Your Contribution to Midwest Youth Services Supports the following:
24-hour Crisis Intervention and Mediation
For youth who have run away or whose families have refused to let them return home. Our goal is always to mediate the crisis and return the youth home, if it is safe.
Emergency Shelter for Runaway or Locked Out Youth
Youth are placed in temporary, licensed foster care until they can return home, or other arrangements can be made. Any immediate health concerns are evaluated and addressed. We ensure the youth has adequate clothing and hygiene products.
Assessment and Evaluation
We assess youth in ten modalities of life, including physical and mental health, family and social history, education, alcohol use, legal, personal values, community/peers and skills.
Linkage and Referral to Needed Services
Youth often need services we don’t provide. We link youth to needed medical, dental, mental health, prenatal services, etc. We provide transportation to these services when necessary.
Case Management
We take the lead by coordinating and following up on the referrals. We work with other service providers to make sure the youth receives the best care, and that we are not duplicating services. In short, we ensure the client receives the help he or she needs.
Advocacy
We advocate for the client’s best interests and their preferences. When clients are in trouble, we go with them to court. Sometimes homeless kids have trouble enrolling in school. We help them cut through the red tape. We help them access any services that seem to close their doors to them.
Limited Counseling
We help youth with decision-making, anger management, social skills and goal setting. We teach youth and parents how to communicate more effectively and how to resolve their own conflicts.
Mentoring
When possible, we arrange one to one mentoring with youth who are in special need of more intensive role modeling and support
Focus on Education
We work hard to keep kids in school. When traditional schooling methods are not effective or fail, we help the youth seek alternatives such as a GED, alternative schools, or special programs such as Lincoln’s Challenge. Youth who are in emergency shelter are taken to school on a daily basis, when possible.
Community Outreach
We educate the community and help community groups develop activities and services for youth.