Argus provides an alternative life program for adolescents and adults who have been heavily involved in the cycle of unemployment, underemployment, street hustling, welfare, substance abuse, crime, and prison. The youths served are all dropouts, and many have serious educational deficits. Argus begins by filling in emotional and parental gaps, through an extended family environment that restores trust and develops self-esteem. It moves young people through educational and vocational training to job programs and colleges as well as other avenues of personal growth. The program consists of the following steps: intake, orientation, a prevocational training phase, vocational training opportunities, and referral to subsidized or nonsubsidized jobs or college. In 1987, Argus was selected by the Greater New York Fund as one of six best-managed social welfare agencies in New York. Argus can be replicated by other communities, with funding from both the public and private sectors. 7 footnotes. (Author abstract modified)