Overview of Take Wing

Program Overview

Take Wing is an 18-month long Transitional Living Program for low-income youth between the ages of 16 and 24. If the youth is 16 or 17 years old, he/she must be legally emancipated to qualify. Take Wing accepts emancipated minors, single males, single females, single parents, and couples with children.  However, TW is not an emergency shelter and does not have immediate placement available. If you need immediate assistance, please dial 211 for resources or call the United Way Information Hotline number at 619-230-0997 or 1-800-227-0997.

Eligibility Information & Enrollment Procedure

Take Wing is available for single youth, emancipated youth, single parents, and young families. All youth interested in Take Wing must have a source of income. Sources of income include employment or unearned income such as TANF and SSI. If the youth is receiving unearned income, he or she must be enrolled and attending school full-time. If the youth is not receiving unearned income, he or she must be either working a minimum of 30 hours per week OR must be working at least 20 hours per week AND must be enrolled in at least six academic credits in a vocational training program or at a community college. The youth will be required to provide Take Wing with proof of employment and verification of school enrollment and attendance.

In addition to this eligibility requirement, the youth must complete the application process in full. The first step is attendance of our information meeting. The second step is filling out our youth application and Agency Referral entirely and returning the completed application to the Take Wing office during a designated appointment time. The third step is completing a series of interviews. The first interview takes place with TW Case Managers, the Transitional Counselor, and the Community Organizer. The second interview takes place with the Program Manager. In rare instances, a third interview may be required with the entire team of staff present. Each potential youth must attend all interviews in order to be placed on the Take Wing waiting list. For more information on each of these steps, please return to the menu and select the appropriate option to hear about initial steps for placement.

Initial Steps for Placement

Anyone interested in becoming a member of the Take Wing Community must attend our informational meeting. Our informational meeting takes place every third Wednesday of the month from 3-4 p.m. All informational meetings take place in the San Diego Youth Services' Board Room, which is located at 3255 Wing St. Because there is a lot of material to cover in a short period of time, we close and lock the doors at the beginning of the meetings to avoid interruptions and ensure that everyone present receives all of the information regarding the program. If a youth is late, he/she will be given a fact sheet about the program and will be directed to return to the informational meeting the following month. There is no need to make an appointment for the informational meeting and the youth does not need to bring anything. When the youth arrives, he or she will be asked to sign in on a sheet that will be provided at the back of the room. The youth’s signature on this form will make that individual eligible to schedule an appointment to pick up a written application and referral. At the informational meeting, the youth will receive all necessary information regarding the program, including the rules, regulations, expectations, and a detailed description of the services that are provided. Youth also have the opportunity to tour one of the apartments (if there is one available for viewing). Once this meeting ends, the youth are eligible to call the Take Wing office to set up an appointment time to receive an application & referral form. Due to the sensitive nature of personal circumstances & to uphold San Diego Youth Services’ commitment to confidentiality, each appointment is completed 1-on-1 in the office and no applications or referral forms will be distributed at the informational meeting. All information regarding the appropriate procedure for completing the application and referral form will be addressed during this appointment. Upon completion of the application and referral forms, the youth will schedule another appointment to drop-off the application. During this appointment, the youth will meet with staff to ensure that the referral is appropriate and that all necessary eligibility requirements for the program are being met. Upon review of the application and referral form, the youth will be notified if they have been chosen for an interview with staff.

Directions to the Information Meeting

Directions for our information meetings are as follows: 

If you are coming from the South County, take the I-5 North and exit on Pacific Highway to Barnett. Veer to the right to follow Midway Dr. Continue driving straight on Midway Dr. until you come to Wing St. Then, make a left onto Wing St. We are located at 3255 Wing St.

If you are coming from the East County, take the I-8 West and exit Rosecrans. Continue to go straight on Rosecrans until you come to Midway Dr. Turn right onto Midway Dr. and then turn left onto Wing St. We are located at 3255 Wing St.

If you are coming from the North County, take I-5 South and exit on Rosecrans. Continue to go straight on Rosecrans until you come to Midway Dr. Turn right onto Midway Dr. and then left onto Wing St. We are located at 3255 Wing St.

Once you make a left onto Wing. St, Take Wing will be on your left, directly across from the Kaiser Permanente facility. Take Wing is the first apartment complex on the left and it is tan with beige trimming. You may park in the SDYS parking lot. Once parked, please come to the Board Room. There will be signs directing you there. The doors will be opened at 2:50 p.m. Please wait outside the Board Room until that point and a staff member will let you in. We look forward to seeing you at the Informational Meeting!

Waiting List

Take Wing does have a waiting list. However, the length of the waiting list fluctuates throughout the year.  The waiting list can be as short as a few days or as long as six months. Once a youth has completed all necessary steps in the application process and has been approved for the program, he or she will be placed on the waiting list and will be contacted by staff as soon as an apartment of the appropriate size becomes available.

There are twenty-three (23) one-bedroom apartments, seven (7) two-bedroom apartments, and two (2) three-bedroom apartments. Eight of these thirty-two units have been designated as Section 8 eligible apartments and a youth may have the opportunity to receive a Section 8 voucher upon successful completion of the Take Wing program if meeting the requirements of both programs. Staff will work to identify youth who are eligible for these apartments and to place them accordingly.

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