irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $2.07MHealth and Wellbeing:YJN introduced The Wellness Trust to provide timely crisis response, therapeutic counseling, cognitive behavior supports, mindfulness and healing practices, and creative outlets that promote resilience, stability, and belonging. Through a combination of therapeutic and arts-based supports and services, health and well-being services are integrated to address young peoples needs on an individualized basis. Staff worked across programs City-wide to show up for youth and families throughout the pandemic through a combination of professional staff, peer leaders and advocacy staff. Our health and wellbeing team incorporates arts therapy and arts activities, offering therapeutic art sessions to young people in and out of custody living with PTSD, anxiety, grief, and depression.
- #2 $439KEmployment: Employment opportunities provide formerly incarcerated youth with critical pathways to economic independence, as well as a sense of purpose and self-worth. YJNs Career Services Center prepares young people for work and provides achievable career pathways to support long-term economic independence among the youngest people released from jail in New York City. Youth members participate in a five-day training program and are then connected to opportunities for paid internships and job placements. Last year, YJN received a DYCD contract through DYCD to facilitate the Community Resources for Employment and Development Program (CRED), which offers work readiness training, occupational training, and internships for up to 24 weeks, as well as job placement within a three-month follow-up period. The program is open to people up to the age of 40.
named programs · 12 · from sources
What they call their work
Arches
Pairs youth on probation with credible messenger mentors for long-term support, cognitive-behavioral coaching, and community building.
Books to Jails
Delivers requested books to youth in custody through community donations and bookstore partnerships to promote literacy and emotional wellbeing.
Career Services Center
Prepares youth for employment through work readiness training, vocational programs, and connections to paid internships and job placements.
Center for Arts and Culture
Offers creative outlets through textiles, murals, photography, video, music, and spoken word to support healing and self-expression.
Center for Education
Provides academic support including TASC preparation, tutoring, and credit recovery to help youth advance their education.
Family Matters
Assists parents and guardians of youth in delinquency proceedings with navigating the court system and accessing resources to keep children out of custody.
Friends to Fathers
Supports fathers involved in the justice and child welfare systems to develop parenting skills, address domestic violence, and reconnect with their children.
Law Library
Offers legal information to youth detainees aged 13–19 at Crossroads and Horizon Juvenile Centers to improve understanding of their cases and legal processes.
Miller Center for Special Mitigation
Collaborates with defense counsel to reduce youth incarceration by advocating for alternatives at key points in the legal process.
Shifting Gears™
Mobile advocacy and career resource bus that brings job opportunities, mentors, and support services directly to high-need neighborhoods across NYC.
Youth Advocacy
Provides long-term mentorship and support to justice-involved youth through dedicated Youth Advocates who assist with housing, education, employment, and health needs.
Youth Leadership
Engages justice-impacted youth as peer mentors and leaders in program design, civic engagement, and community change initiatives.
activities · 9 groups
What they do
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Prison and Jail Literacy Support 1 activity
- Book Distribution ProgramDistributes books to incarcerated youth based on individual requests and interests through community donations and bookstore partnerships, supporting literacy and personal engagement.
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Youth Development and Support Services 1 activity
- Direct Support Services and Systems NavigationProvides long-term mentorship, cognitive-behavioral support, transportation assistance, court accompaniment, family outreach, and help meeting basic needs through trained credible messenger mentors. Makes over 7,000 annual connections to holistic support services for youth impacted by the justice system.
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Reentry Support Services 1 activity
- Discharge Planning and Aftercare SupportImplements a comprehensive discharge planning and aftercare support system for youth in NYC custody, beginning at admission and continuing through reentry into school, postsecondary education, or community life. The model has been institutionalized citywide through a $19 million city commitment.
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High School Equivalency Preparation 1 activity
- Education and Academic Support ServicesDelivers individualized and small-group tutoring in literacy, numeracy, GED/HSE preparation, and credit recovery for justice-involved youth ages 13–21. Offers TASC exam preparation and maintains a 9:1 student-to-teacher ratio, providing over 800 instructional hours annually through the Center for Education.
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Residential Care for At-Risk Youth 1 activity
- Family Support and Parenting ProgramsProvides parenting support, skill-building, and case management to fathers involved in the justice and child welfare systems who lack custody of their children, as well as support to parents and guardians of youth with pending delinquency cases. In 2021, 170 new fathers were enrolled in Friends to Fathers and 127 new families were served through Family Matters.
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Criminal Justice Policy Advocacy 1 activity
- Legal Advocacy and Court SupportProvides intensive mitigation and court advocacy that achieved sentence reductions or releases for 78% of sentenced youth. Works with defense counsel to reduce time youth spend in jail and decrease reliance on incarceration. Facilitates communication between detained youth and their attorneys at Crossroads and Horizon Juvenile Centers.
