In 1849, San Francisco was founded by a love for gold, and all that it could buy. For the every day man, fortune was not found. Many came and left empty handed, disillusioned, and defeated. The promise of fame and fortune failed to fulfill all that they had hoped for. Today many young men come to the city for similar reasons, to find happiness and destiny; a place to claim as their own. The deceptive charms of the city loose their luster, once more generating a theme of disappointment.

In the 1960's illegal drugs became more widely used throughout the country. San Francisco was a ringleader in this drug epidemic, soon known as a Mecca, sponsoring the era of "free love," and the hippie movement. This radical use ushered in the culture of drug addicts, people with severe physical dependencies on these illegal substances. In particular, heroin became the drug of choice by the 80's, leaving its victims devastated.

Many heroin addicts end up (if they are not already) on the streets because of the cost to support their expensive habit. Homeless, and jobless, these people are forced to turn to alternative means to pay for the drug. Prostitution has emerged on the streets, no longer stereotyped by gender, but by drug need. Men and women of all ages sell their bodies as a means to acquire their next fix.

As YWAM moved into the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco, this subculture became quite apparent. There was an obvious need to reach the broken lives of these young men prostituting themselves. Polk Street in particular was an area widely known for its drug use and prostitution; a home for the downtown "street kids."

The Street Team ministry was established in our earlier years as a response to this flesh war. Most of the street kids we have built relationships with come from pasts of broken or non-existent families. As well, they usually have histories of abandonment, neglect, and abuse. Before you can defuse an addiction, you must first look at the original upset in a person's life that inspired that addiction. Our role has been to reveal the love of Christ in these men's lives. For many we have been a safe place, to some even a family.

Some of our ways to build relationship with these men have been through: Jail/Hospital visits, court date appearances, dinner and bible studies, creative arts, hot chocolate friendship evangelism, and much more.

As many of these men came to the city looking for gold, something to hold onto, we have offered them something of far greater value; a relationship with Jesus Christ. We have seen what our God can do in the face of addiction and hopelessness, and we have seen lives completely transformed and restored by the power of God's unfailing love. Please read below as some of our friends share their testimonies about their time as "street kids."

I helped out at summer of service and really enjoyed my time. I was able to meet new people from around the world and become close friends. God taught me a lot about living in community and how to be an effective leader.