Canceled by Tarrant County, this advocacy program remakes itself to still help at-risk kids
A nonprofit organization that served troubled youth and their families through the Tarrant County juvenile justice system is remaking itself after its contract was canceled by the county.
YAP Pursuing Excellence® in Tarrant County is a new service by Youth Advocate Programs Inc. to provide comprehensive youth and family services for youth offenders in Tarrant County that won’t rely on referrals from the county’s juvenile justice system. Instead it will accept direct referrals from families and a range of community organizations, including school districts, community centers, and faith-based organizations.
Youth Advocate Programs is a national nonprofit located in 35 states and Washington, D.C., providing trauma-informed services that it says reduces the nation’s over-reliance on youth incarceration, residential care, and group home foster placements.
The organization had a contract with Tarrant County Juvenile Services from 1992 until July of this year when the Tarrant County Juvenile Board voted to not renew YAP’s contract over concerns about language on its website related to “policy and advocacy,” “diversity initiatives,” and “systemic racism.” The juvenile board also had concerns about the organization using taxpayer money for lobbying, which YAP said was not true.
The new program was introduced during a webinar with over 29 prospective funders, community members, researchers, employers, behavioral health providers and other partners Nov. 1. The webinar gave an overview of the organization’s program in Tarrant County, which is scheduled to begin in January. It included information on recent outcomes of a similar Chicago-based program called Choose to Change®, a program that supports disconnected Chicago Public Schools students.
A policy brief from the University of Chicago Crime Lab showed that two years after going through the program youth are 39 percent less likely to have been arrested for a violent crime than youth who did not go through the program.
Like Chicago, the program in Tarrant County will use a behavioral health therapy strategy. While group therapy is used in Chicago, the Tarrant County program will use individualized therapy for youth ages 12 to 18 who have a history of trauma, mental health or substance use challenges, school suspensions, illegal or violent behavior, justice system involvement, or other serious risk factors.
Kimberly Brandon, vice president of Youth Advocate Programs Inc., says this new model will tap a larger pool of referrals from those who couldn’t access the program’s services in its previous contract with Tarrant County. Until now, YAP focused on youth in the juvenile justice system but will receive referrals from a number of other sources under its new structure.
“I think the main target was being able to express that through this program we’re going to be able to help some of Tarrant County’s highest risk youth and turn their lives around while strengthening their families and making our neighborhoods safer,” Brandon said.
The new service will combine three YAP programs that provide youth and family advocate services, trauma-informed individualized behavioral health services, and substance abuse prevention programming.
The program will also include other services from a paid workforce development training program, restorative justice activities, and scholarships for post secondary education and training.
Youth Advocate Programs is working to raise $582,400 for year one of the program, which will cover services for 35 participants. Remaining funding could come from philanthropic grants, school districts or other government partners. Youth Advocate Programs has received a $50,000 donation for the new program.
Its behavioral services will be covered by Medicaid, and the substance use and prevention services will be paid for by a grant.
The program is set to begin in January 2025.
It is the moral responsibility of organizations such as Youth Advocate Programs to help children and families who have experienced trauma, mental health issues, and have gone through the juvenile justice system because residents should have safe communities, stable families, and access to resources to help them, Brandon says.
“When one person succeeds, the whole community benefits, and then it creates a ripple effect, a positive growth and impact,” she said.
Parents of youth ages 12 to 18 who already receive YAP’s behavioral health or substance use and prevention services, or both, will receive more information about the expanded offerings as the launch approaches. Families can also go to yapinc.org/texasmentalhealth or at 1-800-635-4149.
This story was originally published December 18, 2024 at 2:32 PM.
