Ryan Companies Employees Donate $189,908 to YouthLink as Part of RyanGivesBack Campaign

The employees of Ryan Companies US Inc., a national commercial real estate solutions provider headquartered in downtown Minneapolis, donated a record-setting $189,908 to YouthLink this past year to help fund a vision to bring resources and services to youth experiencing homelessness on the streets of Minneapolis.

YouthLink is Minnesota’s largest drop-in center for homeless youth ages 16-24. Located in downtown Minneapolis, the agency has been providing services for over 45 years, including basic needs (food, clothing, showers, laundry and a place to stay warm) as well as individual case management services to help youth move from homelessness to stable housing and self-sufficiency. During the pandemic, YouthLink remained open but had a vision to mobilize its services and bring them directly to youth on the streets. The support from Ryan will bring this vision to reality.
Every fall, Ryan engages team members in their RyanGivesBack campaign, an employee-driven giving initiative focused on volunteering and raising funds for hundreds of nonprofits as well as a carefully selected local “spotlight” charity. In 2021, Ryan’s north region lead “ambassadors” reached out to YouthLink to learn about the organization’s mission to provide services to youth experiencing homelessness. Ryan ambassadors were very excited by the opportunity to make a major impact to address youth homelessness in Minneapolis.

The north region RyanGivesBack campaign goal for YouthLink was set at $75,000. When the campaign was completed and total giving was recorded, Ryan employee donations and corporate matches totaled a jaw-dropping $189,908, over twice the goal, to YouthLink’s mobile drop-in program. The ambassador team was ecstatic with the results. “We were so excited to partner with YouthLink on this year’s RyanGivesBack campaign! We feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to shine an internal spotlight on such a great organization with such a critical mission,” said 2021 Ambassador Joseph Peris.

The level of support from Ryan employees enables YouthLink to bring its drop-in services directly to the streets where youth most need them. “Ryan Companies has such a strong reputation for supporting this community. It is apparent that the Ryan team members embrace that culture and we are thrilled to partner with them to make such an impact on youth experiencing homelessness. Their generosity will enable us to achieve our vision to bring services and resources directly to young people on the streets of Minneapolis,” said YouthLink Interim Executive Director Michelle Basham.

Each year, more than 6,000 young people experience homelessness. On average, it takes less than 72 hours after these young people are on the streets for the first attempt to recruit them into prostitution. YouthLink plays a critical role serving these youth by providing basic needs, housing, street outreach and case management services to more than 1,500 youth each year. Over 90% of these youth are BIPOC.

The donations made by Ryan employees will help fund YouthLink’s mobile outreach program, which features intensive efforts to offer services that are provided at the drop-in center to youth on the streets. This includes providing basic needs such as food, clothing, hygiene products, boots, hats, mittens, etc. The street outreach team also tries to make important connections with youth they meet on the streets to help them find housing and encourage them to engage with case managers at YouthLink’s drop-in center. Case managers work with youth to establish longer
term plans towards self-sufficiency. This includes assisting youth with stable housing, education, employment, and healthcare needs.