Why we exist

We are a charity that helps people to help themselves, and we’ve been doing so for more than thirty years. There are thousands of people in our communities who struggle with life and face what seem to be insurmountable barriers - they are why we exist.

We provide a wide variety of community-based support for people and are often described as the ‘glue’ between those at risk of social isolation and the wider mainstream society.

We run a diverse range of services working with seven to 70 year olds but our aim is always the same – to help people to break through barriers and to achieve their potential.

Our work is rooted in the local communities we serve. We have a strong local presence and a national profile for our innovative work. We strive to  ‘punch above our weight’ to ensure our voice is heard and to influence and inform policy makers.

Our Vision

YSS seeks a society where all people feel safe and have the opportunity to lead positive and constructive lives and to achieve their potential.

Our Mission

Enabling people who are vulnerable, have complex needs and who face difficult life challenges to lead positive and constructive lives in society and to achieve their potential.

Our Core Values

◾Respect – for everyone we are in contact with and who we might impact upon

◾Flexibility – adapting our work based on feedback from service users, staff & partners

◾Innovation – constantly researching and developing new approaches to achieve better outcomes

YSS Beliefs

◾We believe that people can break through barriers to achieve their potential

◾A solution-focused approach achieves the best outcomes

◾A person-centred approach, holistic in meeting identified needs, achieves the best outcomes

◾Partnership working achieves the best outcomes – we don’t have all of the answers