Father Peter G. Young dedicated his entire life to serving some of the most forgotten and vilified members of society – people struggling with addiction, poverty, and criminal background. He was way ahead of his time when it came to rescuing people from the unrelenting grip of addiction. Well before it was a widely held belief, he had recognized the solution was rehabilitation – not incarceration.
From his parish amid the troubled neighborhoods of Albany’s South End, Father Young learned from experience that what people struggling with addiction really needed was a fair shot at getting sober. And, in his view, that meant giving them three things: treatment for their addiction, a place to live, and a job. These formed what Father Young called his three-legged stool, where success relied on support from all three components. Based on that model, he founded Peter Young Housing, Industries, and Treatment (PYHIT) in 1959. The success of PYHIT’s programs across New York State proved the efficacy of Father Young’s approach.
While Father Young’s leadership is missed, his legacy still inspires PYHIT to keep the mission alive and evolving. Although the three interdependent support components of treatment, housing, and job training remain core to PYHIT programs, they are expanding services to include other determinants of health and well-being. Providing various Restorative Resources will expand the mission to help clients achieve a wide range of health, social, and quality-of-life outcomes.
Father Young changed the way we look at individuals with addictions and criminal records.
Help continue the mission by supporting: The Peter G. Young Foundation - 134 Franklin St, Albany, NY 12202. 518-463-8109 marger@pyhit.org
United Way's Capital Region Philanthropy Hall of Fame is a tribute to the citizens who have given so much to improve the quality of life for others.
Join us on September 9, 2021, at the Albany Capital Center when we induct Father Peter G. Young into the Capital Region Philanthropy Hall of Fame.