Our Purpose
For more than 140 years, Boys & Girls Aid has been committed to ensuring Oregon’s youth find permanent, loving families and lifelong stability.
While much has changed since our founding, one thing has remained the same: our belief that children need strong, lasting connections with caring adults to thrive.
The Need
The realities faced by young people growing up without a safe place to call home can be stark. Every year in Oregon, nearly 8,000 children will enter foster care, and more than 17,000 young people will experience homelessness. Daily uncertainty is a reality for these young people, and without a strong support network, they face a significantly higher risk of experiencing housing insecurity, homelessness, or incarceration in adulthood.
Young people who grow up without a strong support network will face significant challenges throughout their lives.
The need for a more compassionate, effective solution has never been greater. This is where Boys & Girls Aid comes in.
As the state’s first and longest-running child welfare agency, we’ve remained true to our founding vision to “improve the condition of homeless, neglected, and abused children” since 1885. As the needs of young people have evolved, so have we — making Boys & Girls Aid uniquely equipped to meet the moment and help create a brighter future for Oregon’s youth.
Our Solution
At Boys & Girls Aid, we go beyond providing temporary, short-term relief for youth in crisis. Instead, we seek to create lasting solutions that change lives for the better.
Every aspect of our work is grounded in the belief that every young person deserves lifelong Permanency. That means making sure children and teens are surrounded by the love, support, and resources they need to transition into adulthood with the social and emotional skills to reach their full potential.
This approach leads to stronger outcomes across every aspect of life. Research shows that prioritizing Permanency strengthens a young person’s emotional resilience, social development, and even their physical health.
With this in mind, Boys & Girls Aid’s programs take a holistic approach, as we work to end the cycle of foster care and prevent youth homelessness. We provide support and services for children and young people at every stage of their development to make sure we can provide comprehensive, lasting support to meet young people where they’re at and ensure they have the support they need to thrive.
What We Do
Foster Care
Boys & Girls Aid takes a different approach to caring for children in foster care, offering individualized, trauma-informed support to youth with behavioral challenges rooted in trauma or prolonged time in the system. Our foster parents receive extensive training, resources, and ongoing support to ensure they can provide the compassionate, specialized care these young people need and deserve.
Shelter & Housing
Boys & Girls Aid provides the physical, mental, and emotional support young people experiencing housing instability need to grow into healthy, self-sufficient adults. We operate Safe Place — the only emergency shelter for homeless and runaway youth in Washington County — and offer Supportive Housing Programs that help young people build the professional and interpersonal skills necessary for independent living.
Adoption
Boys & Girls Aid has helped create loving families through more than 18,000 completed adoptions throughout our history. Our Infant and Foster Care Adoption programs have touched countless lives and consistently led the way in developing more inclusive, supportive adoption practices.
All-Options Pregnancy Counseling
For those navigating an unplanned pregnancy, Boys & Girls Aid’s Supportive Adoption program offers compassionate, all-options counseling to help expectant parents make informed decisions they can feel at peace with. Whether a client chooses to create an adoption plan, become a primary parent, or pursue an abortion, our Supportive Adoption team is here to provide the resources and support they need to move forward with confidence.
Become a Part of our Life-Changing Legacy
Community is at the heart of everything we do. Since our founding, Boys & Girls Aid has been a proud local organization, uplifted by — and deeply committed to uplifting — children, youth, and families throughout Oregon.
We can’t do this work alone. If you share our commitment to creating a brighter future for Oregon’s youth, we invite you to get involved and support Boys & Girls Aid in whatever way feels right for you.