Rogers County Youth Services, Inc

PROJECT PURPOSE

RCYS serves over 2,500 students and 350 individuals/families each year. We continue to grow as demand for our services increase, especially as a result of the pandemic. However, our growth is being hampered by our lack of space. We?ve dedicated close to 100% of our revenue to services to meet the demands of our community. This has left no funding for capital improvements. Funds will be used to expand our capacity. Ten additional offices for counselors, a designated play therapy space to meet the needs of our younger clients, and outdoor space for groups/individuals allowing social distancing and physical activities will be added to our facility. Our building houses three non-profit agencies. The addition would benefit and improve service delivery for all three agencies, allowing each agency to expand services in an appropriate, socially distanced environment. Our therapy staff has grown from 4 therapists to 11 in the last four years, and we have a need for more. Our growth is hampered by lack of space for counseling services. We typically see clients in our offices. Each therapist needs their own office, allowing us to see more clients each week as well as decrease the chance of spreading viruses.

EVIDENCE

Our providers are Master's level therapists that utilize evidence based practices. Our clients historically show an 87% successful completion rate, meaning their measurable goals and objectives were reached.

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

27% of the population we serve is Native American (3.5 times more likely to get infected), and 58% of the referrals we receive are either at or below the poverty level and/or Native American. According to a Commonwealth Fund analysis, the rate of mental health concerns was nearly 20 points higher than the rate for people with high income. Our referrals for counseling have increased 112% over the past year, and continue to grow. Compassion Women's Center (CWC) works with women who are or have been pregnant. According to the CDC, people who are pregnant or recently pregnant are at an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 when compared to people who are not pregnant. People who have COVID-19 during pregnancy are also at increased risk for preterm birth (delivering the baby earlier than 37 weeks) and stillbirth and might be at increased risk for other pregnancy complications. VFY provides a mentoring program for children and youth at high risk of school dropout and delinquent behavior. Over 90% of their clients are either low income, single parent families, and/or are at high risk for substance abuse

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

Funding will allow RCYS to expand services and improve the quality of services provided. Services are measured by assessments showing clients level of functioning before, during and after services, allowing us to determine improvement with each client. We track both number of referrals as well successful completion of services. While we see clients virtually and in the public schools, our outcomes are much better when clients receive services in our offices. Currently, we have multiple therapists sharing offices. This lack of consistency creates increased anxiety in both the clients and the therapists. Consistency is a key to better outcomes.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

Able to continue operation without additional funding from the State of Oklahoma