Need for Children and Family Service Remains Strong in SW Missouri:
Boys & Girls Town Southwest Missouri Region Provided Services to More Children and Families in 2008 Compared to 2007
Springfield, Mo. (Aug. 11, 2009) – Boys & Girls Town of Missouri’s Southwest Region based in Springfield served 2,667 children and family members in 2008 – a 17 percent increase compared to 2007. Without taking into account new programs, the numbers of children and family members served rose 9 percent.
“It’s a sign of several factors, said Chip Wolf, vice president of the Southwest Region. “While we are finding new ways to help families in crisis and are implementing new programs, there is increased demand for all services.
“The numbers we serve through the Ozarks Family Resource Center emergency shelter for families in crisis and homeless youth remain high – an unfortunate side to the tough economic times we are experiencing.”
Emergency Shelter and Homeless Teen Services Increased in 2008
The Ozarks Family Resource Center provided emergency shelter and treatment for 176 children – close to a 16 percent increase compared to 2007. The Empowering Youth program for homeless teens served 39 children compared to 23 the previous year.
Foster care case management, in which staff coordinate and oversee treatment programs and living placements of foster children, served 407 children and comprised the largest treatment program. Boys & Girls Town of Missouri is a partner in The Southwest Children’s Coalition, the private agency provider for foster care case management in Greene, Christian, Jasper, McDonald, Newton and Taney counties.
Other treatment programs, including residential care, intensive in-home services, family therapy and other services helped 1,983 siblings and family members.
Need for Services Remains Strong
Figures from Citizens for Missouri’s Children’s 2008 Missouri Kids Count Data Book Online indicate 6,188 children in counties contiguous to and including Greene County were identified as abused or neglected – an average of 45.8 children per 1,000 population – compared to the Missouri average of 32.6. In Greene County 3,712 children were identified as abused or neglected (63.7 per 1,000 population). Numbers are likely much higher than this as not all abuse or neglect is reported.
Where do Boys & Girls Town children come from?
Greene County continues to be the primary county of origin for children in Boys & Girls Town treatment programs, followed by St. Louis City and St. Louis County, Boone, Phelps and Christian counties.
In 2008, Boys & Girls Town helped children from 95 of Missouri’s 114 counties representing 83 percent of the state, plus the City of St. Louis and other states.
Where do Boys & Girls Town children go?
Of the youth leaving Boys & Girls Town residential care in 2008, more than 80 percent returned to live with a parent or family member, or transitioned into foster care or independent living services, or other less restrictive environment.
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Columbia Region
