"Youth Villages was given the toughest cases -- troubled youth presenting with the most challenging problems."

"Their success rates far surpassed any other past or current interventions in the departments."

- Commissioners of State Agencies currently contracting with Youth Villages

Youth Villages has over 20 years of experience indentifying and providing services for children at risk of interaction with or currently in the child welfare, juvenile justice, or mental health system. Changes in the organization over the past 10 years have included a substantial movement to providing services in a community setting. It has also been a tremendous time for growth in the organization with services now being provided in 10 states and the District of Columbia.

In the experience of expanding our programs into new areas, Youth Villages has identified a fairly consistent framework for potential expansion of services into new locations. The steps involved in bringing Youth Villages to your particular area include:

• Long-term local or state commitment to home-based services with an emphasis on evidence-based programs.
• Gaining buy-in from leadership staff, courts, child workers, and local agencies.
• Securing the monies to fund the expansion of these services or to establish new services through a procurement process.

In 1994, Youth Villages developed Intercept, an intensive in-home treatment program, which offers the opportunity to keep youth out of residential placements, to improve youths' success upon returning home from placement and to significantly improve the functioning of youth and families in the areas of education, employment, and overall ability to function independently.

From its inception, Intercept has expanded from Memphis to West, Middle, and East Tennessee; Mississippi; Alabama; North Carolina; Texas; Massachussets; and Washington, D.C. In each situation, growth was dictated by the need in each community and the desire to move children from out-of-home to more community-based placements or to prevent out-of-home placements altogether.

In addition, other community-based programs are provided by Youth Villages throughout its various locations. Our treatment foster care program serves children in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. For over two years, Youth Villages has been providing statewide mobile crisis services for children in Tennessee. A program specifically for the MRDD population, CHOICES, serves children and their families throughout the state of Tennessee. For those youth between the ages of 17 and 22, a transitional living program assists them in becoming successful adults after aging out of the system.

More information about all of these programs is available on our website:

• Home-Based Counseling
• Foster Care
• Specialized Crisis Services
• CHOICES
• Transitional Living