Who We Are
Bill Wilson Center provides direct services to more than 4,000 children, youth, young adults and families in Santa Clara County through our various programs. We reach more than 38,000 clients indirectly through our Street Outreach and crisis line programs. Bill Wilson Center programs focus on housing, education, counseling, and advocacy.
Bill Wilson Center is committed to working with the community to ensure that every youth has access to the range of services needed to grow to be healthy and self-sufficient adults. Bill Wilson Center has been providing services to runaway and homeless youth since 1973.
Guiding Principles
As the agency works to help youth build their skills and resiliency,
Bill Wilson Center has defined fundamental principles that guide
its work. At the core of all programs are eight guiding principles:
No Fail
Everyone can be successful. We keep trying.
Least Restrictive Environment
We help people solve problems at the family and the community level;
public institutions are the last resort.
Diversity
We provide services that meet the cultural and linguistic needs of our
whole community. We value our unique ethnic diversity as well as the
LGBTQ community and non-able body community. Our clients, staff,
and volunteers reflect our community.
Strength-Based
We look for the positive in each person and build on those assets.
Youth Development and Leadership
We support youth. We help build leadership skills by involving youth
in programs and planning for their future, many services are youth-led.
Advocacy
We work on improving systems that do not meet the needs of youth
and families.
Collaboration
We work with others to provide a continuum of services; we focus on
all the needs of the individual, including health, housing and well-being.
Families Matter
We help keep families together and build reconnections to families.
We recognize that “families” come in all shapes and sizes.
