Serving vulnerable youth who have experienced trauma is the mission of Youth Homes, a nonprofit serving Contra Costa County for 60 years.
The organization provides services to kids referred by social services. In 2025 they served 194 youth, from ages 3 to 26. These children and teens have often experienced the loss of a parent, grown up in violent or unhealthy situations, or been abused. Youth Homes have a staff of 60 therapists, life skills coaches, and behavioral specialists working with kids to help them heal and grow and become independent, healthy adults. As children approach young adulthood, Youth Homes also helps them find housing, set up bank accounts, learn job skills, and continue to get the resources they need. Danielle John, Community Engagement and Thrift Shop Director, said, “We have truly amazing providers who could make more money in private practice, but they are dedicated to these young people.”
Youth Homes receives funding from the county, but it is not enough for the high-quality services they provide. One way they supplement funding is through their Thrift Shop, located on Vivian Dr. at Contra Costa Blvd. in Pleasant Hill. Kaitlin, the Thrift Shop manager, said, “Shoppers tell us we are the Nordstrom of Thrift Shops. They like how everything is displayed and the quality of the items we have. We are also one of the last thrift shops to have fitting rooms.”
The Thrift Shop has some employees, but it is able to run efficiently due to their 63 volunteers. Kaitlin added, “Volunteers are the heart of how we run.” Each volunteer works a 3 hour shift per week. The store takes in used clothing and household items from 10am-3pm every day. The shop is also unique in that the youth being served by the organization can shop there for free, and many work there as well to build job skills. The Thrift Store added $742,000 in 2025 to help support Youth Homes programs. These programs include mental health therapy and life skills coaching; enrichment services like creative arts and outdoor or animal-based experiences; and employment skills. They also have a Day Center where kids can go to learn cooking, gardening and other skills, as well as to gather for social events.
In December 2025 Northgate students Sophia De la Rosa and Elizabeth Meyer arranged for a Youth Homes trailer to be brought to campus to collect used clothing and household items. Sophia said, “Last year I started the Foster Friends Alliance Club at my school where my goal was to educate others on the foster care system and encourage volunteer work. My club members and I meet once a month at Contra Costa Foster Friends, where we help sort through clothes and toys for foster families. “At the end of last year, the president of the Youth Homes club at Monte Vista reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in collaborating with them in the future, and of course I said yes! They helped us organize the drive with Youth Homes…it was amazing, and the Youth Homes Board President even stopped by to cheer us on and drop off some clothes, which was really meaningful.”
Currently there is a bin at Club Pilates on Botelho Dr. in Walnut Creek for collecting your items. Northgate resident Cyndy Jacobsmeyer is a Thrift Shop volunteer and added, “I have always felt a pull towards wanting a way to help Foster Youth. My observations were these youth lacked so much in security of family, consistency in their lives, and feeling they were really being seen and heard. Their foster parents rarely showed up for Parent-Teacher nights, if at all… As life happens, a former neighbor, Jim Caponigro, mentioned what he did (President at the time of the Board of YH) and brought me to the Shop
one Saturday. I was so impressed with the mission of the shop, the quality of it and how many ways a volunteer could make an impact. I was equally impressed with the fabulous Danielle and the team she had assembled. I started volunteering there … I love seeing the fabulous programs the revenue from the Shop provides our Youth and the fact that they can shop, with dignity, absolutely free, for what they want.”
By Kara Navolio, Resident since 1991