History of SAY

Until 1974, running away from home was a crime. Youth who fled to escape physical abuse, sexual abuse, or neglect could be arrested and housed in the county juvenile detention facility, with no interventions to address the issues. In 1971, a group of local leaders established Social Advocates for Youth (SAY) to provide counseling services as an alternative to incarceration. This group included Judge John Moskowitz, Chief Probation Officer Bill Mulligan, Tadini Bacigalupi (lawyer), Andy Wahlstrom (high school teacher), and Henry Trione (philanthropist), who continued to advocate for new laws that would better care for young people. Three years later, the Federal Runaway and Homeless Youth Act was passed, which decriminalized runaway youth and established sources of federal funding for shelter and crisis services.