Home For Troubled Youth Shutting Down
DENVER (CBS4) - A Denver home that houses hundreds of troubled teens throughout the year is shutting down. Twenty-nine kids currently at the Family Crisis Center will have to find a new place to live by July 1.
County officials said the decision to close would be in the children's best interest.
"This really isn't about cost-cutting. This is about better outcomes for kids," said Julie Smith, Communications Director for the Denver County Department of Human Services.
County officials had been discussing the closure for years.
"There's been a push to reduce congregate care usage because we see better outcomes for kids when they're in a family-like setting," said Smith.
Smith said the young residents at the county-run facility would be placed in foster homes or with family members. Kids who need a more restrictive environment would go to private residential centers.
Most of the children residing at the Family Crisis Center were placed there by court order. The center houses boys and girls ages12 to 17, who have been experiencing severe familial issues including neglect, abuse and separation.
The residential facility's 64 employees will have to find new jobs.
With the Family Crisis Center's annual operating budget of nearly $6 million, Smith said closing the facility would free up funds for other, preventative services.
"We'll be able to put (funds) into what we call front-end services," said Smith. "So those are going to be things like therapy for children, therapy for families, positive parenting classes."
The county has scheduled two job fairs and two workshops to help Family Crisis Center employees find new work.
Melissa Garcia has been reporting for CBS4 News since March 2014. Find her bio here, follow her on Twitter @MelissaGarciaTV, or send your story idea to mkgarcia@cbs.com.