BUDGET MESSAGE
2330COUNCIL OF CHURCHESJANUSCENTER
The JanusCenter for Youth in Crisis provides guided intervention and supportive services to children from Greater Bridgeport. Our goal is to work with children and families to resolve issues that could escalate to larger problems such as running away, homelessness, delinquency, or involvement within the state systems. These services include individual and family needs assessment, mediation, short-term counseling, and referral to a higher level of service.
Under the Janus Center umbrella are Safe Places ~ a network of public locations poised to respond in a crisis; the Hotline ~ a 24-hour phone link to information and response to immediate problems; Crisis Response ~ on-site evaluation and recommendation by trained professionals; and the Host Home program ~ two certified Host Home parents providing short-term supportive services and brief residential respite care in two gender-specific apartments in the city of Bridgeport.
The most unique component to the JanusCenter program is the ability to offer temporary respite care. Currently we are the only providers of this service in the Greater Bridgeport area and only one of five programs in the state of Connecticut, which receives youth prior to entering state systems with a respite care option.
The overarching goal of the JanusCenter for Youth in Crisis is to divert “at-risk” youth from entrance into the Juvenile Justice System or from oversight by the Department of Children and Families. The youth who receive services from our program not only increase their chances of reconciliation with their families, but also experience at least two or more of the following: 1.) reduction in the number and the level of risk factorsassociated with referral into the Juvenile Justice System such as: substance use and abuse, and truancy; 2.) improvement in functioning within the family unit; 3.) improvement in school performance (grades, attendance, and behavior); 4.) involvement in at least one positive youth activity (i.e. participation in community service projects, music and arts programs, church youth group); and 5.) successful diversion from the Juvenile Justice System.
The JanusCentercontinues to serve more youth and families from Fairfield. Of the 328 referrals that were processed by the JanusCenter last year, a total of 62 (a 5% increase from the previous year) came from Fairfield schools, parents, and other social service agencies (a 10% increase from the previous year). We provided temporary respite care to 5 youth from Fairfield for a total of 48 days. Due to JanusCenter intervention for Fairfield youth that stayed in our care, we were able to achieve 100% reconciliation.
Our total operating budget for FY14 is $1,784,163. We request $5,000 to help fund critical diversion services for at-risk youth.