YOC expanding programs as mission to help children in need grows

MUNCIE, Ind. – Jeff Helm, new chief executive officer at the Youth Opportunity Center, runs an institution that has always been conditioned to meet the needs of people crisis.

Children who are distraught. plagued by anxiety and suffering from social dysfunction has been a focus, caring for the bullied as well as bullies. But it's different now.

Since the pandemic, the emotional problems faced by children are deeper, resolutions harder to come by and finding people willing to take on the task of working with troubled kids is more difficult. The YOC is changing to meet the tougher landscape of juvenile development after COVID-19 and the unique challenges in the culture.

"We're recovering from all the things made worse by the pandemic," said Helm, who is the new CEO, moving into the post that had long been held by Rick Rowray, who remains the senior administrator at YOC.

Rowray will seek new funding sources to provide increases in salaries for staff members who work directly with children while Helm oversees the day-to-day operations.

There has been an increase in suicidal ideation, Helm said, where young individuals think about and possibly consider suicide. Those thoughts can come with self-harming behaviors. Children are lashing out, he said.

"There is so much going on inside of them," Helm said. And many don't have to tools to express themselves.

There are 50 children in the residential program at the YOC. The children are placed there by a court through the Indiana Department of Child Services. The YOC also operates a juvenile detention center on behalf of Delaware County and surrounding counties.

Organizations that work to help children are all having to deal with the repercussions of COVID-19 and its impact on children who never suffered from the virus but encountered the reaction to the virus. Much was lost when education at school was interrupted for students during the pandemic.

"Schools have to work closer with students and find strategies to work and fix problems" when students don't have the social interaction usually experienced at school, said Helm.

Two new alternative programs are starting

Among the new programs at YOC will be two that rise from continued partnerships with Muncie Community Schools.

Starting in the coming academic year will be an Alternative School for middle school students. The collaboration with MCS will provide an alternate environment for students at YOC who have been unsuccessful in their regular classrooms. Students are referred to the program due to behavior difficulties, severe academic deficiencies, excessive absences or due to being placed on probation by the court.

“The Alternative School is a new program to provide an additional option for those whose traditional education is not working. It’s for students who have had multiple suspensions and need additional support beyond a regular classroom in order to have success. At the YOC, these students will be able to receive help from not only a dedicated teacher and very small class size, but they will also get assistance from an instructional aide and a behavioral support specialist," said LeeAnn Kwiatkowski, director of public education and CEO at MCS.

Also launching in the coming academic year is Day Therapeutic School. MCS and YOC provide a day treatment option for students before high school. The effort is aimed at students of average intelligence but who suffer from "extreme behavioral challenges," according to a description of the program provided by the YOC.

The program makes its students available for an array of services geared at education, behavior, family and community involvement with the aim of getting students ready for success in high school.

"The Day Therapeutic School is for students in grades 3 through 6," Kwiatkowski said. "It’s a two- to three-year program, so some students may stay in it through eighth grade. Each student must have an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) in order to be accepted into this program where they will receive significant mental health services. Housing this program at the YOC will be much more convenient for students from MCS and around the area who require these services. We anticipate no more than seven or eight students enrolled in this program each year.”

Unique path for social work — information technology

Helm praised MCS and the professionalism at the local public schools, as well as the benefits provided the community through the increase in resources available since the partnership between the city schools and Ball State University.

The new CEO comes to his new position following a unique path for social work, information technology. He has been with YOC since 2002, starting as the director of information technology and serving as chief information officer and director of facilities beginning in 2017 until his promotion to CEO.

Helm, who graduated from Wapahani High School in Selma and from Ball State University, was passionate about connecting data to people.

During Helm's tenure with YOC, the organization established Tru Harbor, in New Castle. The program provides residential treatment for commercially and sexually exploited children, housed in a converted former juvenile facility near Henry County Memorial Park.

Program helps youths to control emotional responses

YOC provides Family Preservation services in homes, helping entire families as adapt to overcome the risks that led to the need for the services. It offers the GEMS program, a secure private residential treatment program for girls exhibiting criminal and behavioral issues.

The YOC also provides the PROMISE Program, which helps boys and girls who have difficulty controlling their emotion responses and suffer difficulty relating to others. Those in the program have experienced trauma or abuse and are taught new skills in dealing with the world.

Other programs include residential programs for males displaying criminal and other behavior issues.

"Kids come to us from all different backgrounds," Helm said. And each has their own story.

Most of the children using the YOC services come from Delaware and surrounding counties. Helm said that YOC has been asked to develop a program to provide diagnostic and evaluation services to assess mental health needs for children.

According to the 2022 Kids Count Data Book, the recommended student to school psychologist ratio is 700 to 1. Indiana schools average 2,699 to 1 while schools in Delaware County average 7,847 to 1.

A 2022 report from the Indiana Behavioral Health Commission found more than half of 12- to 17-year-olds dealing with depression in Indiana do not receive care. It also determined that 70 percent of youth involved with the juvenile justice system have mental health conditions.

YOC has been asked to create a program for outpatient and home-based mental health testing and to provide a 30-day program for youth who are unsafe in their current surroundings.

No diagnostic, evaluation programs in Delaware County area

Right now, there are diagnostic and evaluation programs for children in only six of Indiana's 92 counties and none in Delaware or its six neighboring counties.

According to Helm, YOC plans to create a diagnostics and evaluation division led by a full-time psychologist with tools available to appropriately place and treat children.

The state is placing more emphasis on confronting mental health issues, including problems faced by children. The YOC, under Helm's direction, will play a large part in the treatment of local children needing help.

And the organization will be recruiting more people to help it accomplish the growing job.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: YOC expanding programs as it mission to help children in need grows