Youth Villages

Right now, there is a vulnerable child being raised by the state. She will spend her childhood in expensive institutions, being shuffled from foster home to foster home. She will experience unimaginable trauma and, as a result, will be 75% more likely to wind up in institutions or prisons as an adult. Because once kids are in the system, they tend to stay in the system.

Communities are searching for real solutions to break this cycle of despair and failure.

At Youth Villages, we fiercely believe that building strong families is the answer. Our counselors are a force for families, providing Evidentiary Family Restoration™ for kids and parents alike. We do this with one goal in mind: to ensure that each child has a functioning family and a safe, permanent home. Because stronger families result in safer neighborhoods and better communities for everyone.

Billions of dollars are being wasted on unproven, unsustainable efforts with little evidence of any lasting impact. Youth Villages offers a better approach, Evidentiary Family Restoration, and the results are remarkable. Our long-term success rate of 80% is nearly twice the national average, compared to traditional services. And we operate at one-third the cost. Additionally, by obsessively collecting data and measuring outcomes, we’re able to quantify effectiveness precisely—something most programs don’t do.

Youth Villages helps children, young people and families through a continuum of programs using our EFR approach. Programs include intensive in-home services for infants to 18-year-olds, transitional living services for former foster children, residential treatment campuses and intensive residential treatment centers. Other programs provided include specialized crisis services, foster care, adoption and mentoring.

Today in America, more than 600,000 boys and girls are being raised by the state. We believe more than half could live at home safely with their families, saving states tens of millions of dollars and saving children and parents untold misery and trauma. Our track record proves we can keep the hardest-to-serve kids at home, where they have the best chance of success—with their families.

Our results have led to dramatic growth. This year we’re working with more than 18,000 children and families in 11 states. We’ve also been recognized by Harvard Business School, U.S. News & World Report, and the White House as one of the nation’s most promising results-oriented nonprofits.