Youth Advocacy today consists of two components. One provides substance abuse intervention services to a target population of at-risk youth 13-17 years old and their parents. It does this by using a curriculum that has been scientifically tested and found to produce the desired result of reducing and/or delaying the onset of drug use among the target population. This is known as the Creating Lasting Family Connections (CLFC) program. It is an 18-week educational and skills building program funded by the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) with matching monies from the City of Austin and Travis County. We serve approximately 130-150 youth and parents in this program annually.

The other component provides case management services to youth and families receiving substance treatment through the Travis County Juvenile Probation Department. The intent of this program is to increase the possibilities of a successful youth treatment episode and successful reintegration of the youth back into the community. This is accomplished by helping the families of the youth develop and/or enhance their ability to help the youth maintain what they’ve gained from the treatment episode. The focus is on helping the families address their own issues, help them understand the dynamics of chemical dependency and its implications for a family and to otherwise link them up to services to help them address unmet needs which stand in the way of healthy family functioning.

The Department of State Health Services (DSHS), the City of Austin, and Travis County has consistently supported youth Advocacy since its inception in 1975. Few other grass roots organizations have enjoyed this kind of support for such a period of time. In 1996, it was deemed as an agency, which provided "critical services" to a high-risk population and was funded by Travis County as a sole source contract.