Westmoreland explores relocation of youth shelter program
Mar. 28—Because of the growing number of children facing adult criminal charges, Westmoreland County is looking to buy a home or large facility near Greensburg to accommodate its juvenile shelter program.
With the purchase, the county is hoping to relocate the shelter program from the Regional Youth Services Center in Hempfield. Shelter beds there would be converted for use as part of an expanded juvenile detention center.
The current combined detention and shelter facility near the county prison on South Grande Boulevard can accommodate up to 24 children. Sixteen beds are licensed for juvenile detention, while an eight-bed shelter program for troubled youth occupies a separate, sectioned-off area.
Officials toured potential sites for a shelter during the past several weeks, and the search is ongoing. Juveniles in the program are not considered high safety risks.
"We haven't explored any total costs yet for this project," said county Commissioner Doug Chew.
By shifting the shelter program to a new location, Westmoreland could have dedicated beds available to youthful offenders and, in doing so, potentially generate additional revenue through increased state reimbursements and fees paid by other counties to house juvenile offenders.
"We're trying to accommodate Westmoreland County kids, and we're trying get out in front of this," said county Controller Jeffrey Balzer, chairman of the county's juvenile detention board.
Concerns about proper housing of youthful offenders surfaced this month after officials were notified that Westmoreland's youthful offenders would no longer be housed in a special unit at the Allegheny County jail, which for several years has served as the primary holding facility for local teens charged as adults.
As a result, a handful of juveniles were transferred to Westmoreland's juvenile detention center while others were moved to a facility in Lehigh County.
The Westmoreland prison cannot house youthful offenders because the facility is unable to meet federal guidelines prohibiting juveniles from having contact with adult offenders.
"Our goal is to keep youthful offenders here in Westmoreland County," said Common Pleas Judge Michele Bononi, who heads the county's juvenile criminal court system and oversees the detention center program. "Everything is in the early stages."
County officials initially were reluctant to hold youthful offenders at the Regional Youth Services Center because of security concerns, center director Rich Gordon said.
On Monday, seven children were in housed in the shelter program and nine were in detention, including five teens who are charged with serious adult crimes including homicide, Gordon said.
Youthful offenders can remain in detention for many years before their cases are finalized or they become old enough to be transferred to the county jail.
"There isn't enough staff, and the system is really bogged down," Gordon said.
Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich by email at rcholodofsky@triblive.com or via Twitter .
