The fluorescent lights in San Diego Youth Services’ nondescript Loma Portal offices flicker. Then they shut off completely, leaving Walter Philips, who retired June 30 after 25 years as the social service provider’s CEO, backlit by the glow of afternoon sunshine.
A moment later, they pop back on.
Philips sits in a colleague’s office and quips that he’s gotten the boot. He’s made room for incoming CEO Jonathan Castillo, who assumes responsibility for a $33 million operating budget and the work of providing food, shelter, transitional housing, job training, mental health care and other services to 14,000 at-risk youth annually.
Early in his career, Philips had no intention of becoming the CEO of SDYS.
After earning a master’s degree in social work from San Diego State, he worked at nonprofits focused on supporting youth and family mental health — which he said was his passion.
During those years, Philips served on a board with the previous CEO of SDYS, who told him the position was opening up.
When the outgoing CEO explained what organization did, Philips said it sounded awesome to him.
“I threw my hat in the ring and got lucky enough to get hired 25 years ago, and it’s been the best decision I made for my career,” Philips said. “It’s been a great fit in terms of the values, the culture, the mission and the services we provide.”
Philips said a profound conversation with Father Joe Carroll — the namesake of the homeless service provider Father Joe’s Villages — shaped his thinking about youth homelessness.
According to Philips, Carroll told him that service providers like SDYS are in competition with pimps, drug dealers and other abusers for kids spending their first night on the streets.
“We need to get those kids off the streets first,” Philips said. “Because they’re at a high risk for all of those things when they’re on the streets.”
Early in his career, Philips said he built relationships with the more seasoned CEOs who ran SDYS’s partner agencies.
“I developed relationships with them, I met with them regularly, we partnered together, and I learned from them,” Philips said. “And I was young — much younger than I am today.”
Philips said for many years, SDYS was the only service provider in San Diego focused on youth homelessness.
He said that was because of fairly limited funding prior to 2017, when most of the organization’s money came from Federal Youth Service Bureau grants intended to shelter youth, conduct street outreach and house foster youth transitioning into adulthood.
Things changed in 2017, Philips said, after a national initiative called the Voices of Youth Count chose San Diego as a pilot city to better understand youth homelessness.
That year, the study concluded that 1 in 10 young adults nationwide experienced some form of homelessness over a year-long period, and that LGBTQ youth were twice as likely to experience homelessness as their peers.
In partnership with the YMCA and the San Diego LGBT Community Center, SDYS runs the LGBTQ Safe STAY Wellness Center, which provides shelter and services for young adults and connects them to case managers.
As of 2024, the wellness center has helped 11 young adults successfully transition into their own housing.
Beth Davenport, the COO of the San Diego LGBT Community Center, said that throughout his career, Philips has been a fierce advocate, a steady presence and a source of hope for young people who need someone in their corner.
“His work has changed lives, not just through policy or programs, but through the way he has shown up with heart, integrity and a deep belief in every young person’s worth,” Davenport said.
According to Davenport, Philips’ impact has been immeasurable.
“Walter has been a personal source of mentorship and guidance for me. Walter’s wisdom, kindness, humor and unwavering belief in doing what’s right have shaped not only my path, but the paths of so many others, including our clients at the San Diego LGBT Community Center,” Davenport said. “As Walter retires, I just want to say thank you.”
According to SDYS’s most recent annual report in 2023, roughly 82% percent of SDYS’s annual expenses went towards program costs, 16% was used on administrative and general costs and 2% went to fundraising.
The organization uses what Philips calls a “no wrong-door philosophy,” where youth and young adults get the services they need, no matter what.
Philips said there’s a sense of urgency in addressing youth homelessness, because each night a young person spends on the streets or couch surfing makes it more likely for them to fall into a bad situation.
People work and volunteer at SDYS, he said, because they care, and want to make a difference.
“They want to have an impact on — making sure — that youth have a brighter future and have the opportunities to succeed,” Philips said. “That’s why I’m here.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
