Crossroads Youth and Family Services

PROJECT PURPOSE

The purpose of the Crossroads Youth & Family Services Build Better Program is to diversify parental mental wellness training and support through supportive/ trauma counseling and to implement a continuum of care for displaced youth and those experiencing homelessness or mental health crises. This project proposes to meet the following objectives: Create and ensure safe environments for youth experiencing a mental health crisis. Provide emergency shelter/ interim housing for displaced youth. Provide transitional living programs for youth aging out of the system with mental health support. Access and provide life skills education for youth dealing with mental health issues or displacement. Parenting skills for those leaving incarceration and reunifying with children. Provide structured family counseling to assist with reunification and break the cycle of trauma.

EVIDENCE

Findings from ?Mental Illness and Youth-Onset Homelessness: A Retrospective Study among Adults Experiencing Homelessness? conducted two independent studies from Dallas and Oklahoma. Based on this analysis, nearly ?29.5% of the sample reported youth-onset homelessness? of the current adult homeless population in the sample. Results from this study show that ?mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, severe mental illness, or severe mental illness comorbidities? directly increased the odds of youth onset homelessness. Early interventions can address the needs of this growing community to prevent future homelessness.

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

There are nearly 12,000 children in Oklahoma?s foster care system. Of these, roughly 400 are in Cleveland County. Youth usually deal with displacement nearly 90% of foster care children are in over one placement. Crossroads Emergency Resource Center houses nearly 300 displaced youth annually. Many of these kids already have mental health concerns because of childhood trauma. Recently we had a youth who deals with depression. His parents signed their rights away as parents. The onsite counseling allows him to receive services during this traumatic time. Crossroads YFS works with over 1,000 lower-income children and families throughout five counties in Oklahoma to provide support for creating healthy children. The pandemic affected many of these populations the most because services adjusted to technology-based programs. Many lower-income families lost the little support they were receiving. There is still slow economic growth and, with inflation and other societal issues, services for counseling are some of the first services cut because of the cost. This program aims to provide a continuum of care, so crucial services remain fully implemented to increase positive mental health outcomes.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

To measure the increase in the number of self-sufficient youth among the homeless youth population, Crossroads works with agencies to track client outcomes. All of the data points for ensuring proper foundations for youth experiencing homelessness or displacement work in tandem with mental health procedures that Crossroads already implements including client feedback, surveys, detailed client records, and tracking outcomes.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

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