NCJ Number
114888
Date Published
1987
Length
22 pages
Annotation
In 1974, a set of circumstances -- a child locked in an adult facility, a judge frustrated by the system's inability to respond to the child, and an offer from a member of a monastic order -- led to the establishment of Samaritan house in Ohio County, W. Va.
Abstract
Samaritan House, the State's first emergency shelter, provides nonsecure shelter for 12 males, 12 to 18 years old and a full range of services, including job skills training, aftercare counseling, sexual abuse counseling, and alternative school programming. Most of the youth are status offenders, runaways, or those removed from their homes by court order. In 1986, the shelter served 91 adolescents. Since then, other programs for chronic status offenders and their families have been developed. These include Helsinki Emergency Shelter, which provides crisis counseling alternative schooling and day program services for male and female clients in a rural setting. Within the Helsinki Center, the Youth Services System operates a diagnostic unit for the formal evaluation of female adjudicated delinquents. In addition to testing, staff counsels clients on issues such as goal-setting, self-disclosure, and peer relations. The Northern Regional Juvenile Detention Center, run on a contract held by the Youth Services System, offers residential care for 12 youth, serves as the agency's headquarters, and houses several day programs. The agency also operates a two-phase, coeducational independent living program that offers life skills training, group sessions, individual counseling, and supervised independent living. Day programs include educational and vocational services, outreach for street youth, and community and aftercare counseling.