In the late 1960s and early 1970s, problems with teen runaways and drug use in Seattle and King County led to the formation of Youth Advocates. The group advocated setting up counseling and training centers, modernizing the juvenile justice system, and dealing with family problems before young people ran away from home. By 1980, it had become part of United Way and provided drop-in centers, legal assistance, referral services, and licensed foster home placements.

This 1979 Youth Advocates poster calls for help from the public to provide emergency housing and longer-term foster care for runaway youth.

Caption information source: “Youth Advocates Help Troubled Teens”, by Judie Modie, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, July 18, 1971, page WM3.
Caption information source: “New Attitude Needed in Dealing With Runaways”, by Neil Modie, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, December 8, 1971, page D16.