Following a philosophy of Positive Youth Development, the PCS Youth Services Department continues to be a leader in the community with its commitment to encouraging and sponsoring innovative youth programs that work. The PCS Youth Department serves a full spectrum of community needs from prevention to intervention. Programs include:
Runaway/Homeless Youth Services: PCS Youth Services has brought into the spotlight the issues of runaway and homeless youth in the panhandle of Nebraska. No other agency has taken the call to serve this population of youth the way PCS Youth Services has. Runaway and homeless youth would remain invisible if not for our efforts. We are the only agency that specifically records and tracks the numbers and problems of runaway/homeless youth for central and western Nebraska.
Transitional Living Program: TLP provides supervised apartments for homeless pregnant and parenting youth ages 16 to 21 for up to 18 months plus aftercare services. Our TLP is an integral part of our overall continuum of care for homeless youth in our community. The program service goals and objectives are to provide a long term solution for homeless youth leaving the streets and other unsafe environments. Successful graduates of the program become productive, contributing citizens and are not dependent on the social wellfare system. We currenly operate above a 70 % success rate.
Street Outreach Services (SOS): SOS supports the work and efforts of our other runaway, homeless youth programs by providing the following supportive and outreach services:
- Builds relationships with youth (especially street youth) in the Panhandle of Nebraska in order to facilitate their moving from unsafe, high-risk environments to safe and appropriate living arrangements.
- Provides education, intervention, and prevention services to youth who are at risk of sexual abuse and exploitation.
- Alleviates the problems of runaway and homeless youth by meeting basic needs and providing a mobile outreach van and access to 24-hour shelter staffed with trained competent youth workers.
- Works to reunite youth with their families and encouraging the resolution of family problems through counseling, mentoring and parent/adolescent mediation.
- Encourage sthe strengthening of family relationships and stable living conditions.
- Develop personal care plans with youth that include constructive courses of action.
- Provides a Youth Drop-In Center where youth feel welcomed and can receive help.
- Provides Outreach Counseling in collaboration with the public schools
Crossroads Mentoring Program: PCS was the pioneer in starting a full-time, sustainable mentoring program in Scotts Bluff County. Crossroads Mentoring paved the way for a variety of other mentoring programs in the panhandle community. Crossroads staff has provided technical assistance, training and encouragement for new mentoring programs in other communities including Kimball, Alliance, Bridgeport, Mitchell and Sidney.
Missing Link Intergenerational Mentoring Program: This intergenerational mentoring program is a cutting edge PCS Youth Services "original" that directly benefits over 300 children and senior adults annually. Missing Link organizes groups of young people to make regular and on-going visits to nursing homes and senior care facilities in the community.
