Captain Youth and Family Services supports and empowers youth and families in their journey toward personal growth and self-sufficiency.

Teen Talk Hotline – Teen Talk is a confidential helpline staffed by teens trained to listen and respond to calls from other teens seeking to talk about youth-related topics and issues. When you need to privately talk about family, relationships, stress, bullying, depression, academic pressures, alcohol and substance abuse issues, homework issues, or anything else on your mind, contact Teen Talk!  Youth who staff Teen Talk participate in an extensive, ongoing training process to develop the skills needed to staff the phone lines and they are always supervised by a trained adult supervisor.  Teen Talk is available afterschool and weekday evenings. 

Other volunteering opportunities include:  homework helpers, food pantry assistants, and office help.  Please contact CAPTAIN for other youth activities. 

Runaway and Homeless Emergency Youth Shelter
The CAPTAIN Runaway and Homeless Youth Shelter opened in 1998 and serves male and female youth ages 13 – 17 for up to 30 days.  It is a short-term, emergency shelter and safe haven for teens who are runaways, homeless, or in danger of becoming homeless.  The Shelter is certified by New York State Office of Children and Family Services.
Many who come to the Youth Shelter have experienced high levels of family conflict, domestic violence or sexual abuse and are often struggling with serious emotional issues.  The Youth Shelter provides a safe, stable and consistent environment of care until such time that a permanent living situation can be arranged.  We work with community agencies and providers, county officials, and families to help resolve the issues and circumstances that have led to the homeless situation.  CAPTAIN prides itself on providing a high level of care and advocacy for youth as they work through their individual and unique issues.
We are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and never close our doors to teens in need of shelter.  CAPTAIN provides an important and vital life-saving service for teens who find themselves without housing, are “couch surfing”, at risk of homelessness, or thinking about putting themselves at risk so they have a place to sleep at night.

Street Outreach Project
The Street Outreach Project is a street-based outreach service that works to identify and engage youth ages 13 – 20, who are runaways, homeless, living on the streets, disenfranchised, and/or victims of sexual exploitation.  CAPTAIN street outreach teams find and identify vulnerable youth and provide immediate aid by meeting their basic needs (food, clothing, shelter, etc.), providing crisis intervention and referrals to support services, and assisting youth to access emergency shelter as needed.  Ultimately, the goal is to help youth safely exit the streets and/or help them escape exploitation and abuse.  This project serves all youth regardless of gender, race, religion or gender identity, throughout Saratoga County.
No other agency or organization in our area provides case management services for youth living on the street or in homeless situations. Our goal is to provide meaningful intervention services to youth utilizing positive youth development strategies, harm reduction, and a trauma informed approach. 

5 Municipal Plaza Suite 3
Clifton Park, New York 12065
Contact:  Michelle Smallwood, Youth Development Manager at 518-371-1185
captaincares.org