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Creative Arts Therapy Programs 1 activity
- Therapeutic and Wellness SupportProvides crisis response, therapeutic counseling, cognitive behavioral supports, mindfulness practices, and creative arts programming—including textiles, murals, photography, music, and spoken word—to promote healing and resilience among justice-involved youth experiencing trauma, PTSD, anxiety, grief, or depression.
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Workforce Readiness Training 1 activity
- Workforce Development and Career ServicesProvides career exploration, work readiness training, vocational training, job placement support, and subsidized internships to justice-involved youth. The program secures approximately 175 job placements annually and operates a career skills workshop with a 95% graduation rate. A mobile advocacy and career services bus brings resources directly to high-need neighborhoods across NYC.
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Youth Leadership Development Programs 1 activity
- Youth Leadership and Civic Engagement ProgramsEngages system-impacted youth in leadership development, civic engagement, and community responsibility through structured programs. In 2021, fifty young people were engaged as Youth Leaders. Alumni are employed as Youth Mentors, fostering peer-led leadership and support.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$5.90M
Contributions & grants$5.05M86%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$206K4%
Other revenue$643K
expenses
Total expenses$5.87M
Program expenses82%
Admin / overhead16%
Fundraising2%
Salaries & benefits$4.54M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$2.53M
Cash$213K
Investments$0
Liabilities$2.29M
Net assets$239K
Liquid reserves0.4 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue +12.5%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 4
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christine Pahigian | Exec. Director | 40 | $192K |
| Salvatore J Pepe | Dir of Fin & Admin | 40 | $155K |
| Felicia Smith | Associate ED | 40 | $121K |
| Messiah Ramkissoon | Associate ED | 40 | $119K |
board members · 10
- Alexander Paddington — BOARD MEMBER
- Ann Siegel — Board member
- Ellen Fried — Secretary
- Jamal Thomas — Chair
- Jarrell Daniels — BOARD MEMBER
- Mark Rubin — Treasurer
- Neil Callahan — Board Member
- Nneka Ukpai — Board member
- Rebecca Neusteter Phd — BOARD MEMBER
- Scott Simon — BOARD MEMBER
relationships · 13
Who they work with
- Crossroads Juvenile Center Partner — Collaborates to provide legal information and support to detained youth.
- Department of Education (DOE) Government — Collaborates with Youth Justice Network to align academic instruction and workforce goals for justice-impacted youth.
- Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) Government — Contracted by DYCD to operate the Community Resources for Employment and Development Program (CRED)
- Horizon Juvenile Center Partner — Collaborates to provide legal information and support to detained youth.
- Manhattan Family Court Government — Provides support to families with youth involved in delinquency cases.
- NYC Administration for Children’s Services Government — Funds and partners with Youth Justice Network on the Career and Education Pathways initiative for justice-involved youth in custody.
- NYC Administration for Children’s Services Government — Government partner funding and collaborating with Youth Justice Network on workforce development services for youth in detention.
- NYC Department of Education Partner — Collaborates with Youth Justice Network to align tutoring with credit-bearing coursework through Passages Academy teachers.
- Passages Academy Partner — Provides classroom instruction for justice-involved youth; Youth Justice Network tutors reinforce this instruction and ensure alignment with academic credits.
- Rikers Government — Provides support services at Rikers, including transportation assistance and court accompaniment for youth and families.
- Rikers Island Government — Provides advocacy and support services to youth detained at Rikers Island.
- Rikers Island Government — Site of historical and ongoing service delivery and advocacy for incarcerated youth.
- community partners Partner — Collaborates with local organizations and groups to provide job opportunities, internships, and other forms of support to youth members.
strategies · 5
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Continuity of Care Across System Transitionsmethodology: continuity_of_care_during_transitionBy building supportive relationships during incarceration that extend into the community, the organization promotes successful reintegration, family reconnection, and civic engagement because relational continuity reduces dislocation and increases accountability.
- Individualized Advocacy Across Justice System Stagesmethodology: persistent_individualized_advocacyBy providing persistent, individualized advocacy throughout all phases of justice system involvement, the organization improves youth outcomes because continuous support navigates systemic complexity and upholds youth agency across institutional boundaries.
- Integrated Therapeutic and Arts-Based Interventionsmethodology: integrated_therapeutic_and_arts_based_supportBy combining therapeutic and arts-based methods, the organization meets the individualized mental health needs of justice-involved youth because creative expression lowers barriers to engagement and supports emotional regulation in ways traditional counseling may not.
- Relational Continuity Modelmethodology: relational_continuity_modelBy pairing each youth with a dedicated staff member who maintains consistent support throughout their journey, the organization fosters trust and stability, which increases engagement and improves long-term reintegration outcomes because sustained relationships buffer systemic disruption.
- Trauma-Informed and Culturally Affirming Educationmethodology: trauma_informed_educationBy integrating trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and LGBTQAI+ affirming practices into education, the organization increases academic engagement and confidence because these approaches validate youth identities and reduce retraumatization in learning environments.