Agency History
Our mission is to positively impact the lives of children and to strengthen families by providing family support, substance abuse treatment, mental health services, and violence prevention education in South King County.
Renton Area Youth and Family Services (RAYS) opened in the spring of 1970. At that time, there were few services available for youth and families in Renton and South King County, and the need for youth-specific services was large and growing.
The agency operated the Berry House, which was a community drop in center. The purpose of the Berry House was to provide crisis intervention and support services to youth and families who were impacted by drug use. The program was developed and administered under the auspices of the Renton School District, working collaboratively with many community groups. Initially the Berry House was staffed by volunteers who provided youth and families with a place to talk over their concerns.
In 1971, the Berry House was relocated from its original location near Renton High School to school district facilities on N. 4th Street. This became known as the Berry House II and the 'new' Berry House opened in December 1971. At this time, the Advisory Board wished to create a broader base of services to meet the needs of clients. With funding support from a federal grant, the program, now called the School and Community Drug Intervention Program, expanded to provide paid, professional services in the area of crisis intervention, counseling, foster care, job placement assistance, and community education services. In recognition of this expanded service focus, the name of the agency changed to Renton Area Youth Services in May 1972. The agency also began to receive funding support from the City of Renton and King County. Following the expiration of the federal grant and after reviewing future funding options the Advisory Board determined that the agency should become a private, non-profit agency and in June 1975 this change in organization status took place.
Family Focused Services
The program continued to emphasize services to youth and families who were impacted by drug use, but the program focus gradually began to broaden to serve youth and families with a variety of presenting problems including family conflict, school problems, mental health issues, and physical and sexual abuse. Increasingly, the program staff worked with entire families, recognizing the family role in behavior change. The agency became more and more involved with prevention and early intervention services and began to work with pre-teens and children more frequently. Our school based counseling services continued to expand in Renton and Tukwila to promote service accessibility for children and families. The agency programs in the area of foster care and employment were discontinued due to changes in program emphasis.
In 1984, the agency relocated into the Renton Area Multi Service Center in downtown Renton. In collaboration with other community agencies, this building had been purchased and renovated into a permanent agency home. This was a significant event for the agency as it had been housed in a variety of locations since it inception. As the agency moved into the 1990's our service population continued to broaden. Nearly half of our non-adult clients were under the age of 12. While the agency continued to serve adolescents, early intervention services with children as young as age 4 became increasingly significant as part of a more family focused, early intervention service philosophy. "This focus" in services resulted in a change in the agency name to Renton Area Youth and Family Services in 1988. The agency recognized that families and children wanted and needed a resource that could provide services that oriented toward children that could assist in the resolution of problems at an earlier stage in an individual's development, heading off later, more serious emotional and social difficulties.
Renton Area Youth and Family Services have undergone many changes since its Berry House beginnings in 1970. What has remained constant throughout the agency's existence is its commitment to serve children, youth and families in need through the provision of effective, quality, accessible services. The agency maintains a strong sense of connectedness to the communities it serves in many ways, but importantly through its Board of Directors which is composed of persons who have a vital interest in the life of the community. In response to an ever-growing community need for its services, the agency has broadened its service area to include Renton, Maple Valley, and Tukwila. Funding for services is provided by the cities of Renton and Tukwila, United Way, King County, grants, contributions and fees for services.
As RAYS moved toward its twenty-fifth year of existence in 1995, certain hallmarks were evident. The agency had been and continued to be provider of quality services that address particular needs of children, youth and families; the agency continued to respond dynamically to the long term and emerging needs of the community. In 1995, the agency became a licensed mental health provider for case management and outpatient services, expanded its school-based services, and made services more accessible to children and families. In 1996 we opened another location in the Skyway community to provide a range of family support and prevention services to the Skyway, Campbell Hill, Lakeridge and Bryn Mawr communities. In the year 2000 RAYS, as a long-term resource for children and families in the community, was invited to be an Affiliate member of the Renton Community Foundation. This linked RAYS in partnership with nine other community organizations with the shared mission of creating a legacy of philanthropic giving and shaping the future of the community by cultivating an atmosphere of growth and strength, making it a good place to live, work and play.
The new millennium brings continuing challenges to RAYS as the communities we serve become ever more diverse and complex. The agency is called upon to respond to community need in ways that are mission-driven, creative, effective, and culturally appropriate. It is a time for renewed dialogue with our community, funders, and agency partners to explore the best ways to be responsive and to significantly impact the lives of children, youth, and families. Our history indicates that, working in concert with our community, we can help build positive futures for children and families.
