COSTA MESA : Job Agency for Youths Needs Home

For 17 years, young people have wandered into the YES employment agency on 19th Street looking for help.

Some job seekers have sported purple hair or earrings in their noses. There have been gang members, people living in shelters, high school dropouts and high school graduates hoping to earn money for college tuition.

Since the nonprofit agency opened its doors, more than 32,000 young people aged 14 to 22 have found jobs.

But YES, which stands for Youth Employment Service, may soon join the ranks of the homeless.

The employment agency must leave its rent-free digs by July 31 because the landlord, the National Charity League, Newport Chapter, which has donated the space for nearly 17 years, now wants the room.

The league is “in need of additional space, which we can understand,” said Mike Chitjian, a member of the YES board of directors. “But it puts us out on the street. We are an organization that works on a very small budget.”

A representative of the landlord couldn’t be reached for comment.

Although its budget has fluctuated over the years, YES now operates at $54,000 a year, which comes from many sources, including United Way. The money pays all expenses, from the salaries of two employees to paper clips.

Recently, YES received a $150,000 grant to teach youths about the dangers of smoking. However, the money is restricted to anti-smoking programs, said Lynne Graham, executive director.

Graham estimates that rent would cost about $15,000 a year, an expense YES can’t afford and still provide its current level of services.

“This is just not about sending a young person out on a job,” Graham said. “It is about helping a young person establish goals and long-term plans.”

The job center was started in 1969 by residents who wanted to help young people find work. It jumped among several locations, eventually landing at its current site 17 years ago.

The small office occupies the end unit in a 19th Street shopping center, next to a thrift shop. After a walk down a long hall, visitors are reminded before entering: “Shoes and shirts are required.”

Three job boards, the heart of the center, fill the walls. There are also two offices and a conference room where job seekers can watch a videotape and practice their interviewing skills. About 25 youths pass through on a typical day.

One recent morning, Estancia High School football players Matt Simpson and Jason Sweet, both 17, came to YES after practice. They scoured the job boards, looking for a perfect match. “There are always jobs, you just have to find something interesting,” Jason said. The possibilities included working for $4.25 an hour as a stock clerk, supervising two boys while their father works the night shift and helping with security at the Orange County Fair.

In several minutes of searching, Jason and Matt failed to find the perfect job. But they would probably be back, they said, unaware of the job center’s financial problem.