Our Work
Impact & Insights:
Youth Health & Stability
Too many young people are navigating life without proper nutrition,
mental health resources, or stable housing. Together, we're creating
pathways to stability and well-being.
Our Growing Impact
50,000+
Vulnerable Youth / Young Adults
250+
Company Partners
100
“Superhero” Social Service Partners
$1 million+
Groceries
Youth Health & Housing Data
National
4.2 million
youth ages 13–25 experience homelessness each year
34,700
unaccompanied youth under age 25 experience homelessness on any given night
California
200,000
youth ages 12–24 experience homelessness each year
9,900
unaccompanied youth under age 25 experience homelessness on any given night
Foster Care Population
376,900
individuals in foster care in the US
44,400
individuals in foster care in California alone
Foster Care Outcomes
40%
of foster youth will be homeless or incarcerated within 3 years of leaving the system
27%
of youth transitioning out of foster care in California have been incarcerated
14%
of youth transitioning out of foster care in California have experienced homelessness
Research & Evidence Based
Nutrition, Mental Health, and Youth Stability in California
In California, thousands of young people experience homelessness, untreated mental health challenges, and exposure to violence or gangs each year. These issues are deeply connected — and nutrition plays a critical but often overlooked role.
The brain requires a steady supply of essential nutrients to regulate mood, manage stress, control impulses, and make safe decisions. For youth facing food insecurity, unstable housing, or trauma, diets are often inconsistent and nutrient-poor, weakening the brain's ability to cope under pressure.
When the brain is undernourished and chronically stressed, young people are more likely to experience anxiety, depression, emotional dysregulation, and impaired judgment. In survival mode, short-term safety and belonging can outweigh long-term goals — making youth more vulnerable to gang involvement, substance use, and continued housing instability.
This is not a failure of character. It is a predictable outcome of unmet biological and social needs.
Supporting nutrition alongside mental health care, housing stability, and community connection strengthens the foundation youth need to regulate emotions, resist high-risk pathways, and build safer, healthier futures.
Mental wellness and homelessness/violence prevention start with meeting basic biological needs.
Every Young Person Deserves a Brain That Can Keep Up With Their Dreams
So many young people today are fighting battles no one can see — stress that never shuts off, moods that swing without warning, fog that makes school and relationships feel impossible. These aren't character flaws. They're signs of a brain struggling to get what it needs.
At TeenHealth, we believe mental wellness isn't a mystery. It's biology. And biology can be supported.
Modern food systems have changed. Stress has changed. The world teens are growing up in has changed. But the brain's nutritional needs haven't. When those needs aren't met, everything becomes harder — focus, emotional regulation, resilience, hope.
That's why we champion a simple, powerful idea:
Give the brain the full spectrum of nutrients it needs, and it becomes more capable of healing, learning, and thriving.
This isn't about quick fixes or one-size-fits-all solutions. It's about restoring the biological foundation that makes every other intervention — therapy, school support, community care — more effective.
We partner with evidence-based, broad-spectrum micronutrient approaches because they help teens regain clarity, stability, and strength from the inside out. When the brain is nourished, everything else becomes possible.
Help Us Expand Our Impact
Every contribution helps us reach more young people with the essentials they need to stabilize and thrive.