Through these relationships, City Life staff and leaders strive to reflect God’s love through our actions, life rhythms and responses to a challenging and changing culture.”
McNeil notes that teens in these communities are less likely to meet Jesus through traditional outreach models, making City Life a crucial lifeline of hope and help for young people facing unstable housing.
McNeil remarked, “Most of these teens face significant challenges, including violence, fatherlessness, abuse, neglect and addiction, among many others. We aim to be a steady voice and presence in the lives of these young people and their communities.”
YFC also collaborates with other like-minded community partners to create safe spaces in neighborhoods where teens can gather for food, fun, help with homework and Christ-centered mentoring. These City Life youth centers are designed to be a place of respect where young people feel seen, heard and valued, while encountering opportunities for leadership development.
Today, YFC has 155 active City Life sites.
McNeil summarized, “We want to help young people realize their worth as they uncover God’s story of hope in their lives.”
Youth For Christ (YFC) has been a leader in missional youth outreach for 81 years and is dedicated to uncovering God’s story of hope in the next generation that desperately needs it. YFC reaches young people everywhere, working together with the local church and other like-minded partners to raise up lifelong followers of Jesus who then lead by their godliness in lifestyle, devotion to the Word of God and prayer, passion for sharing the love of Christ, and commitment to social involvement.
YFC chapters impact thousands of communities across the nation, seeking out and serving youth from all walks of life. Young people are silently struggling through a wide variety of challenging issues — and through the YFC ministry, God empowers them and they see the living power of a loving God. YFC trains its leaders in a proven, relational ministry model called 3Story®, which encourages staff and volunteers to be good news while also sharing the stories of the Good News of Jesus. It involves building relationships through the ups and downs of everyday life to lead people to Christ.
YFC has been a pillar of missional ministry since 1944, when Dr. Billy Graham served as YFC’s first full-time staff member. Since then, Youth For Christ has continued to be both a rural and urban ministry on mission, and it is always about the message of Jesus. Youth For Christ USA has over 113 chapters that impact communities across America and is one of over 100 nations within Youth For Christ International.
Learn more about Youth For Christ at its website, www.yfc.net, Facebook and Instagram pages or on Vimeo.
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To interview a Youth For Christ representative, contact Media@HamiltonStrategies.com, Beth Bogucki, 610.584.1096, ext. 105, Dawn Foglein, ext. 100, or Daniel Moyer, ext. 104.
