About The Door
At The Door, we empower teens and young adults (ages 12-24) to reach their potential by providing comprehensive services in a diverse and caring environment. We believe in opening doors so that you can realize your future – with empathy, understanding, and integrity. Here, everything is free and everyone is welcome.
Founded in 1972, we are a living, breathing organization – and we are constantly evolving to meet the rising needs of our members. We have two primary locations with open access services (one in lower Manhattan and one in the South Bronx), and two additional supportive housing sites on the Lower East Side. We also have an in-house charter high school, Broome Street Academy.
Opening Doors for NYC Youth
Door staff and youth members share why The Door's unique, holistic model is effective in creating a thriving environment for NYC youth to reach their potential. The Door's wraparound support services enable young people to focus on and pursue their dreams for a brighter future while finding a nurturing community.
What We Offer
Our Programs & Services
At The Door, young people between the ages of 12 and 24 can access comprehensive programs and supportive services, including mental healthcare and healthcare (including primary care, vision, dentistry, and more); community, arts, and enrichment (including meals and a food pantry); basic needs and supportive housing (including drop-in access for youth experiencing housing insecurity); legal services (including immigration, foster care, housing, and public benefits); and education, career, and opportunity services. Everything is free, and can be accessed by signing up as a member. We also have an on-site, embedded charter high school, Broome Street Academy, which offers on-site, school-day instruction with full access to The Door’s other programs.
How We Work
At The Door, you'll find a community that sees the whole you. Whether you need help with school, work, your health, housing, legal services, or you’re simply a place to belong, we're here to connect you with the support and opportunities to build the future you want.
At The Door, we’ll meet you where you are, with empathy and understanding, and be with you every step of the way to get where you want to be.
The Door Community
Our community is collaborative and vibrant. We are designed for you and we work with you – no matter what your interests or needs are, you belong here. Our services are available to you if you’re between the ages of 12-24, and you live in the general New York City area. Proof of residency or citizenship is not required for membership – and best of all, everything is free. So if you’re looking for endless possibilities and transformational support, you’re coming to the right place.
Our History
The Door started in 1972 with one simple belief: young people deserve a place where they can find the support they need without judgment, and without having to go to a dozen places. You shouldn’t have to figure everything out alone, and you shouldn’t have to find a different organization to get help with school, work, housing, health, legal issues, or whatever life throws your way.
What began as a volunteer-run space in the East Village has grown alongside our members. We’ve added new programs, expanded into the Bronx, and continued building services because the needs of young people are connected and constantly change – and the support should, too.
More than 50 years later, that idea still guides everything we do: when you walk through our doors, you’ll find a community that sees the whole you and is ready to help you build the future you want.
1970s: Addressing An Unmet Need
In 1970, the International Center for Integrative Studies (ICIS) laid the groundwork for addressing major issues affecting the U.S. urban adolescent population. In January of 1972, The Door was established—a groundbreaking integrated model to provide comprehensive services for young people.
1980s: Moving to Our SoHo Building
The Door moved to its present SoHo location in 1989, where it occupies five floors filled with comprehensive services. Close to The Door’s 20th anniversary, programming expanded to include advanced education programs, such as GED courses and college counseling.
1990s: A Nationally Recognized Model
In the 1990s, the World Economic Forum recognized The Door as one of six premier models for successful youth service delivery, and the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services chose The Door as a model program dealing with the pressing needs of children and families in impoverished communities. Programming also grew to include onsite legal services.
2000: Partnering with Other Agencies
Young advocates traveled to Washington, D.C., to stand up for youth rights, and The Door began collaborations with corporate and government partners, including Gap Inc. and the Centers for Disease Control. The Door also embarked on a groundbreaking relationship, assuming affiliate status with University Settlement, the first settlement house in the U.S., which we held through 2020.
2010: Opening Housing Facilities
In 2010, The Door, in partnership with Common Ground, opened a Lower East Side supportive housing facility. Shortly after, a second East Village facility was opened, expanding our reach well beyond SoHo for supportive services for our Runaway and Homeless Youth programs.
2011: Opening Broome Street Academy
2011 marked the inaugural year of Broome Street Academy (BSA), a public charter high school housed in and run in partnership with The Door, and located on the 4th Floor of the SoHo building.
2015: Expanding to the South Bronx
The Door’s Bronx Youth Center (BYC) opened to provide support and services to young people with experience with the justice and foster care systems and youth who have experienced homelessness.
2020: Adapting to Change
In response to COVID-19, The Door established a text line that young people can use to ask questions and get support, which is still operational today! We also launched telehealth appointments and opened our food pantry, which remains available to members today.
2021: Advocating for Immigrant Youth
The Door served over 2,400+ young people with legal services in FY21. The incredible rise in the need for immigration support has led to unprecedented growth at our Legal Services Center. Staff now includes paralegals and social workers, and our work has grown to include representation of young people in federal detention facilities.
2022: Bronx Relocation & New Services
The Bronx Youth Center moved to a new location that enables expanded programming (including a dedicated drop-in space for housing insecure youth that opened in early 2026), and our Adolescent Health Center began providing transgender health care services, including HRT for members who are 18+.
2024: Professional Development for Mental Health Practitioners
In 2024, we forged a partnership with the NYU Silver School of Social Work through funding from a group of generous private philanthropies. The program enables Door staff members to obtain MSW degrees at a significantly reduced cost, while remaining fully engaged in their work at The Door. The partnership increases their capacity to serve the mental health needs of the diverse young people who come to The Door.
2025: Sharing our Expertise
In 2025, we launched our first-ever youth development conference, Opening Doors. This full-day conference brought brings nonprofit leaders, government agencies, and philanthropic allies who champion the well-being of young people across New York City. This first-of-its-kind summit centered on a question that is both urgent and essential: “How are we tackling the youth mental health crisis using an interdisciplinary approach?”