SAN FRANCISCO—The Homeless Youth Alliance (HYA) has launched a fundraising campaign titled, “Be a Best Friend to Homeless Youth” on HandUp, a direct donation system.

The campaign aims to raise $30,000 to supply pet food to more than 1,000 homeless children’s dogs every year. Funds raised will also go toward “individual case management sessions” with homeless youth, according to the campaign’s page on HandUp.

HYA states that these sessions are meant to “help youth navigate the logistics of getting housing, getting medical care, mental health care, or substance treatment, getting a legal ID, reconnecting with supportive friends or family, finding a job, and take countless other steps that lead to healthier, safer lives for themselves and their beloved pets.”

“For HYA’s staff, helping kids’ pets is the first step in encouraging them to accept help for themselves,” the fundraising page reads. “More often than not, a life-changing course of positive change begins very simply by a young person asking one of our Counselors ‘Do you guys have food for my dog?’”

HYA offers services pertaining to housing, healthcare, mental health treatment, and rehabilitation. The nonprofit previously supplied pet food by means of a grant given by a private foundation; the grant was recently discontinued.

Potential contributors can find HYA’s campaign page at https://handup.org/campaigns/alifelineforhomelessyouth.