He averaged a hundred miles a day.
Earlier this month, San Diego Youth Services chief executive officer Walter Philips rode his bicycle 500 miles from San Francisco to San Diego.
Philips’ ride, which was to raise funds and awareness for unhoused youth, started on May 10 and ended on May 16 at the San Diego Youth Services campus in Point Loma, 3255 Wing Street.
As a nonprofit, SDYS helps San Diego’s most vulnerable youth, including foster children, youth experiencing homelessness, those experiencing family conflict and violence, abuse and neglect, or mental health struggles and substance use.
“There is nothing more important to me than ensuring that all children in San Diego have a safe place to live,” said Philips. “At SDYS’s Youth Emergency Shelter, we often see children as young as 12 in need of help. I am hoping to bring more awareness to this heartbreaking situation through my bike ride.
“Leading SDYS has been the honor of my life,” Philips added. “I have truly enjoyed working with our dedicated staff, board members, volunteers, and community partners. I am so proud of what we have accomplished together.”
San Diego Youth Services programs go a long way toward helping young people find both themselves and a permanent way off the streets.
“As a former foster youth and adoptee who once received services from SDYS, I can personally attest to the impact this organization makes,” said Nicole Chung, an SDYS graduate employed by the nonprofit.
“SDYS supported me during a critical time in my life and helped shape who I’ve become, allowing me to give back to others with similar lived experiences.”
Of Philips, Chung said: “His commitment is genuine and consistent. He takes the time to engage with youth and staff, to listen deeply, and to lead with compassion and purpose.
“That’s why we are so grateful for Walter’s decision to take on the bike ride, not just to raise vital funds, but to bring awareness to the challenges our youth face every day. His effort is more than a physical journey — it’s a message to the young people we serve: You are seen, you are valued, and some people will go the distance for you.
“Initiatives like this help sustain our work providing housing, counseling, mentorship, and advocacy while inspiring others to join in the mission,” Chung said. “Walter reminds us all what leadership rooted in empathy truly looks like.”
Will this bike ride be an annual undertaking for the retiring CEO of the 55-year-old nonprofit, which started the first runaway shelter for homeless youth in 1970?
“I haven’t thought about that,” Philips said. “I love doing endurance events and was just thinking of doing something that could bring attention to our mission. The ride was just a vehicle to bring awareness to the cause.”
For Philips and SDYS, providing vital services for at-risk youth has always been the goal
“We’re the primary provider for youth who are victims of human trafficking,” he said. “We are a shelter for homeless 12- to 17-year-olds in San Diego. We’re making sure youth aren’t falling through the cracks, that they have a safe place to come and get their needs met, whatever that might be.”
Philips noted that youth homelessness has an economic component. “The cost of living in San Diego just keeps skyrocketing, and youth are at the bottom of that ladder, especially vulnerable youth who’ve been traumatized, don’t have a safe place to live, job skills, or a rent history (for housing),” he said.
Philips added that it can be somewhat hidden, causing housing uncertainty to be overlooked. “We have a street outreach unit that finds homeless youth who are living on the beach, in cars, or who are ‘couch surfing’ from home to home in bad situations,” he said. “SDYS’s main tenet is that we have no wrong door. When youth get to us, we’re making sure they get the services they need.”
And young people on the margins are the most at risk of becoming unhoused, said Philips.
“Youth who are most vulnerable are those of color, and those from the LGBTQ+ community, a population that makes up as high as 40% of the actual youth homelessness population,” he said.
“Kids are our future,” Philips added. “If we don’t take care of them, who’s going to be there to take care of us in our old age?”
Community members can donate to support Philips’ bike ride and the ongoing cause of ending youth homelessness at sdyouthservices.org.
SDYS offers a continuum of care for children and youth regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, or sexual orientation, from infancy to age 25.
The nonprofit provides safe places to live and long-term solutions through shelters, foster homes, community centers, and housing. Through prevention, early intervention, and treatment, SDYS also helps youth before they need higher levels of care or become homeless.
SDYS is a safe zone for LGBTQ+ youth.
The nonprofit serves more than 14,000 youth annually and has helped stabilize the lives of more than 823,000 youth living in San Diego County since its founding in 1970. To learn more, visit sdyouthservices.org.
To get help or a referral for any of SDYS’s services, call or text (619) 241-0608 Mondays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
