About Us

Our mission is to support the health, safety, stability, and education of young people in the Southern United States by advancing their legal rights. SLCY's ultimate vision is that all young people in the South have their legal needs met so that they can secure housing, education, healthcare, and other benefits and resources they need for stability.

SLCY was created to help young people harness the law as they navigate complex systems that were not built for them. Legal issues have the potential to negatively impact a young person's life in a multitude of ways if not resolved immediately. We work with our partners to help young people get ahead of these issues by providing proactive and person-centered legal representation.

Our target population is young people:

• Between the ages of 12 and 24 years old

• Unstably housed or experiencing homelessness, including young people who are at risk of housing instability

• Involved with the child welfare, behavioral health, or criminal legal systems

• BIPOC and LGBTQ+ young people who experience homelessness, criminalization, and family separation at disproportionately high rates.

We achieve our mission through partnering with legal aid organizations to provide direct legal services to young people and collaborating with local service providers and the broader community. 

 Advisory Board members provide input into the strategic direction of Southern Legal Center for Youth, its programs, and they help us grow our network across Atlanta, Georgia, and the South.

We are looking for community members who hold specialty expertise, especially including (but not limited to):

• Young people with lived experience of homelessness and intersecting systems such as: criminal legal, child welfare/foster care, and behavioral health. 

• Attorneys passionate about serving children and young people

• Youth and young adult homeless service providers