More than ¼ of the 1,639 youths who aged out of the Oklahoma child welfare system during the years 2009 and 2013 went on to experience some form of homelessness according to a new study by the DHS. Although in Oklahoma there are a few programs working to assist these special kids; there simply are not enough.

The LifeSet program helps ensures kids a successful transition to adulthood. A successful transition to adulthood includes maintaining stable and suitable housing, remaining free from legal involvement, participating in an educational/vocational program and developing the life skills necessary to become a responsible citizen. Youth Villages’ YVLifeSet program works not only with former foster youth and other vulnerable young people but also with their support systems to help ensure a more successful transition.

Youth Villages help states reform their social services systems by using research-based programs that provide measurable, sustainable results at a lower cost. The Intercept Program is able to achieve cost savings by diverting youth from out-of-home placements, offering in-home services as an alternative and working toward family reunification. Their ongoing outcome evaluation studies have demonstrated 82 percent of youth are successful up to two years after discharge from the program. Youth Villages is currently operating the Intercept program in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

With the Arnall Family Foundation’s support, the program will expand into Oklahoma City beginning in 2016. The Youth Villages’ Intercept in-home services program provides treatment to troubled children and families in their own homes at times convenient for the families. The program serves children of any age (infant to age 18) who have serious emotional and behavioral problems. Intercept specializes in diverting youth from out-of-home placements such as residential treatment facilities, foster homes, psychiatric residential treatment centers, hospitals or group homes, and in successfully reuniting children with their families in the community. Diversion services generally last four to six months, while reunification services generally last six to nine months. Intercept family intervention specialists are skilled at reuniting families even when the child has been out of the home for an extended period.